League title mania
Corona del Mar High’s baseball team secured its second straight
outright Pacific Coast League title with a 7-2 victory over host
Calvary Chapel Tuesday.
The Sea Kings (17-5, 12-0 in league) clinched the title with three
league games remaining on the strength of a four-run sixth inning.
Tyler Lance’s two-run single in the sixth gave CdM the lead for
good at 3-2. Lance finished with three RBIs.
CdM starter Todd Macklin went five innings and allowed two hits
while striking out three and walking two.
Blake Contant notched his third save this season with two hitless
inning, retiring the side in order in the seventh.
“It’s nice to get out of there with a win,” CdM Coach John Emme
said. “We’ve had some shaky performances there in the past.”
The same two teams will meet at 3:15 p.m. Friday on the Sea Kings’
field.
Sea Kings clinch PCL title
* VOLLEYBALL: The Corona del Mar boys volleyball team clinched
first place in the Pacific Coast League Tuesday by beating visiting
Northwood 23-25, 25-22, 25-15, 25-14.
Kevin Welch finished with 17 kills, three ace serves, four digs
and one block to lead the Sea Kings (18-9, 9-0 in the PCL). Tom Welch
contributed with 14 kills and four digs and Austin Brawner added
eight kills for CdM.
Coach Steve Conti said the Sea Kings practiced sloppy Monday and
played the same way in the first game, but was pleased with the way
his team rebounded in the final three games and with his defensive
specialists.
Shane Collins had two aces and seven digs and Ben Applebee had one
ace and six digs for CdM. Dominic Rubino finished the match with 32
assists.
Corona del Mar hosts second-placed Laguna Beach Tuesday.
Eagles rule Golden West
* VOLLEYBALL: The Estancia High boys volleyball team stamped
itself as the outright Golden West League champion with a 25-12,
25-11, 25-15 victory over visiting Orange Tuesday.
Seniors Kris Hartwell and Scott Sankey led the Eagles (22-6, 11-0
in league) with nine and seven kills, respectively, while Brad Larsen
added five.
Hartwell added two solo blocks while Sankey (nine), Scott Markley
(six), Josh Kornegay (six) added digs for the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in
CIF Southern Section Division III. Markley also added his first
varsity kills this season, Estancia Coach Tracey Ingraham said.
Trevor Holmes tallied 26 assists and four service aces for
Estancia, which has swept all 11 league opponents thus far.
Estancia concludes the regular season when it hosts Ocean View at
4:30 p.m. Friday.
CdM clinches crown
* TENNIS: Junior Spencer Reitz and Wesley Miller each swept their
three singles matches to lead the Corona del Mar High boys tennis
team to a 12-6 victory over host Tesoro, clinching the Pacific Coast
League title.
Miller, who improved to 37-2 in singles this season, and Reitz
each lost just three games while Brennan Roberts and Alex Nguyen
swept at No. 1 doubles for the Sea Kings (19-0, 9-0 in the PCL),
ranked No. 1 in CIF Southern Section Division I.
Ryan Caughren and Jonathan Kroopf claimed two sets while Dan Tat
and Sean Pham claimed one set for CdM, which won its eighth league
title in Coach Tim Mang’s 11 seasons at the helm.
The Sea Kings played without junior Carsten Ball (24-0 in singles,
9-0 in doubles this season) and will face host Northwood Thursday
without him.
Ball competed in a national tournament in Florida and will travel
to Las Vegas for another event this weekend with a chance to gain
United States Tennis Association ranking points, which college
coaches consider heavily in recruiting.
Shue shines in prelims
* SWIMMING: Corona del Mar High sophomore swimmer Lexie Shue broke
a Pacific Coast League championships record in the 500-yard
freestyle, finishing in 4:58.64, to qualify first in the
preliminaries at Laguna Beach Tuesday.
Shue’s time is also a school record and the fastest in Orange
County this season. Shue, the defending league champion in the 500
free, also qualified first in the 200 individual medley (2:06.97, a
personal record), which she won last year.
Ashley Chandler (25.23 in the 50 free) and Stephanie Gabert
(season-best 1:04.64 in 100 breaststroke) also qualified first in
their respective events.
Gabert also qualified second in the 200 IM in 2:09.27, while Kim
McCay qualified second in the 500 free in 5:21.05 and third in the
200 free in 1:59.41. Chandler qualified third in the 100 free (54.39) and Tumua Anae qualified third in the 100 breaststroke (1:11.84).
Vivian Liao qualified fourth in the 50 free (26.40), while Katya
Eadington qualified eighth in 26.86 and Tracy Kubas 12th in 27.36.
Jordan Anae qualified fourth in the 100 free (54.95) and fourth in
the 100 backstroke (1:03).
