Pirates reach state

The Orange Coast College women’s tennis team will play for a state

championship after reaching the final match with a 5-2 victory over

top-seeded host Saddleback in the Southern California dual team final

Tuesday.

The Pirates (16-1) will face Sierra College at 2 p.m. Thursday at

Copper River Country Club in Fresno for the state title for the first

time in more than 10 years, longtime OCC Coach Janice Maran said.

Against Saddleback, OCC, the No. 2 seed, received singles

victories from Michelle Esquivel, a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Amanda

Valera; Emily Paulson, who defeated Kathryn Malec, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5; Ai

Takamori, who prevailed, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4 over Allison McKinney; and

Rachael Sessum, who downed Laura Salgado, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (7-5), 7-6

(7-4), in a match that lasted three hours, Maran said.

In doubles, Rice and Esquivel defeated Valera and Malec, 7-5, 6-1.

Esquivel remains undefeated in singles this season, Maran said.

Eagles soar to top again

* VOLLEYBALL: Estancia High’s boys volleyball team wrapped up its

second straight outright Golden West League championship following a

25-16,25-16, 25-20 victory over host Santa Ana Tuesday.

Shaun Markley led the Eagles (18-9, 11-0 in league) with 11 kills

while senior setter Trevor Holmes tallied eight, mostly from the back

row. Scott Markley tallied 15 digs while Holmes added 35 assists,

four service aces and two solo blocks.

Estancia, which also won a share of the league crown in 2003,

hosts Costa Mesa at 4:30 p.m. Thursday to close the regular season.

Sostak defends title

* GOLF: Marcus Sostak repeated as Golden West League boys golf

champion following a second straight 1-over-par 73 Tuesday in the

league finals at Los Serranos Country Club in Chino.

Sostak (73-73 -- 146) bested Ocean View’s Tom Amphlett (82-78 --

160) and Mike Cybulski (85-78 -- 163), while fellow Eagle Austin Serr

(87-76 -- 163) placed fourth to also qualify for the CIF individual

regional championship May 16 at Seacliff Country Club in Huntington

Beach.

Ben Schramm (81-84 -- 165), Ryan Gleason (83-84 -- 167) and Greg

Les (82-86 -- 168) finished fifth through seventh while Garrett

McMasters (82-87 -- 169, ninth) and John Rausch (88-87 -- 175) also

scored for Estancia, which competes in the CIF Southern team division

at 7 a.m. Monday at Los Serranos.

CdM clinches league

* VOLLEYBALL: Led by a match-high 20 kills from senior outside

hitter Kevin Welch, the Corona del Mar High boys volleyball team

clinched first in the Pacific Coast League following a 25-18, 25-18,

23-25, 25-17 victory Tuesday at Tesoro.

Senior Tom Welch aided his brother with 13 kills for the Sea Kings

(22-6, 8-1 in league), while Scott Slaughter had 12 kills and four

blocks, and Ted Slaughter slammed seven kills.

Adam Smith added five kills and Phil Bannan contributed 42 assists

CdM edges Warriors

* TENNIS: Corona del Mar High’s boys tennis team received two

victories each from Wesley Miller and Fabian Mathews in singles and

edged visiting Woodbridge on games, 77-68, after the two teams

finished an even 9-9 in their nonleague showdown Tuesday.

Miller and Mathews improved to 32-1 and 34-2, respectively, in

dual matches this season, while Spencer Reitz and Jonathan Kroopf,

along with the duo of Matt Chou and Ryan Caughren, each claimed two

sets for CdM (18-1), which entered the week ranked fourth in CIF

Southern Section Division I.

Michael McClune swept at No. 1 singles for the Warriors (16-2),

ranked third in Division I.

The Sea Kings, Pacific Coast League champions, compete in league

finals beginning today at University at 1 p.m.

Pemstein places 2nd

* GOLF: Davis Pemstein shot even-par 71 to finish second by a

stroke in the Sea View League boys golf championships Tuesday at San

Luis Rey Downs Country Club in Bonsall.

Pemstein (75-71 -- 146) tallied three birdies, one bogey and a

double bogey in his final round. Foothill’s Andrew Gunson (73-72 --

145) took first.

