Bucs capture titles

Four Orange Coast College track and field athletes won titles on the

first day of the two-day Orange Empire Conference men’s and women’s

championships Friday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

OCC sophomore Ludi Valdez, an Estancia High product, won the

women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase in 11 minutes, 59.19 seconds, while

OCC sophomore Jason Valenzuela won the men’s steeplechase in 9:57.37.

OCC freshman Chris Burbach won the men’s javelin with a throw of

186 feet, 1 inch, while OCC freshman Aabria Lipscomb won the women’s

discus throw (132-7).

OCC’s Taylor Cusick was second in the women’s long jump (17-0 1/2

) and OCC’s Araceli Huerta was second in the women’s steeplechase

(12:24.57).

Patrick Fitzgerald (10:05.27); Jesus Salazar (10;14.30) and Mike

Arcianaga (10:23.42), rounded out a top-four sweep for the Pirates in

the men’s steeplechase.

Lipscomb was fifth in the hammer throw (109-5).

Finals in other field events, as well as most running events, are

scheduled today.

Harbor sails into semis

* VOLLEYBALL: The Newport Harbor High boys volleyball team

advanced to the semifinals of the Santa Barbara Tournament of

Champions Friday.

The Sailors (13-9) defeated Santa Ynez, 25-17, 25-17, 25-18 in the first round and Clovis West, 25-13, 25-20, 25-20, in the

quarterfinals.

Senior outside hitter Brett Perrine led Newport, which is the No.

3 seed in the tournament, with 22 kills in the two matches.

Kyle Caldwell had 12 kills and Ted Slater finished with 82

assists.

The Sailors play Valencia of Valencia, which is the No. 1 team in

CIF Southern Section Division II and the No. 2 seed in the

tournament, today at 10:45 a.m. at Santa Barbara High.

The finals will be held at 6:15 p.m.

Miller in semifinals

* TENNIS: Corona del Mar High senior Wesley Miller advanced to the

semifinals of the boys CIF singles division of the Ojai tournament

Friday. Miller, the No. 3 seed, defeated Steve Johnson from Orange

High, 6-2, 6-1, in the quarterfinals after beating Bryant Yung from

San Marino High, 6-1, 6-1, in the round of 16. Miller will face Santa

Barbara’s Blake Muller, who is the No. 2 seed, today at 9:30 a.m.

CdM’s Spender Wright and Matt Chou lost to Woodbridge’s Shimpei

Suzuki and Kian Fattahi, 6-4, 6-4, in the round of 16 of the boys CIF

doubles division.

* In other Ojai action, Newport Harbor High players Megan McKay

and Jake Fleming both lost their Round of 16 matches in girls 18s

singles and boys 16s singles, respectively.

Other Newport-Mesa players bowing out Friday included Newport

Beach resident Parker Rhodes (Round of 16, boys 14s singles), Costa

Mesa’s Alexandra McIntosh (Round of 16, girls 14s singles) and Orange

Coast College men’s doubles team of Colby Morita and Spencer Solomon

(Round of 32, men’s community college doubles).

Morita and Solomon one once Friday, defeating Chris Cota and Mike

Palacio of Imperial Valley, 6-0, 6-3, in the Round of 64.

Esquivel moves on

* TENNIS: Michelle Esquivel, of the Orange Coast College women’s

tennis team, won her rounds of 32 and 16 singles matches at the 105th

annual Ojai Valley tennis tournament Friday to advance to the

quarterfinals at 9:30 a.m. today at Cabrillo Real Park.

Second-seeded Esquivel defeated Trystan Flannigan of San Diego

Mesa, 6-0, 6-0, in the Round of 32, and defeated Lisa Arnold from

Fresno, 6-0, 6-2, in the Round of 16 to advance to the quarters

against Cerritos’ Charese Arrogante. The semis are scheduled for

Sunday.

