There may not have been an individual champion Saturday, but every member of the Ventura College men's swimming team drew closer to a state championship today by piling on the points on the second day of the California Community College championships.

The Pirates will bring a 102-point cushion into the final day of the meet today at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

"Today was our depth day," said Ventura coach Larry Baratte. "We scored over 200 points.

"They're fired up and excited about tomorrow."

Ventura leads second-place Orange Coast, 347-245, followed by Diablo Valley (241), Santa Rosa (202) and Sierra (174.5).

After a strong morning in the preliminaries, Ventura started the night session strong as Collin Baratte, Rafael Ingannamonte, Steven Edgar and Daniel Colvin combined to win the win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:33.03.

Ventura piled up 36 points in the men's 200 free as Eric Rennspiess finished third (1:42.69), Michael Craft was sixth (1:44.12), Evan Hedrick was 13th (1:45.56) and Spencer McGrath was 14th (1:45.91).

David Hine finished second in the 400 individual medley (4:05.03). Ingannamonte was sixth (58.57) in the 100 breast stroke.

Edgar finished second in the 100 butterfly in 49.94 seconds. Wade Federer was seventh (51.66) and Colvin was 12th (52.42).

In the 100 backstroke, Jordan Singleton was fourth (52.10), Baratte was seventh (53.34), and Michael Crowley was eighth (54.06).

Edgar, Hedrick, Craft and Reinspeiss were second (6:52.46) in the 800 freestyle relay.

"Most of it was just solid performances,' said Baratte. ""Everybody did their job. We're looking forward to (today), a good morning and we should be in good shape."

It all started in the morning for the Pirates Friday.

"It was great morning in which we just loaded up championship and consolation finals," said Baratte. "We got all the people we really needed back.

"It was the best prelims that we've had."

The Ventura women sat in eighth with 146 points, 13 behind sixth-place Modest. Orange Coast leads the meet with 362.

Shyla Motley finished second (30.12) in the women's 50 backstroke. In the 200 freestyle, Deanna Pickman was ninth (1:57.73) and Kayleigh Jeffrey was 12th (1:59.64).

Pickman, Jeffrey, Cristina Fung and Kelsey Michon were a strong fourth in the 800 freestyle relay.

"That was just a terrific swim," said Baratte.

Rising above lesser silverware and match balls, the big trophy sits on a shelf in the Ventura County Fusion's downtown Ventura office.

But that's where the Fusion will put its glorious 2009 Premier Development League championship run today. On a shelf.

Ventura County are ready to play its first PDL game since Alfonso Motalgalvan's dramatic rebound goal in second-half stoppage time gave the Fusion a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire in the PDL final Aug. 8 at Buena High.

A new look Fusion team will open the defense of its continental championship tonight at 8 against the Lancaster Rattlers at Antelope Valley High.

Click the jump to continue reading.

Alexandre Piccin captured a key singles match and the doubles team of Piccin and Robbie Diamond provided the clinching victory as the top-seeded and unbeaten Pirates edged visiting nemesis College of the Desert, 5-3, in the Southern California regional final.

Click here for the full story from today's Star.

The victory means even more for Ventura (17-0) because it came against 13-time state champion Desert (11-1), which had ended seven of the past 10 VC seasons.
VC was swept 5-0 at Desert in last year's regional final.

Ventura will play either Fresno City or Foothill for the state championship May 6 at Balboa Beach Club in Newport Beach.

The last time an unbeaten VC team beat Desert, it went on to beat Fresno for the state title in 2008.

Under a whipping seaside win, the Pirates threatened to blow the Roadrunners away like a tumbleweed, winning the opening singles sets at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 and dropped a tiebreak at No. 1.

Pedro Arteaga made quick work of Vladmir Branisteanu at No. 5 singles 6-2, 6-1. Gabriel Vlahos, who moved into the lineup after Emery rested usual No. 4 Thomas Millet for doubles, turned back Milo Quiroz at No. 6 singles 6-3, 6-3.

Despite trailing 5-2 in the first set, Piccin roared back at No. 3 singles to beat Marcelo Alecio, 7-5, 6-2.

Ventura's Romain Scipione won the opening set 6-1 before falling 4-6, 1-6 to Alfredo Mota and Juan Arteaga fell to Alonso Leon at No. 2 singles 7-5, 6-3.

So by the time Diamond fell to Nico Combes at No. 1 singles, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, Desert had split singles, 3-3.

After the Arteaga brothers pushed Desert to the cusp with its second win over Alecio and Mota in a week, 6-3, 6-2, Diamond and Piccin clinched the regional title with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Alonso and Quiroz.

They may be strangers this year, but the Ventura College and College of the Desert men's tennis teams become real familiar with each other this time of year.

The two unbeaten teams will face each other in the postseason for the 10th straight year, including eight regional finals, this afternoon when the Pirates host the 13-time state champions in the Southern California regional final at 2.

"We've been dancing with them a lot," said Ventura coach Nelson Emery.

Eight of the past 10 Ventura seasons have been halted by Desert, but when the Pirates last beat the Roadrunners in 2008 they went on to win the state championship.

A year ago, Desert halted the Pirates reign, 5-0, in the regional final.

"It's been 12 months in the making," said Emery. "They knocked us out last year. Now we've got a chance to return the favor."

In the playoffs, top-seeded Ventura (16-0) has leaned on its depth to defeat San Diego Mesa, 5-2, and Mount San Jacinto, 5-3. Desert has breezed past Orange Coast and Cypress, 5-0.

"They're much like us," said Emery. "They don't have the studs that they've had in the past, but they're deep."

The two teams were supposed to play March 7 in Palm Desert, but the match was canceled due to the threat of rain. At last week's Ojai tournament, the Ventura doubles team of Pedro and Juan Arteaga defeated Desert's Mercelo Alecio and Alfredo Mota.

The winner advances to play for the state championship May 6 at Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach.

