Smith, UCI beat Arizona, 3-1

Brett Smith struck out seven and walked none in eight innings to lead

the visiting UC Irvine baseball team to a 3-1 nonconference victory

over Arizona Friday.

Smith scattered six hits in 101 pitches before giving way to

closer Blair Erickson, who pitched a scoreless ninth to notch his

third save.

Brett Dalton led UCI (4-2) with three hits in five at-bats with

one RBI and one run scored while Jordan Szabo went 2 for 4 with a run

scored.

Koley Kolberg struck out seven in a complete-game effort for

Arizona (5-2).

*--*

Nonconference

UC Irvine 3, Arizona 1

Score by Innings

UCI 100 001 001 -- 3 10 0

Arizona 001 000 000 -- 1 6 3

Smith, Erickson (9) and Wagner; Kolberg

and Mercado. W -- Smith, 2-0. L --

Kolberg, 0-1. Save -- Erickson (3). 2B

-- Anderson (UCI).

*--*

CdM trio advances

* WRESTLING: Corona del Mar High’s Andrew Keligian, Brian Feeley

and Jon Dean advanced to the consolation third round after their

efforts in the CIF Inland Division wrestling championships Friday at

Ayala in Chino Hills.

Keligian, the Pacific Coast League champion wrestling in the

215-pound division, won his first two matches, but lost in the

quarterfinals. Feeley (135-pound division) did the same to advance to

today’s consolation third round. Dean (140) won in the first round,

lost in the second, but recorded a victory in the consolation second

round to advance.

The trio will attempt to finish in the top five in their

respective weight classes to move on to the Masters Meet. Corona del

Mar’s Taylor Alston (112), Matt Loeb (130), Isaac Inouye (145), Dean

Moheimani (152), Ryan Shores (160) and Robbie Richey (heavyweight)

also competed, but did not advance.

Webber leads UC Irvine

* VOLLEYBALL: Freshman Matt Webber returned to action after

missing four matches with a shoulder injury and totaled a career-high

15 kills and tied a school record with six aces as UC Irvine defeated

Ohio State in four games, 30-28, 27-30, 30-20, 30-24, in the first

match of the Volleyball Hall of Fame/Morgan Classic in Springfield,

Mass.

Senior Jimmy Pelzel led all players with 20 kills and is now just

five shy of breaking the UCI career record set by Erick Helenihi

(1,418) from 1999-2002.

David Smith, a freshman middle blocker, added a career-high 13

kills for the Anteaters (7-8) and Kyle Weichert added 10 kills and

eight block assists.

UCI will meet the winner of the Penn State-Springfield game in the

championship game Saturday at 5 p.m.

OCC won’t defend title

* BASKETBALL: The visiting Fullerton College’s women’s basketball

claimed the Orange Empire Conference championship and ended Orange

Coast’s season with a 63-51 victory Friday night. The Hornets (20-8,

10-4 in the OEC) entered Friday’s contest with a one-game lead over

Saddleback.

The Pirates (14-14, 7-7), the defending state champions, entered

play Friday tied for sixth in the eight-team conference and will miss

the playoffs for the first time in Coach Mike Thornton’s 15 seasons

at the helm.

Alisa Carrillo led the Pirates the defending state champions, with

17 points while Amy Shaw added 13 points, hitting 4 of 9

three-pointers.

*--*

Orange Empire Conference

Fullerton 63, Orange Coast 51

Fullerton -- Jones 17, Jennings 19, Gallardo 7, Erickson 4, Martinez 16, Sanchez 0, Min 0. 3-pt. goals -- Gallardo 1. Orange Coast -- Naff 6, Carrillo 17, Van Buren 0, Chades 5, Shaw 13, Haueter 4, Viloria 0, Arganda 4, Stepanski 2, 3-pt. goals -- Shaw

4, Chades 1. Halftime -- Fullerton, 31-19.

*--*

Pirates blow 4-0 lead

* BASEBALL: The Orange Coast College baseball team couldn’t hold a

4-0 lead and visiting Long Beach stormed back to grab an 8-6

nonconference victory Friday.

Reid Horton allowed six hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead.

Keith Mastel went 4 for 5, including a solo home run, with two

runs scored and one RBI for OCC, while Jose Castaneda also went 4 for

5 with two runs scored.

*--*

Nonconference

Long Beach 8, Orange Coast 6

Score by Innings

L’ Beach 000 101 204 -- 8 12 1

OCC 103 000 002 -- 6 13 2

Style, Baker (6), Dufloth (9) and Price;

Horton, Wells (6), Jackson (7), Peck

(9), Clear (9) and Hazen and Hicks. W --

Baker. L -- Peck. Save -- Dufloth. 2B --

Ulery, Price (LB) 2, Vopinek (LB),

Castaneda (OCC). 3B -- Monahan (LB). HR

-- Edwards (LB), Mastel (OCC).

*--*

St. Bernard edges Sage

* SOCCER: For the second year in a row, St. Bernard High knocked

the Sage Hill School boys soccer team out of the CIF Southern Section

Division VI playoffs.

Geovani Hernandez knocked in a rebound in the 20th minute and the

goal proved to be the difference as the visiting Vikings upset the

fourth-seeded Lightning, 1-0, Friday.

The Lightning (11-6) played without senior Julian Smith-Newman,

who had surgery on a knee he injured in practice last week.

Fullerton tops OCC

* BASKETBALL: The Orange Coast College men’s basketball team could

not overcome a poor-shooting first half and lost, 76-66, to visiting

Fullerton in the Orange Empire Conference season finale Friday.

The Pirates (6-20, 3-11 in conference) shot 296% from the field (8

for 27) in the first half, falling behind 34-25. The Hornets (17-13,

10-4), winners of eight in a row, shot 52.2% from the field (12 of

23) in the first half. Aaron Bobik led OCC with 17 points, while Matt

Hatch added 13 points and 10 rebounds and Alex Hunter came off the

bench to score 16 points.

*--*

Orange Empire Conference

Fullerton 76, Orange Coast 66

Fullerton -- Sheldon 13, Hicks 8, Williams 16, Ayala 11, Bufford 24, Buckley 2, Perry 2. 3-pt. goals -- Sheldon 2, Ayala 2, Hicks 1. OCC -- Hatch 13, Bailey 2, Bobik 17, Garey 6, Shaheim 8, Hunter 16, Seifert 4. 3-pt. goals -- Shaheim 2, Garey 2, Bobik

2, Hatch 1. Technicals -- Garey. Halftime -- Fullerton, 34-25.

*--*

Lions lose both games

* SOFTBALL: Vanguard University’s softball team fell to 5-8 after

losing two games of a doubleheader to visiting Bethany Friday.

Jennifer Rynda allowed four hits and struck out eight, but took

the loss in Bethany’s 1-0 win in the first game. Bethany’s run was

unearned. Rachel Bomgren had two hits for the Lions.

Bomgren then went 3 for 3, including a double, and added an RBI

for the Lions in a 3-2 setback in Game 2.

Vanguard honors Besse

* BASKETBALL: Vanguard University freshman Rachel Besse, who

helped the women’s basketball team continue its dominance in the

Golden State Athletic Conference, was named Lion of the Week by the

school.

The 6-foot-3 center from Soldotna, Alaska scored 31 points and

grabbed 17 rebounds in a pair of victories over Concordia (Feb. 3)

and Westmont (Feb. 7). She was 12 of 21 from the field and 7 of 8

from the line in the two victories.