The doubles team of Esquivel and Jessica Rice also advanced after

defeating Aimee Dupuis and Jenny Sharpe of Palomar, 6-0, 6-1, in a

Round of 32, and Rio Hondo’s duo of Sandy Crawford and Rebecca

Pineda, 6-0, 6-0, in a Round of 16 match. Esquivel and Rice play in

the doubles quarterfinal at 12:30 today at Ojai Athletic Club, with

the semifinals scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Rice lost her Round of 32 singles match to Santa Barbara’s Ayako

Nagai, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, while the OCC doubles team of Emily Paulson and

Rachael Sessum lost in the Round of 32 to Arrogante and Mara Petrini,

6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

‘Eaters reach semifinals

* TENNIS: The fifth-seeded UC Irvine women’s tennis team rebounded

from a 1-0 deficit and upset Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the No. 4

seed, 4-3, in a Big West Conference championship quarterfinal Friday

at Indian Wells Tennis Center.

The Anteaters (13-9) face top-seeded University of the Pacific in

one semifinal at 11 a.m. today. UCI upset the No. 1 seed Tigers, 4-3,

in the semifinals last year.

Against Cal Poly, UCI won four singles matches, including Anna

Bentzer’s 6-3, 6-2 victory over Samantha Waller in the No. 1 spot.

Izabela Mijic clinched the match for the Eaters with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-1

victory at No. 2 singles.

UCI upsets Arizona

* BASEBALL: UC Irvine blew a 3-0 lead, but scored in the 11th

inning to top No. 5-ranked Arizona, 4-3, Friday in a nonconference

baseball game at Sacramento State.

Brett Dalton singled in the game-winner in the top of the 11th to

help UCI win its third straight and improve to 19-16.

UCI starting pitcher Chris Nicoll had a no-hitter through six,

before giving up three runs in the seventh.

But Steve Schroer and Blair Erickson combined for five shutout

relief innings for the winners.

Erickson earned the victory, while junior designated hitter Matt

Anderson went 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead the Anteaters’ 11-hit

attack.

Nonconference

UC Irvine 4, Arizona 3

(11 innings)

Score by Innings

*--*

UCI 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 11 1

Ariz. 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 - 3 7 2

*--*

Nicoll, Schroer (7), Erickson (9) and Wagner; Meloan, Melancon (8)

and Hundley. W -- Erickson, 1-2. L -- Melancon, 3-3. 2B -- Anderson

(UCI), Crowe (A), Donald (A). 3B -- Brown (A). HR -- Boyer (A).

Tolfa turns tide

* SOFTBALL: Sophomore Michelle Tolfa went 4 for 4 at the plate

while tossing a complete-game one-hitter with 12 strikeouts to lead

the Corona del Mar High softball team to an 11-2 Pacific Coast League

victory over visiting University Thursday.

Tolfa allowed two walks and no earned runs while also accounting

for three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base for the Sea Kings

(12-8, 3-2 in league), currently third in league.

Michele Allred was 2 for 4 with two doubles and three runs scored;

Allie Duernberger was 2 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and an

RBI; Andrea Dort was 2 for 4 with an RBI; and Holly Van Hiel

accounted for two runs scored and four RBIs.

Pacific Coast League

Corona del Mar 11,

University 2

Score by Innings

*--*

Uni 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 - 2 1 0

CdM 1 0 3 0 0 7 x - 11 15 1

*--*

Nobe, Vitalo (6) and Gould; Tolfa and Schulte. W -- Tolfa, 12-7.

L -- Nobe. 2B -- Allred (CdM) 2, Van Hiel (CdM), Tolfa (CdM), Schulte

(CdM). 3B -- Van Hiel (CdM).

Mustangs sweep foe

* VOLLEYBALL: The Costa Mesa High boys volleyball team rode what

Coach Dave Sorrells called its best team defense of the season to a

25-12, 25-16, 25-22 sweep of Golden West League visitor Saddleback

Friday.

Junior Ryan Bagwell had 13 kills and four service aces, while

junior setter Andrew Melcer had 26 assists for the winners.

Costa Mesa (11-2, 8-1 in league) will next meet it’s alumni in a

match scheduled Monday at 7 p.m.

Sage athletes shine

* TRACK AND FIELD: Sage Hill School senior Laura Gordon was a

double winner and three Lightning boys won individual events at the

Academy League five-way boys and girls track and field meet Thursday

at Oxford Academy in Cypress.