Follow along with our Twitter page for live updates of today's big Oxnard at Ventura baseball game.

You can also listen to the live radio broadcast at HomefieldSports.com.

The games are getting more and more important in the WSC North baseball race.

Oxnard College (23-10, 13-4) must win at county rival Ventura College (15-17, 7-10) today at 2:30 p.m. to ensure the Condors are in first place entering its season-ending, home-and-home series with co-leaders Hancock Thursday and Friday.

It looks like the Pirates must win to keep their postseason hopes alive.

"I think what it's going to take for us is we have to win out and we have to hope that Cuesta loses at least one game," said Ventura skipper Don Adams Monday. "That'll put us in fourth by ourselves.

"It's slim, but at least there's a chance."

According to Adams, Ventura, tied for fourth with Cuesta at 7-10, needs to finish fourth outright, since it will lose the tiebreaker with the Cougars should Hancock win the title.

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record against the league champion. Ventura has taken two of three from Oxnard, but went 0-4 against Hancock. Obviously, to win out, Ventura would have to hand Oxnard a loss today.

That also means that, in the event of a tie atop the standings, Oxnard has tiebreaker over Hancock by virtue of its 4-0 sweep of third-place Santa Barbara City.

"It's all kind of crazy," said Adams. "We're just worried about (today) and (Moorpark, who Ventura faces Thursday and Friday) is playing really well.

"It's a big week, for us, obviously. We know it's slim chances, but we're happy to be in that hunt after we started 1-6 (in the WSC North)."

Oxnard will give the ball to sophomore leader J.C. Aguayo (5-2, 2.87 ERA). He will be opposed by Ventura's fire-balling lefty Eric Hong, who may be 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA, but has struck out more than a batter per inning (29 in 25.0).

The Hancock College baseball team hasn't lost in seven games since a 7-6 loss at Oxnard April 6. The Bulldogs surge hasn't just pulled them even with Oxnard at 13-4 in the WSC North with three games to play, it has allowed the WSC North to jump past the Orange Empire as Southern California's top baseball conference in RPI, a key component in the postseason seeding process.

Oxnard and Hancock are ranked No. 4 and No. 6 in Southern California RPI. Both seem to be in position to host a first-round Southern California regional playoff series.

The Top 10 is Santa Ana (.602), Desert (.595), Cypress (.593), Oxnard (.588), San Diego (.576), Hancock (.575), Bakersfield (.570), Citrus (.570), Chaffey (.567) and El Camino (.566).

The question is whether the fourth place team in the WSC North, either Ventura or Cuesta, will earn a postseason berth.

Ventura has reached the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.

The Oxnard College baseball team (23-10) is ranked No. 11 in the April 23 Western regional poll, conducted by the American Baseball Coaches' Association.

ABCA - Junior College Pacific Associations Division
April 23 Poll
RANK SCHOOL REGION Last Week
1 Santa Ana (23-8, 13-3) SoCal 1
2 Columbia Basin (19-5, 8-0) NW 2
3 Canada (26-3, 18-1) NorCal 3
4 San Diego City (22-7, 15-6) SoCal 4
5 Chabot (24-6, 16-3) NorCal 5
6 Lower Columbia (19-3, 5-2) NW 6
7 Cypress (20-11, 11-5) SoCal 7
8 San Mateo (23-6-1, 15-4) NorCal 12T
9 El Camino (23-8, 12-4) SoCal 9
10 Bellevue (19-9, 7-1) NW 10
11 Oxnard (21-9, 11-3) SoCal 11
12 Sacramento City (19-12, 13-3) NorCal 8
13 Chaffey (20-10, 17-1) SoCal 14
14 Fresno City (21-8, 15-3) NorCal 12T
15 Skagit Valley (15-4, 3-1) NW 15
16 Hancock (19-11, 11-4) SoCal 21T
17 Feather River (28-4, 20-1) NorCal 17
18 Golden West (18-11, 9-6) SoCal 21T
19 Chemeketa (15-4, 5-3) NW 19
20 Ohlone (22-8, 14-5) NorCal 25
21 Desert (21-8, 13-5) SoCal NR
22 Merced (20-9, 14-4) NorCal 20
23 Bakersfield (21-10, 10-6) SoCal NR
24 Mt. Hood (12-10, 5-3) NW 24
25 Cosumnes River (18-11-1, 9-7) NorCal 23

Entering the final, privotal week of the regular season, the Oxnard College baseball team (23-10) is up to No. 5 in the Southern California coaches' poll.

The Condors are the only other team besides top-ranked Santa Ana to earn a No. 1 vote. Of course, Oxnard beat Santa Ana, 8-0, on April 6.

Other WSC North teams include Hancock (21-11) at No. 7 and Santa Barbara City at No. 15. Cuesta also received votes.

Southern California Poll 7: April 22
Rnk. Teams *Pts. (1st.) L.Wk.Conf. S.Rec,C.Rec.
1 Santa Ana 239 (11) 1 Orange Empire (23-8, 189-3)
2 San Diego 216 2 Pacific Coast (22-7, 15-6)
3 Cypress 209 3 Orange Empire (20-11, 11-5)
4 El Camino 200 4 South Coast (23-8, 12-4)
5 Oxnard 197 (1) 5 West. St. North (21-9, 11-3)
6 Chaffey 153 6 Foothill (20-10, 17-1)
7 Hancock 146 9 West. St. North (19-11, 11-4)
9 Desert 119 11 Foothill (21-8, 13-5)
11 Palomar 110 13 Pacific Coast (18-13, 13-8)
12 Rio Hondo 95 15 Foothill (22-8, 13-5)
13 Canyons 95 8 West. St. South (16-13, 10-6)
14 Orange Coast 79 16 Orange Empire (16-14, 8-8)
15 Santa Barbara 77 12 West. St. North (18-13, 8-7)
16 LA Pierce 72 7 West. St. South (20-11, 8-8)
17 LA Valley 57 N/R West. St.South (12-17-1, 11-5)
18 Southwestern 51 17 Pacific Coast (18-14, 11-10)
19 Citrus 45 14 West. St. South (19-13, 9-8)
20 Mt. San Antonio 25 18 South Coast (16-15, 10-7)
Others: Cuesta (13); Mt. San Jacinto (9); Compton (9); San Diego Mesa (5); San Bernardino (4); Riverside (3); Long Beach (3).
South Compiled by Kevin Hazlett, San Diego Mesa College
Note: 12 of 45 Southern California Coaches participating.
*Points based on the number of ballots in the poll.

