Mustangs clinch CIF playoff spot

Costa Mesa High’s softball team clinched a playoff berth and at least

a share of the league title with a 3-1 victory over visiting

Westminster in a Golden West League game Friday.

The Mustangs moved into sole possession of first place with the

victory, two games ahead of Saddleback with two games remaining.

Costa Mesa (16-9, 8-2 in league) ended a scoreless tie in the

bottom of the fifth when Jane-E Yamamoto doubled off the fence with

two outs, scoring Alejandra Gallardo. Kelly Popps followed with a

double that scored Yamamoto and gave the Mustangs a 2-0 lead.

Yamamoto went 2 for 3, with a stolen base, a run scored and an

RBI.

Costa Mesa picked up another run in the sixth after Paulina

Rodriguez doubled and scored on a single by Katy Renish.

Westminster (7-4 in league) scored its only run in the top of the

seventh on a two-out single.

Jackie Butler (11-3) went distance for the Mustangs, striking out

four and scattering five hits.

Costa Mesa will visit Santa Ana at 4 p.m. Monday, and close out

the season playing host to Saddleback on Wednesday. Santa Ana beat

Saddleback on Friday, which puts Costa Mesa two games up with two

games left.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 3, Westminster 1

Score by Innings

West 000 000 1 - 1 5 1

Mesa 000 021 x - 3 11 0

Betancourt and Estrada; Butler and Miller.

W -- Butler, 11-3. L- Betancourt, 11-9. 2B

-- Jane-e Yamamoto (CM), Kelly Popps (CM),

Paulina Rodriguez (CM)

*--*

Sailors qualify for CIF

* TENNIS: Newport Harbor High’s boys tennis team won a playoff

with Irvine for third place in the Sea View League with a 12-6

victory Friday at Laguna Hills High, securing a spot in the CIF

Southern Section playoffs. Robert Khoury only lost one game in

sweeping his sets at No. 1 singles and Tyler Deck also won all three

of his sets. Newport’s doubles team of Brandon Lutfy and

Dylan-Espley-Jones won the only two sets they played. Sailors Coach

Jeff Thomsen said Newport had won 12 games following the completion

of the second doubles set and both teams agreed to end the match.

Lightning mercies St. Margaret’s, 15-5

* SOFTBALL: Katie McKitterick went 3 for 3 with a two-run home

run, five RBIs and two runs scored as host Sage Hill defeated Academy

League foe St. Margaret’s, 15-5, in six innings Friday. Catcher

Jessica Torina went 3 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and four runs

scored for Sage (10-7, 6-2 in league). Katrina Redelsheimer pitched a

complete game for Sage, striking out two and allowing no earned runs.

All of St. Margaret’s runs were unearned.

*--*

Academy League

Sage Hill 15, St. Margaret’s 5

Score by Innings

St. Marg 100 040 -- 5 4 1

Sage Hill 522 501 -- 15 11 4 Redelsheimer and Torina. W -- Redlesheimer,

4-3. 2B -- Yoder-Lee (SH), Torina (SH),

Redelsheimer (SH), Dailey (SH). HR --

McKitterick (SH)

*--*

Dzida wins 1,600 again

* TRACK AND FIELD: Overcoming a fever of 101 degrees, Costa Mesa’s

Laura Dzida defended her Serra League title in the 1,600 meters

(5:18.1) Friday at the girls league track and field finals at Santa

Margarita.

Dzida, running for Rosary of Fullerton, qualified for the CIF

Southern Section Division III preliminaries Friday at Long Beach City

College.

UCI’s Lee 61st

* GOLF: UC Irvine sophomore Stella Lee finished 61st in the NCAA

Women’s Golf West Regional that concluded Saturday at Karsten Golf

Course in Tempe, Ariz.

Lee, who qualified for the regional as an individual, shot a

6-over-par 78 in the final round to finish with a 54-hole total of

235. UNLV’s Sunny Oh won the individual title with a 5-under total of

211, two shots ahead of Washington State’s Kim Welch.

USC led the list of eight teams that qualified for the NCAA

Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., May 20-23. The Trojans

finished with a three-round total of 873, Oklahoma State was second

at 880, UCLA was third at 892 and Pepperdine fourth at 894.