Liao qualified fifth in the 100 free in 55.57, while Ann Winners
qualified 14th in 1:01.25. Jackie Duzak qualified sixth in the 100
back in 1:05.25, Katie Indvik followed in seventh in 1:06.75, while
Sarah Hutchison qualified 10th in 1:12.40.
Duzak also qualified fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:02.01). Indvik,
who qualified seventh in 1:06.12, Hutchison, who qualified 10th in
1:07.89, and Emily McAdams, who qualified 16th in 1:19.79, also
advanced in the 100 fly.
Amanda Catlin qualified fifth in the 500 free in 5:35.99, while
Brittany Wigley qualified eighth in 5:44.08.
In the 200 free, Tumua Anae qualified seventh in 2:08.37, Wigley
was 12th in 2:11.56 and Tracy Kubas 14th in 2:12.52. In the 200 IM,
Amanda Catlin qualified sixth in 2:04.28 and Winners 13th in 2:34.34.
100 breast -- 8. 1:17.40, Alex Rodenhuis qualified eighth in the
100 breaststroke in 1:17.4, while Kasey Kipp qualified 12th in
1:18.40.
The Corona del Mar girls swim team, undefeated during the regular
season, are poised to win its second straight PCL title, Sea Kings
Coach Doug Volding said.
Braunsdorf wins title
* TENNIS: Estancia High sophomore Scott Braunsdorf got his
revenge.
Westminster senior Jason Nguyen defeated Braunsdorf in straight
sets last year to claim the Golden West League title, but the tide
turned Tuesday in a rematch of the league’s boys tennis final at
Ocean View.
Braunsdorf, the No. 2 seed, improved to 36-1 this season with a
6-4, 6-3 victory over the top-seeded Nguyen, who won one more set
than Braunsdorf during the regular season.
Braunsdorf defeated Thomas Nguyen of Ocean View, 6-7, (4-7), 6-2,
7-5, in the semifinals, surviving through one match point.
“[Braunsdorf] was a little nervous [in the semifinal], but
finished that match and was more confident and calm [in the final],”
Estancia Coach Rachel de los Santos said.
The Eagles will host a first-round opponent when the CIF Southern
Section Division V playoffs begin May 17.
Braunsdorf qualified for the CIF individual tournament May 28-29.
Sostak on Route 66
* GOLF: Estancia High sophomore Marcus Sostak shot a 4-under-par
66 for the second consecutive day to claim the Golden West League
boys golf championship Tuesday at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club’s
Mesa Linda course.
“He hit the ball well. He is peaking right now,” Estancia Coach
Art Perry said of Sostak, who birdied five holes Tuesday and finished
seven strokes ahead of Derek Ngayan.
Sostak’s 132 over both days is believed to be the best score for
an Estancia golfer in the two-day league tournament, said Perry, in
his 19th year at the helm.
Former Estancia golfer Jason Cassidy shot a two-day total of 138
and defeated Sostak by seven shots to claim last year’s league title.
Greg Les shot a 70 to finish third and, along with Sostak, placed
in the top four to qualify for the CIF Southern regional
championships May 17 at SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.
Sostak and Les will attempt to finish in the top 22 out of an
estimated 144 players to qualify for the CIF individual championships
at Canyon Country Club in Palm Springs.
Jason Les (sixth, 81-72 -- 153), Nick Lettieri (eighth, 75-83 --
158) Garrett McMasters (10th, 77-85 -- 162) and Brendon Flannery
(11th, 78-85 -- 163) scored for Estancia.
The Eagles, who claimed the league team title, begin play in the
CIF team regionals at Los Serranos Golf Course with a 7 a.m. shotgun
start Monday.
Loper’s slam wins it
* BASEBALL: Junior Matt Loper hit his first home run of the season
-- a grand slam -- in the first inning and Sage Hill School’s
baseball team cruised to a 10-2 Academy League victory over visiting
St. Margaret’s Tuesday.
Loper’s four-run blast highlighted a five-run first for Sage
(11-7, 8-4 in league), which pounded 16 hits.
Matt Kornswiet went 3 for 4 with two RBIs while Jordan Salinger
also finished 3 for 4.
Tim Wilkins scattered six hits while striking out eight and
allowing two runs (one earned) in improving to 6-1 this season.
Wilkins went 2 for 4 with a triple.
Third-place Sage travels to face St. Margaret’s Friday before
wrapping up the league season with two games next week against
Capistrano Valley Christian, which headed into Tuesday one game ahead
of Sage.
Sailors sweep Hawks
* VOLLEYBALL: Newport Harbor High’s boys volleyball team tuned up
for its showdown with Woodbridge later in the week with a 25-7,
25-20, 25-19 Sea View League victory against visiting Laguna Hills
Tuesday.