Round 15 Scores, Tue., April 20
Hancock 9, Cuesta 4
Ventura 5, Santa Barbara 0
Oxnard 10, Moorpark 5 (played Friday, April 23)

Round 16 Scores, Thu. April 22
Hancock 11, Cuesta 10
Oxnard 6, Moorpark 5
Santa Barbara 4, Ventura 2

Round 17 Scores, Sat. April 24
Ventura 6, Oxnard 4
Cuesta 5, Moorpark 3
Hancock 7, Santa Barbara 6

Standings after Round 17, Sat. April 24
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Oxnard 13-4 -- 23-10
Hancock 13-4 -- 21-11
Santa Barbara 9-8 4.0 19-14
Cuesta 7-10 6.0 16-17
Ventura 7-10 6.0 15-17
Moorpark 2-15 11.0 9-22-1

Round 18 Schedule, Tue., April 24
Oxnard at Ventura
Cuesta at Moorpark
Hancock at Santa Barbara City

Round 19 Schedule, Thu., April 24
Oxnard at Hancock
Ventura at Moorpark
Santa Barbara City at Cuesta

Round 20 Schedule, Fri., April 30
Hancock at Oxnard
Moorpark at Ventura
Cuesta at Santa Barbara City

At least three local products signed as undrafted free agents after the conclusion of this weekends NFL Draft.

Former Grace Brethren High running back Chad Kackert, who played at New Hampshire, has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Former Hueneme High safety Josh Pinkard has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks, joining his USC coach Pete Carroll.

Former Moorpark High receiver Chastin West, who played at Fresno State, has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Green Bay Packers.

The Ventura College men's golf team may have let the chance to push for a conference title slip in recent weeks.

But there is plenty to play for today when the Pirates compete in the 36-hole Western State Conference championships at Spanish Hills Country Club in Camarillo.

"Hopefully, we can go ahead and maybe not win the conference," said Ventura coach Bob E. Smith, "but win the state."

Ventura (35-13), which finished third in the state meet a year ago, has slipped 11 games behind runaway leader Canyons (46-2) in recent weeks, but the Pirates can advance to Southern California regionals as a team by protecting its six game lead over third-place Santa Barbara City (29-19) today.

"I'm somewhat concerned," said Smith, "but we look like we're pretty confident for that second spot.

"It all depends on how we play in the morning."

Sophomore Paul Misko enters the final 32 holes from the WSC individual championship.

The Royal High product is the conference's scoring leader, averaging 72.9 per round.

"The only thing I have to do (today) is go out and play my game," said Misko. "I won't put scores in my head, because then you're not thinking about your game.

"I can tell you, I've been practicing a lot."

The local course isn't expected to be a big advantage for the Pirates, who practice at Saticoy C.C. and Olivas Links.

"It's nice that they get to sleep in their own bed," Smith, "but it's not so much of an advantage for us because we don't practice at Spanish Hills."

Canyons is actually hosting the event. Every team was allotted one practice round.

SoCal regionals are May 10 at SCGA golf course in Murrieta and the state championships are May at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont.

The WSC North baseball race will be decided face to face this week.

As first-place Oxnard lost at home against Ventura, 6-4, Saturday second-place Hancock was busy beating Santa Barbara City, 7-6, so the teams are in a flat-footed tie at 13-4 with three games to play.

"It's going to be exciting," said Oxnard skipper Jon Larson. "We feel good. They're a good club. They've been playing really well too.

"But we're fine. Whoever catches and pitches better is going to take this thing."

Oxnard (23-10) plays at Ventura (15-17) Tuesday before finishing with a home-and-away series with Hancock (21-11) Thursday and Friday.

The WSC North overtook the powerhouse Orange Empire as the top conference in the SoCal RPI this week, adding to the argument that the its fourth-place team receive playoff consideration.

"Our league is very tough," said Larson. "The Orange Empire used to always get four or five teams in there. So I'm thinking if we're the top conference, we could get four."

Ventura, which is tied for fourth with Cuesta at 7-10, has reached the postseason in three of the past four years.

The Ventura College and Moorpark College softball team both were seeded in the Southern California regional playoffs over the weekend.

Ventura (27-12) was seeded No. 13 and will visit No. 4 Mount San Antonio (30-10) in a Best-of-3 first-round series in Walnut. No. 15 Moorpark (21-16) will visit No. 2 Cypress (34-6).

Ventura finished with the four top pitchers in the WSC in Angela Ayala (6-3, 0.67 ERA), Jennifer Juarez (6-3, 0.89), Janessa Pulido (5-3, 0.94), and Crystal Bingham (10-3, 1.19). The Pirates are No. 4 in the state in staff ERA at 0.94.

Larry Baratte won't know if his Ventura College men's swimming team will be the favorite in this weekend's California Community College championships until today.

But it looks pretty close.

The Pirates look like they qualified a school-record 15 men and five women for the three-day meet at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.

"I don't know for sure," said Baratte Sunday. "I'll know when I see the psych sheets.

"We'll see. I think we're in the conversation."

Nine men were unshaven when the Pirates won the WSC Championship Saturday by a record margin in Santa Claritate.

"I think that's pretty big," said Baratte. "That's a pretty good thing."

Santa Clara High product Cierre Wood had 110 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard score, in the Notre Dame spring game Saturday.