Gordon won the triple jump (33 feet, 10 inches) and the 100-meter

hurdles (17.3 seconds), and was also second in the long jump (14-8).

Junior Zach Chandy won the boys 1,600 in 4 minutes, 48 seconds,

while senior Jimmy O’Hare won the discus (96-0) and sophomore Chris

Lee won the 300 intermediate hurdles (46.3).

Sage also won the boys 400 relay as Tim Lefler, Lee, Tyler Ellis

and Chris Neale combined for a time of 47.3

Ellis was second in the 400 in 54.1 and Mike Voge was second in

the 800 in 2:12.4.

Sage’s Kelsey Rose was second in the girls 100 in 13.3.

The Lightning boys team finished second in the team standings with

69 points, 27 back of first-place Oxford, while Sage’s girls team was

third with 58 points, behind St. Margaret’s (100) and Oxford (85).

Sage takes advantage

* SOFTBALL: Lauren Neale went 2 for 4 with Sage Hill School’s only

RBI while Rebecca Hembarsky went the distance in the circle to lead

the host Lightning softball team to a 13-2 Academy League victory

over St. Margaret’s Friday.

Allison Gonzalez went 2 for 4 with a double while Katie Puishys

finished 2 for 2 for Sage (8-5, 3-1 in league), which scored at least

six or seven runs on wild pitches or passed balls, Coach Rodger

Corbett said. Hembarsky struck out six and walked two in improving to

8-5.

Academy League

Sage Hill 13,

St. Margaret’s 2

Score by Innings

*--*

SM 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 3 5

Sage 2 1 0 7 0 3 x - 13 10 2

*--*

Wilson and Hoopis; Hembarsky and Torina. W -- Hembarsky, 8-5. L

-- Wilson. 2B -- Gonzalez (SH).

Sailors just short

* BASEBALL: The tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning was

gunned down at home and the Newport Harbor High baseball team fell to

visiting Aliso Niguel, 1-0, in Sea View League play Friday.

Aliso (14-3, 8-1 in league) singled to lead off the top of the

seventh and sacrificed the runner to second. He scored on a triple

during the next at-bat for the eventual game-winning run.

Senior Patrick Keehan was 2 for 3 with a triple for the Sailors

(7-12, 2-7), while sophomore Drew Harris was 2 for 2. Junior pitcher

Tyler Parker went the distance with five hits, two walks and four

strikeouts for the Sailors, who play host to Irvine at 3:15 p.m.

Wednesday.

Sea View League

Aliso Niguel 1,

Newport Harbor 0

Score by Innings

*--*

AN 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 1 5 0

NH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 6 0

*--*

Kuean and Seeley; Parker and Sanchez. W -- Kuean. L -- Parker. 3B

-- Gurbach (AN), Keehan (NH).

Oxford outlasts Sage

* VOLLEYBALL: A rejuvenated Sage Hill School boys volleyball team

took host Oxford Academy to the limit before dropping a 25-14, 23-25,

25-15, 26-28, 15-8 Academy League decision Friday.

Junior Jake Lazere had nine kills for the Lightning (1-12, 1-5 in

league), while Jamie McGee (eight kills), Shayne Webster (seven

kills) and Carl Hillgren (28 assists) also helped keep Sage in the

match.

Lions lose at home

* BASEBALL: Vanguard University fell behind visiting Point Loma

Nazarene, 6-0, en route to a 7-4 Golden State Athletic Conference

baseball loss Friday.

A two-run double by Mike Sparks capped a four-run sixth for the

Lions (13-26, 9-15 in conference), who received two hits apiece from

Matt Voorhies and Aaron Barret.

Golden State

Athletic Conference

Point Loma Nazarene 7,

Vanguard 4

Score by Innings

*--*

PLN 2 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 - 7 9 0

VU 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 - 4 8 2

*--*

Tuttle, Kochon (6), Hill (9) and Craig; Erickson, Brown (8) and

Westerfeld. W -- Tuttle, 6-1. L -- Erickson, 2-7. Sv -- Hill (2). 2B

-- Engers (PLN), Sparks (VU), Voorhies (VU). HR -- Robinson (PLN),

Engers (PLN).