James Hapke and Parker Stevens led the Sailors’ kill attack with
eight and seven, respectively, while senior Adam Schlesinger tallied
five in a break from his normal role as setter. Hapke also added four
digs.
Sophomore Ted Slater took over the setting duties and amassed 25
assists while adding three kills and three blocks for the Sailors
(20-7, 9-0 in league), ranked sixth in CIF Southern Section Division
I.
Brett Auer tallied four kills and one service ace for Newport,
which faces host Woodbridge, ranked seventh in Division I, at 5:45
p.m. Thursday for the outright league championship.
Newport defeated Woodbridge in five games April 22.
Lightning thundering
* VOLLEYBALL: Sage Hill School’s boys volleyball team kept pace
for the Academy League title with a 25-12, 25-23, 25-17 victory over
visiting St. Margaret’s Tuesday.
Senior outside hitter Kevin Joyce led the Lightning (13-1, 8-1 in
league) with 21 kills while Macsun Frederick tallied nine kills.
Julian Smith-Newman amassed 30 assists for Sage, ranked fourth in
CIF Southern Section Division V, one spot ahead of Brethren Christian
(7-1 in league entering play Tuesday.
Sage hosts Capistrano Valley Christian at 4 p.m. Thursday to close
the regular season.
If Sage and Brethren Christian both finish 9-1 in league, a coin
flip will determine seeding for the CIF playoffs, Sage Coach Merja
Connelly-Freund said.
Sailors end season
* GOLF: Davis Pemstein shot a 7-over-par 79 to lead the Newport
Harbor High contingent and finish 10th overall in the Sea View League
boys golf individual finals Tuesday at San Luis Rey Downs Golf Club
in Bonsall, near San Diego.
Pemstein, who shot 76 Monday, was 1-under on the front nine,
Newport Coach Scott Tarnow said.
Michael Benvenuti followed his 75 Monday with an 82 Tuesday while
Rhett Palmer and David Motschenbacher each shot 82 and finished the
two-day tournament at 162.
The top five advanced to the CIF Southern regional championships
May 17.
Beck’s blast boosts Bucs
* BASEBALL: A five-run rally in the sixth inning, highlighted by
Luke Beck’s grand slam, helped Orange Coast College come from behind
to defeat the visiting Saddleback Gauchos, 8-5. Orange Coast (12-20,
6-14 in the Orange Empire Conference) travels to Saddleback (23-12,
10-10) Thursday.
Newport bats silenced
* SOFTBALL: Foothill High junior Kelsey Ferguson struck out seven
in tossing a two-hit shutout against visiting Newport Harbor in a Sea
View League softball game Tuesday.
Ashley Gleason’s double and Kayleigh Horn’s bunt single were the
only hits for Newport (8-12-1, 1-6 in league), which had runners in
scoring position, but couldn’t cash them in, Sailors’ Coach Mike
Davis said.
Gleason scattered four hits in going the distance for Newport.
Foothill improved to 14-9-1, 5-2 in league.
Whitney tops Lightning
* SOFTBALL: Sage Hill School sophomore Allison Gonzalez went 3 for
3 with a double and scored two runs, but the rest of the Lightning
lineup managed just one hit in a 9-3 Academy League softball loss at
Whitney Monday.
Rebecca Hemarsky had the other single for the visitors, who fell
to 6-11-1, 2-5 in league.
CdM falls in eight
* SOFTBALL: Whitney Lewis’s eighth-inning single through the right
side knocked in the winning run to give host Northwood High a 4-3
Pacific Coast League softball victory over Corona del Mar Tuesday.
CdM (12-8, 2-5 in league) scored two runs in the top of the
seventh to tie the score at 3. Allie Duernberger and Holly Van Hiel
each tallied RBI singles.
Lauren Gega tied the score, 1-1, in the third with an RBI hit.
Michelle Tolfa struck out three in five innings while Van Hiel
fanned one in relief.
Katrina Gaudier tossed a four-hitter for Northwood (13-7, 6-1).
Lancers rip Lions
* BASEBALL: Vanguard University lost to host Cal Baptist, 21-1,
Tuesday in a Golden State Athletic Conference game to fall to 13-35,
6-22 in league.
Sage Hill earns award
* HONORS: Sage Hill School was the Academy League’s recipient of
the 22nd annual Kenneth Fagans Shake for Sportsmanship award.
Each CIF Southern Section league chooses a winner from its member
schools, based on participation, enthusiasm, behavior at home and
away games, treatment of opponents and treatment of contest
officials.
In addition to student-athletes, the conduct of school entities
including band, cheer and student rooting sections also goes into
choosing the winning school.
Sage Hill was awarded a commemorative plaque to be displayed on
campus.
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