Moorpark College took the Western State Conference championships in men's and women's discus at the WSC Prelims Saturday at the Ventura College Sportsplex.

Kenneth Sugishita won the men's discus in (151 feet, 9 inches) and Jane Swenson won the women's discus (134-9).

In the men's 10,000 meters, Isidore Herrera finished second (32:08) and Cesar Lopez finished fifth (32:58). Madelyn Stoltze finished second (37:41) in the women's 10,000 meters.

Also in the discus, Gabriel Acero was third (134-9) and Cameron Begue was fifth (130-9).

Click the jump for the full Moorpark qualifiers for the WSC Finals Friday at Moorpark.

One year after being upset in the playoffs by Orange Coast, the Moorpark College men's volleyball team won the state championship in the sweetest of sweeps, 30-24, 30-24, 30-25, over the Pirates before a raucous crowd of 850 on Saturday night at Orange Coast's Peterson Gymnasium.

Here's my game story from Sunday's Star.

Middle blocker Kyle Auge had 13 kills and four blocks and right-side Josh Howley had 12 kills to each earn all-tournament honors and Quinn locked up the Most Valuable Player award with 41 assists.

Outside hitters Tyler Peterson and Trevor Willenberg had 12 and 10 kills, respectively, and liberos Erik Varney and Brendan Keane combined for 24 digs as Moorpark (16-4) improved to 2-0 in state finals in 11 years of existence.

The Ventura College men's and women's swimming teams were lifted by championship performances Saturday at the Western State Conference championships at Santa Clarita Swim Center.

The men finished with a record setting 1,034 points, and easily distanced itself from the next closest finisher in Cuesta, which had 423 points to win their eighth straight conference championship.

In opening up the widest margin of victory in WSC history, Ventura surpassed 1,000 points for the first time.

"It's a dominating year," said Ventura coach Larry Baratte. "We had 26 guys that we took to the meet, I had to designate eight of them non-scorers... Of those eight, all of them would have scored points if they were at a different school."

The mile freestyle was the lone swimming event in the three-day, 18-event meet that the Pirates did not win.

The women earned the championship with 665.5 points, followed by Cuesta with 524 and Bakersfield with 522.

"We only won one really," said Baratte. "It wasn't neccesary because of our talent. It was the depth."

Steven Edgar earned swimmer of the year honors for the men's side and Shyla Motley did likewise for the women.

Motley won the 1,650-yard freestyle and, three events later, broke a 20-year-old record in the 100-meter breaststroke with a first place finish of 1:07.20.

"Big time," said Baratte. "She's pretty good."

For the men, Edgar won the 200 butterfly, Collin Baratte won the 200 backstroke, Daniel Colvin defended his title in the 100 freestyle, Rafael Ingannamonte won 200 breast stroke.

As first-place Oxnard lost at home against Ventura, 6-4, second-place Hancock was busy beating Santa Barbara City, 7-6.

So the teams are in a flat-footed tie with three games to play.

Oxnard plays at Ventura Tuesday before finishing with a home-and-away series with Hancock Thursday and Friday.

That means that, no matter what happens, the title will be decided head to head this week.

I'm here at Peterson Gymnasium in Costa Mesa, where the Moorpark College men's volleyball team will play for the state championship at 7 p.m. against a familiar face, host Orange Coast College.

You can read my preview story from today's Star by clicking here.

I'll have live updates on the Twitter page or you can watch the live Internet video broadcast at HomefieldSports.com.

Making its first state final appearance since its banner-stitching season of 2005, Moorpark faces the team that stopped cold its playoffs run a year ago in five grueling games.

In its 13th final appearance, Orange Coast will be playing for its sixth state title, but first since 1994.

Orange Coast also won the teams' lone meeting this season in five games on Feb. 19.

Bryan Willson hit his fifth home run of the season and Justin Bricker pitched his fourth complete game of the season as the Oxnard College baseball team maintained their one-game lead in the WSC North with a 10-5 win over visiting Moorpark Friday afternoon.

The game was a makeup of a Tuesday rainout. Oxnard (23-9, 13-3 WSC North) opens a two-game series with Ventura today.

The Ventura College men's and women's swimming teams remained in front at the Western State Conference championships at Santa Clarita Swim Center.

Freshman Shyla Motley broke the conference record in the 50-yard breast stroke, winning in 31.42 seconds, and Kayleigh Jeffrey and Kelsey Michon finished 1-2 in the 200 freestyle as the women's team stayed atop the team standings, 448-377, over second-place Cuesta.

"The way it was seeded, we should be in second place after today," said Ventura coach Larry Baratte. "They're doing a great job."

Rafael Ingannamonte defended his 100 breast stroke title in 59.86 seconds and Collin Baratte (53.01) and Jordan Singleton (53.42) finished 1-2 in the 100 backstroke as the men opened up a 427-point lead on second-place Cuesta, 714-448.

The men swept the Top 4 in the 200 freestyle behind Erik Rennpiess (1:43.10), Evan Hedrick (1:44.51), Michael Craft (1:44.93) and Spencer McGrath (1:46.31); the Top 3 in the 400 individual medley behind Michael Fernandez (4:19.40), David Hine (4:21.70) and Tyler Payton (4:22.33) and the Top 3 in 100 butterfly behind Steven Edgar (51.11), Wade Federer (52.40) and Daniel Colvin (52.58).

The men's 200 medley and women's 800 free relays also set conference records.

Former Ventura College men's basketball coach Phil Mathews will be unveiled Monday as Ben Howland's top assistant with the UCLA men's basketball team

We've been hearing over the past few days that former Ventura College coach Phil Mathews could be set to return to Southern California as Ben Howland's No. 1 assistant at UCLA.

Tracy Pierson at BruinReportOnline.com reported the hiring as imminent Thursday.

This would be fantastic news for Mathews, who coached the Pirates to the 1987 and 1995 state championships and 10 straight WSC titles before moving on to the University of San Francisco, San Bernardino Valley and the University of Nebraska.

