Hernandez Ineligible for Baseball at Saugus

First baseman-pitcher Brandon Hernandez of Saugus High has been declared academically ineligible, Coach Doug Worley said.

As a junior last season, Hernandez batted .377 with 24 runs batted in and was 3-3 with a 2.79 earned-run average.

Worley said if Hernandez improves his grades he could be eligible for the final seven games.

Hart sophomore pitcher Bobby Graves could be out for the season because of a stress fracture in the growth plate of his left (throwing) elbow sustained in a youth baseball tournament in January.

Graves had 47 strikeouts in 41 1/3 innings and a 2.03 ERA as a freshman.

Grant High will hold its annual alumni game at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grant. Information: 818-957-0442.

Soccer

Nicole Bucciarelli, a striker for the Grant High girls’ team and the top scorer in the City Section with 44 goals in 19 matches, said she will sign a letter of intent with UC Irvine on Thursday.

Swimming

Barry Schreifels, second-year coach at Cal State Northridge, was named Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference men’s team coach of the year, and Roland King of CSUN was selected women’s diving coach of the year.

The Matador men placed third and the women eighth in the PCSC meet Saturday at Long Beach.

Freshman Becky Snyder won the one-and three-meter diving events. Junior Sara Cassady and Sarah Cohen gave Northridge a sweep of the three-meter event.

Junior Adam Blaser won the 100-yard breaststroke title in meet-record time of 56.99 seconds. Blaser also won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2 minutes 3.75 seconds. Sophomore freestyle specialist Mike Cann won the 200 in 1:40.64, was second in the 100 in 46.03 and third in the 50 in 21.01.

Track and Field

Teresa Stricklin of CSUN won her third consecutive women’s shotput title in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation indoor championships at Reno.

Stricklin, who put the shot 46 feet 1/4 inch, and runner-up Beth Burton (45-5 3/4) led Northridge to eighth place with 30 points.

Football

San Fernando High running back Larry Ford, who led the Tigers with 525 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns in 1994, is attending Granada Hills this semester on an opportunity transfer for disciplinary reasons.

Ford is ineligible at Granada Hills but can return to San Fernando for the fall semester and regain his eligibility.

Golf

Matt Ellison of Saticoy Country Club made a hole-in-one on the seventh hole of the Valley course at North Ranch Country Club to win a BMW convertible during the fifth annual Steve Pate Charity tournament, which benefits three drug rehabilitation centers in Ventura County.

A team headed by PGA pro Duffy Waldorf of Valencia won the team scramble competition in a playoff after carding a 20-under-par 52.

Contributing: Dana Haddad, Mike Hiserman, Mike Lazarus, John Ortega, Tris Wykes.