The top five finishers advance to the CIF individual regional

championships May 16 at Seacliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.

Newport finishers included Justin Morehead (82-80 -- 162), Brandon

Sowers (82-82 -- 164), Paul Neff (78-87 -- 165) and Chris Willard

(83-82 -- 165).

The Sailors will compete in the CIF South Coast tournament at 7

a.m. Monday at El Prado Golf Course in Chino.

UCI pummels Waves

BASEBALL: The UC Irvine baseball team scored a season-high 20 runs

to defeat Pepperdine, 20-5, Tuesday in a nonconference game at

Anteater Ballpark. The Anteaters improved to 24-18 while Pepperdine

dropped to 27-17 on the season.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, the Anteater

offense exploded for eight runs, chasing starter Jason Dominguez

(1-4) from the game. Matt Anderson and third baseman Tim Wojcik each

tallied two-run hits for the Anteaters.

Sea Kings romp, 11-0

* BASEBALL: Twelve Sea Kings had at least one hit while Eric

Eadington and Jonathon Cabin combined on a three-hitter as Corona del

Mar High’s baseball team clinched at least a share of second place in

the Pacific Coast League following an 11-0 victory Tuesday.

Tyler Ray (double) and Mitch Folks each had two RBIs while Andy

Frenkiel was the only player to tally two hits for CdM (16-6, 9-3 in

league), which remains two games behind league-leading Tesoro with

three games to play.

Eadington fanned five and scattered three hits in five innings to

improve to 4-1 this season.

Northwood fell to 12-11, 6-6.

OCC is pushing

* BASEBALL: Stephen Cope smacked a two-run single with two outs

and the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning to give the

Orange Coast College baseball team a 12-11 Orange Empire Conference

victory Tuesday over Santa Ana, which entered as the conference

leader.

The Pirates (23-13-1, 14-5-1 in conference) move into a

first-place tie with the Dons (28-8-1, 14-5-1) with two games

remaining. The two teams will resume their suspended game from March

17 in the top of the 11th inning tied at 8 Thursday at 1 p.m. If

Coast can win either of the two games, it will be conference

champions.

Cope’s single up the middle Tuesday plated Stephen Schneider and

Ricky Stokes to complete the three-run rally off Santa Ana closer

Anthony Slama.

Sailors sweep Hawks

* VOLLEYBALL: Brett Auer finished with nine kills and three blocks

while Brett Perrine tallied seven kills and two blocks to lead the

visiting Newport Harbor High boys volleyball team to a 25-12, 25-13,

25-20 Sea View League victory over Laguna Hills Tuesday.

Parker Stevens added five kills while Perrine tallied six digs and

three aces for Newport (16-11, 9-0 in league), also boosted by Brad

Schneider’s four digs.

The Sailors can win the league title outright with a victory over

visiting Woodbridge Thursday. The match begins at 5:45 p.m.

Newport sneaks in

* TENNIS: The Newport Harbor High boys tennis team will enter the

CIF Southern Section Division I postseason after a narrow 73-68 Sea

View League victory on games Tuesday against host Aliso Niguel.

Freshman John Hutchinson won the last set of the day for the

Sailors, 6-4, to tie the match at 9 and force a decision on games.

Sophomore Jake Fleming had swept his No. 1 singles sets earlier

without losing a game to help give the Sailors (7-8, 6-4 in league) a

five-game advantage, as Newport clinched third place in league.

Melcer paces Mesa

* VOLLEYBALL: Andrew Melcer of Costa Mesa High dished out 26

assists and played excellent defense and Garrett Walthers (10 kills)

and Ryan Bagwell (seven) provided most of the offense as the Mustangs

swept host Orange, 25-12, 25-16, 25-8, in a Golden West League boys

volleyball match Tuesday.

Lazere leads Lightning

* VOLLEYBALL: Junior outside hitter Jake Lazere powered 14 kills

and added four service aces to lead the visiting Sage Hill School

boys volleyball team to a 25-19, 25-13, 20-25, 25-19 Academy League

victory over host St. Margaret’s Tuesday.

Carl Hillgren added 23 assists for the Lightning (2-13, 2-7 in

league).

Sage wraps up the regular season at Capistrano Valley Christian at

4:30 p.m. Thursday.