Mathews was set to return home to VC last summer when the state budget situation kept the college from hiring a new full-time coach.

He watched the California Community College basketball championships last month in Thousand Oaks with former guard Joey Ramirez, who is now a Ventura assistant.

Jason Pierre-Paul, the South Florida defensive lineman drafted No. 15 overall by the New York Giants Thursday night in the first round of the NFL Draft, starred in the final year of the Western State Conference for College of the Canyons.

Considering the WSC schools now play football in the SCFA, Pierre-Paul could be the final NFL Draft pick in the more than 50 years of WSC football history.

Pierre-Paul, a Jacksonville, Fla. native, was a first-team All-WSC selection in 2007.

This feature by the COC Sports Information staff chronicles his year in Santa Clarita.

The Oxnard College baseball team, hanging on to its WSC North lead over Hancock by a half game, hosts Moorpark today at 2:30 p.m. in a makeup of Tuesday's rain washout.

Round 14 Scores, Sat., April 17
Oxnard 3, Cuesta 0
Hancock 6, Ventura 3
Santa Barbara 19, Moorpark 4

Round 15 Scores, Tue., April 20
Hancock 9, Cuesta 4
Ventura 5, Santa Barbara 0
Moorpark at Cuesta (ppd. to Friday, April 23)

Round 16 Scores, Thu. April 22
Hancock 11, Cuesta 10
Oxnard 6, Moorpark 5
Santa Barbara 4, Ventura 2

Standings after Round 16, April 22
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Oxnard 11-3 -- 21-9
Hancock 11-4 0.5 19-11
Santa Barbara 8-7 3.5 18-13
Cuesta 6-9 5.5 15-16
Ventura 6-9 5.5 14-16
Moorpark 2-12 9.0 9-19-1

Today's Round 15 Makeup, Fri., April 23
Moorpark at Oxnard

Round 17 Schedule, Sat., April 24
Ventura at Oxnard
Moorpark at Cuesta
Santa Barbara City at Hancock

Spurred by a sophomore class that believed nothing less, the Moorpark College men's volleyball team dug deep and found the energy to survive a five-game thriller in Thursday night's state semifinals at Orange Coast College.

Right-side Josh Howley had a game-high 24 kills, middle blocker Kyle Auge had 18 kills and eight blocks and setter Adam Quinn had a game-high 74 assists as the Raiders edged Irvine Valley, snatching the decisive fifth game, 15-13, after splitting the first four 30-22, 30-24, 28-30 and 31-33.

"Our kids are just fighting to the end," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "It's just so incredible.

"The sophomores on this team have been telling me all year, 'We're going to get you to the final, coach.' "

And that's where the Raiders (16-4) will be Saturday night at 7, playing for its second state title against host Orange Coast College (18-2), which eliminated defending state champion Long Beach City in four games.

Orange Coast halted Moorpark's Western State Conference championship season a year ago in the postseason opener.

Trevor Willenberg had 15 kills, Tyler Peterson had 10 kills and Eric Varney had 14 digs as the Raiders advanced to its second state title game. Moorpark won the 2005 state title as the hosts.

The team of Collin Baratte, Rafael Ingannamonte, Steven Edgar and Eric Rennspiess set a conference record in the 400-yard medley relay as the Ventura College men's swimming team left its opposition in its wake on the first day of the Western State Conference championships at Santa Clarita Swim Center.

Three freshmen and the sophomore Ingannamonte swam the four legs in 3:31.17 to better Ventura's year-old mark.

Ingannamonte swam the breast-stroke leg in years.

Colvin won the 50 freestyle in 21.32 seconds, Edgar won the 200 individual medley in 1:55.56 and freshman Jordan Singleton won the 500 freestyle in 4:46.46 as the Pirates, in search of their eighth straight WSC title, built a lead of nearly 200 points.

Ventura (323 points) is followed by Los Angeles Valley (139), Cuesta (135), Citrus (119), Pierce (107), Canyons (75), Bakersfield (70) and Santa Monica (64) in the team standings.

The Ventura women hold a 15.5-point edge on Cuesta after the first day of competition.
Sophomore Deanna Pickman defended her title in the 500 freestyle (5:14.73).
Ventura (197.5 points) is trailed by Cuesta (182), Bakersfield (158) and Santa Monica (141).

We're in Costa Mesa for the CCCAA men's volleyball Final Four.

The Moorpark College men's volleyball team, striving for its second state title, will face Irvine Valley College at 5:30 p.m.

You can follow live on the blog or watch the Internet webcast at HomeFieldSports.com.

There's plenty of community college athletics this afternoon.

The Ventura College and Moorpark College softball teams meet at VC in a season-ending doubleheader to determine the Western State Conference's Gold Division at 1 p.m., now 2 p.m.

The top-seeded Ventura College men's tennis team hosts No. 4 Mount San Jacinto in the Southern California regional semifinals at 2 p.m. now 3 p.m. because of rain.

The Moorpark College men's volleyball team hosts Palomar in the state quarterfinals at Raider Pavilion at 6 p.m.

Moorpark visits Oxnard, Santa Barbara City visits Ventura and Hancock visits Cuesta on the baseball field.

Go to our Twitter.com page for live updates.

The Ventura College men's tennis team used some teamwork to advance to the Southern California semifinals Tuesday afternoon.

Despite dropping the top two singles matches, the undefeated Pirates used their depth to subdue visiting San Diego Mesa, 5-2, in the Southern California dual team playoffs.

"That is our strength," said Ventura coach Nelson Emery. "We're not real top heavy."

Alexandre Piccin, Thomas Millet, Romain Scipione and Pedro Arteaga combined to drop just nine games in sweeping their matches at No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively.

"From 3 on down we beat them up pretty good," Emery said.

The doubles tandem of twin brothers Juan and Pedro Arteaga clinched the win by sweeping their match, 6-2, 6-0 while the other two VC doubles teams led their matches after the Pirates clinched the overall victory.

Thousand Oaks High product Rob Diamond was forced to retire in the third set at No. 1 singles, trailing 6-4, 5-7, 1-3, because of cramps.

"That was weird," said Emery. "That's the one guy on our team who can run forever. He's probably the most fit guy on our team."

Ventura (15-0) will host either No. 4 Mount San Jacinto or No. 5 Riverside on Tuesday in the SoCal semifinals.

"Next week is a different beast," said Emery. "That's going to be a big match."

The Moorpark College and Oxnard College softball teams swept doubleheaders against Central Coast opposition to keep the pressure on first-place

Sophomore first baseman Bryanne Schwartz was 4 for 5 with 10 RBIs as Moorpark swept visiting Hancock 5-4 and 15-2, including a grand slam that broke open the second game, as the Raiders (18-15, 11-4) moved to within a game of first-place Ventura (12-3) with three games to play.

Taylor Neumann was 3 for 6 with five runs scored on the day. Rebecca Grant's RBI double plated Neumann, who had doubled, for the game-winning run in the fifth inning of the first game.

Kelly Eder (17-10) allowed just eight hits over 12 innings to pick up a both wins for Moorpark .

Michelle Getman pitched a two-hit shutout in the 5-0 win and Priscilla Garcia went 3 for 4, scored three runs and pitched the final two innings to pick up her fourth save in the 6-4 win as Oxnard swept Cuesta for the first time in San Luis Obispo.

Jessica Alcala was 2 for 4 with a triple in the first game and Brystal Hood was 2 for 4 with a solo homer in the second game as the Condors (21-13, 11-6) moved past Cuesta (16-20-1, 9-6) into third place.

Ventura (25-11, 12-3) hosts Oxnard Thursday and Moorpark in Tuesday's season-ending doubleheader.

Ricky Lipman lined the game-winning, two-RBI single as the Pirates scored twice in the seventh and three times in the eighth to come from behind and beat visting Cuesta, 9-8, Tuesday afternoon.

AJ Gallardo (3-1) picked up the win in relief, striking out three in three innings. Dewey Gratton went 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.

Ventura (13-14) and Cuesta (14-14) now sit tied in fourth place at 5-7 in the WSC North, five games behind first-place Oxnard.

J.C. Aguayo's two-RBI single and Brian Willson's two-RBI double were the clutch hits as the Oxnard College baseball team used a five-run eighth inning to come from behind and beat visiting Santa Barbara City, 11-8, Tuesday afternoon.

Zack McDonell was 3 for 4, Jake Mahan was 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored, Harper White reached base and scored three times and Willson and Jonathan Erb also had two hits as the Condors (20-8, 10-2) completed a two-game sweep of second-place Santa Barbara (15-12, 7-5), which had won 10 of its previous 11.

"We're playing against some good teams and we're beating them," said Oxnard coach Jon Larson, whose team has won four straight. "So that's good."

The Condors opened up a 4-0 lead, but Santa Barbara battled back to tie the game 4-4 and 6-6 before taking a 8-6 lead entering the eighth inning.

Santa Barbara brought ace Zak Edgington out of the bullpen for his first relief appearance of the season, but White, McDonell and Brad Greve reached base to set the table for heroics by Aguayo and Willson.

Justin Bricker (5-1) went eight innings and Santos Reyes wriggled out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth for his second save.

Sophomore Paul Misko shot a 3-under 69 to earn medalist honors the Western State Conference men's golf tournament Monday at Santa Maria Country Club, hosted by Hancock College.

Chad Gillespie added a 75 as Ventura (28-8) finished second to WSC-leading College of the Canyons, 376-367.

Ventura will host the WSC Championships April 26 at Spanish Hills C.C.

The unbeaten Ventura College men's tennis team has earned the No. 1 seed in the Southern California regional playoffs.

The Pirates (14-0) will host No. 8 San Diego Mesa Tuesday at 2 p.m.

The only other time the team was the top seed under 14-year head coach Nelson Emery, in 2008, it won the state championship.

Thousand Oaks High product Ryan Diamond is Ventura's top singles player. The brother tandem of Juan and Pedro Arteaga, of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, feature in doubles.

Should it advance, Ventura would host either Mount San Jacinto or Riverside April 20.

Rival College of the Desert, which is also undefeated, earned the No. 2 seed.

Click here for Keith Kropp's match preview from Tuesday's paper.

The Oxnard College baseball team sits No. 13 in the American Baseball Coaches Association's Western region coaches' poll:

ABCA - Pacific Associations Division
April 9 Poll
RANK SCHOOL REGION Last Week
1 Santa Ana (19-7, 9-2) SoCal 1
2 Lower Columbia (17-1, 15-4) NW 2
3 Canada (21-3, 13-1) NorCal 3
4 Cypress (15-10, 7-4) SoCal 4
5 Chabot (20-5-1, 12-2) NorCal 8
6 Skagit Valley (15-4, 3-1) NW 15
7 San Diego City (19-5, 12-4) SoCal 7
8 Sacramento City (16-10, 10-1) NorCal 17
9 El Camino (19-8, 8-4) SoCal 9
10 Columbia Basin (15-5, 4-0) NW 6
11 LA Pierce (19-7, 8-4) SoCal 11
12 San Mateo (18-6-1, 10-4) NorCal 12
13 Oxnard (17-8, 7-2) SoCal 13
14 Fresno City (16-8, 10-3) NorCal 14
15 Edmonds (15-5, 2-1) NW 23
16 Hancock (14-10, 6-3) SoCal 16
17 Merced (17-7, 11-2) NorCal 25
18 LA Mission (14-12, 4-7) SoCal 18
19 Bellevue (15-9, 3-1) NW 19
20 Cosumnes River (16-8-1, 7-4) NorCal 5
21 Golden West (14-10, 5-5) SoCal 21
22 Feather River (18-4, 10-1) NorCal NR
23 Chemeketa (11-2, 1-1) NW NR
24 Canyons (14-10, 8-4) SoCal 24
25 Ohlone (18-7, 10-4) NorCal 20
Others: NWAACC -Treasure Valley, Mt. Hood. SoCal - Citrus,
Chaffey, Desert. NorCal - San Jose City, Diablo Valley, Los Medanos.

The Oxnard College baseball team sits No. 13 in the American Baseball Coaches Association's Western region coaches' poll:

ABCA - Pacific Associations Division
April 9 Poll
RANK SCHOOL REGION Last Week
1 Santa Ana (19-7, 9-2) SoCal 1
2 Lower Columbia (17-1, 15-4) NW 2
3 Canada (21-3, 13-1) NorCal 3
4 Cypress (15-10, 7-4) SoCal 4
5 Chabot (20-5-1, 12-2) NorCal 8
6 Skagit Valley (15-4, 3-1) NW 15
7 San Diego City (19-5, 12-4) SoCal 7
8 Sacramento City (16-10, 10-1) NorCal 17
9 El Camino (19-8, 8-4) SoCal 9
10 Columbia Basin (15-5, 4-0) NW 6
11 LA Pierce (19-7, 8-4) SoCal 11
12 San Mateo (18-6-1, 10-4) NorCal 12
13 Oxnard (17-8, 7-2) SoCal 13
14 Fresno City (16-8, 10-3) NorCal 14
15 Edmonds (15-5, 2-1) NW 23
16 Hancock (14-10, 6-3) SoCal 16
17 Merced (17-7, 11-2) NorCal 25
18 LA Mission (14-12, 4-7) SoCal 18
19 Bellevue (15-9, 3-1) NW 19
20 Cosumnes River (16-8-1, 7-4) NorCal 5
21 Golden West (14-10, 5-5) SoCal 21
22 Feather River (18-4, 10-1) NorCal NR
23 Chemeketa (11-2, 1-1) NW NR
24 Canyons (14-10, 8-4) SoCal 24
25 Ohlone (18-7, 10-4) NorCal 20
Others: NWAACC -Treasure Valley, Mt. Hood. SoCal - Citrus,
Chaffey, Desert. NorCal - San Jose City, Diablo Valley, Los Medanos.

While we wait for a fresh poll to be released, we can take a glance at the Southern California baseball coaches' poll dated March 25.

Since this poll has been released, Oxnard (19-8) has smashed No. 1 Santa Ana 8-0, split with No. 7 Hancock and blitzed Santa Barbara City, 24-9, on Saturday.

Southern California Poll 5
March 25
Rnk. Teams *Pts. (1st.) L.Wk. Conf. S.Rec,C.Rec.
1 Santa Ana 236 (9) 5 Orange Empire (15-5, 9-2)
2 Cypress 210 (3) 1 Orange Empire (15-8, 7-4)
3 San Diego 209 4 Pacific Coast (15-4, 8-3)
4 El Camino 188 6 South Coast (16-7, 7-4)
5 LA Pierce 178 3 West. St. South (16-5, 6-3)
6 Oxnard 165 8 West. St. North (15-6, 7-1)
7 Hancock 151 7 West. St. North (12-8, 5-3)
8 LA Mission 141 5 West St. South (13-8, 4-5)
9 Golden West 133 12 Orange Empire (13-9, 5-5)
10 Canyons 133 15 West. St. South (12-7, 6-3)
11 Citrus 117 9 West. St. South (15-6, 6-3)
12 Chaffey 97 13 Foothill (12-7, 11-1)
13 Desert 83 11 Foothill (14-7, 6-4)
14 Riverside 79 18 Orange Empire (10-10, 7-4)
15 Southwestern 71 10 Pacific Coast (13-9, 6-5)
16 Orange Coast 67 17 Orange Empire (14-9, 6-5)
17 San Diego Mesa 62 N/R Pacific Coast (8-14, 7-4)
18 Cuesta 49 9 West. St. North (11-9, 4-4)
19 Mt. San Jacinto 36 14 Foothill (10-7-1, 4-5-1)
20 Bakersfield 27 16 West St. South (12-9, 4-5)
Others: Saddleback (27); Santa Barbara (16); Rio Hondo (15); Mt. San Antonio (13); Cerro Coso (8); Palomar (8); LA Harbor (3); Compton (2); Grossmont (1); Ventura (1)
South Compiled by Kevin Hazlett, San Diego Mesa College
Note: 12 of 45 Southern California Coaches participating.

Non-conference Scores, Tue., April 6
Oxnard 8, Santa Ana 0
Cuesta 1, Orange Coast 0

Round 10 Scores, Thu., April 8
Ventura 6, Moorpark 3
Oxnard 7, Hancock 6
Santa Barbara City 3, Cuesta 2

Round 11 Scores, Sat. April 10
Oxnard 24, Santa Barbara City 9
Cuesta 8, Ventura 7
Hancock 11, Moorpark 1

Standings after Round 11, April 10
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Oxnard 9-2 -- 19-8
Santa Barbara 7-4 2.0 15-11
Hancock 7-4 2.0 17-10
Cuesta 5-6 4.0 14-13
Ventura 4-7 5.0 12-14
Moorpark 1-10 8.0 8-17-1

Round 12 Schedule, Tue., April 13
Cuesta at Ventura
Santa Barbara City at Oxnard
Moorpark at Hancock

Round 13 Schedule, Thu., April 15
Oxnard at Cuesta
Hancock at Ventura
Santa Barbara City at Moorpark

Round 15 Schedule, Sat., April 17
Cuesta at Oxnard
Ventura at Hancock
Moorpark at Santa Barbara City

Tue., April 6 scores
Moorpark 8, Santa Barbara City 7
Santa Barbara City 10, Moorpark 2
Oxnard 5, Los Angeles Pierce 0
Oxnard 6, Los Angeles Pierce 2
Hancock 8, Ventura 7
Ventura 8, Hancock 1

Thur., April 8 scores
Moorpark 8, Los Angeles Pierce 0
Oxnard 9, Hancock 1
Ventura 8, Cuesta 2

Fri., April 9 scores
Moorpark 6, Pasadena City 4

Sat., April 10 scores
Santa Barbara City 7, Los Angeles Valley 2
East Los Angeles 4, Santa Barbara City 3
Mount San Antonio 13, Cuesta 0
Cuesta 14, Bakersfield 3

Standings thru April 11
Conference Overall
Team W-L GB W-L
Ventura 12-3 -- 25-11-1
Cuesta 9-4 2.0 16-18-1
Moorpark 9-4 2.0 17-15
Oxnard 9-6 3.0 18-13
S. Barbara 6-7 5.0 20-14
Hancock 3-12 9.0 3-17-1
LA Pierce 0-14 11.5 0-27

Monday schedule
Ventura at Pasadena City

Tuesday schedule
Hancock at Moorpark (DH)
Oxnard at Cuesta (DH)
Santa Barbara City at Los Angeles Pierce (DH)

Thursday schedule
Oxnard at Ventura
Cuesta at Moorpark
Santa Barbara City at Hancock

Tue., April 20 schedule
Moorpark at Ventura (DH)
Los Angeles Pierce at Hancock (DH)
Cuesta at Santa Barbara City (DH)

END OF REGULAR SEASON

Here are the 2010 football schedules for the Moorpark College and Ventura College football teams, note the Citrus Cup opener.

Moorpark College
Sept. 4: Moorpark at Ventura (43rd Citrus Cup game)
Sept. 11: Los Angeles Pierce at Moorpark
Sept. 18: Hancock at Moorpark
Sept. 25: Santa Barbara City at Moorpark
Oct. 2: Moorpark at Compton
Oct. 9: BYE
Oct. 16: Moorpark at Antelope Valley*
Oct. 23: Long Beach City at Moorpark*
Oct. 30: Moorpark at Chaffey*
Nov. 6: Citrus at Moorpark*
Nov. 13: Moorpark at Los Angeles Harbor*
*Western Conference game

Ventura College
Sept. 4: Moorpark at Ventura (43rd Citrus Cup game)
Sept. 11: Fullerton at Ventura
Sept. 18: Ventura at Santa Barbara City
Sept. 25: Chaffey at Ventura
Oct. 2: Ventura at Pasadena City
Oct. 9: BYE
Oct. 16: Ventura at Cerritos
Oct. 23: Ventura at Bakersfield
Oct. 30: Hancock at Ventura
Nov. 6: Ventura at Canyons
Nov. 13: El Camino at Ventura
*Northern Conference game

Continue the post for the entire 2010 Southern California schedule.

Southern California Football Association's new three-tiered structure for the 2010 season:

NATIONAL DIVISION
Northern Conference
Hancock
El Camino
Ventura
Canyons
Bakersfield
Cerritos

Southern Conference
Palomar
Grossmont
Mount San Antonio
Pasadena
Fullerton
Saddleback

CENTRAL DIVISION
Western Conference
Chaffey
Long Beach City
Citrus
Moorpark
Los Angeles Harbor
Antelope Valley

Eastern Conference
Riverside
Desert
Orange Coast
Santa Ana
Southwestern
Golden West

AMERICAN DIVISION
Mountain Conference
East Los Angeles
San Bernardino Valley
San Diego Mesa
Compton
Mount San Jacinto
Victor Valley

Pacific Conference
Santa Monica
Los Angeles Valley
Glendale
Los Angeles Southwest
West Los Angeles
Los Angeles Pierce
Santa Barbara City

One of this fall's biggest games will also be the first.

With the Moorpark College and Ventura College football teams in separate divisions for the first time since 1998, the 43rd Citrus Cup game will be the season opener for both schools on Sept. 4.

It will also be the first Citrus Cup game at the VC Sportsplex.

The two schools played each other in the final game of the regular season Nov. 14. Ventura won 41-28 to win retain the Citrus Cup for the first time in 24 years.

With Ventura in the Northern Conference and Moorpark in the new Western Conference, both schools will also play their other local rivals in the first three weeks of the season.
Moorpark hosts Los Angeles Pierce Sept. 11 and Ventura visits Santa Barbara City Sept. 18.

What could be the toughest schedule in school history also includes non-conference games with Fullerton Sept. 11, Chaffey Sept. 25 and at Pasadena City Oct. 2 before a conference slate that sees the Pirates at Cerritos Oct. 16, at Bakersfield Oct. 23, Hancock Oct. 30, at Canyons Nov. 6 and El Camino Nov. 13.

Moorpark has former WSC rivals Hancock Sept. 18, Santa Barbara Sept. 25 and at Compton Oct. 2 in non-conference play and at Antelope Valley Oct. 16, Long Beach City Oct. 23, at Chaffey Oct. 30, Citrus Nov. 6 and at Los Angeles Harbor Nov. 13.

Ventura should have a head coach to guide its team through perhaps the toughest schedule in school history soon.

The school is nearing a replacement for Jon Mack, who left for Crespi Carmelite High Jan. 23.

Applicants were seen on campus this week for initial interviews. A hire is expected soon.

"I have nothing to report yet," said Ventura president Robin Calote Wednesday. "I'm hopeful that we will have someone within the next two weeks."

Ventura College men's basketball star Jordan Harris has accepted a scholarship to play for Montana State University-Northern next season.

The sophomore from Channel Islands High averaged 20.0 points and 10.3 rebounds in WSC North play this season.

Former Cuesta College center Brian Santiago averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 rebounds as a senior this season for the Northern Lights, who play in the NAIA Division I Frontier Conference.

It's tough to figure out which has been better for the WSC North-leading Oxnard College baseball team, the lineup or the starting rotation.

Sophomore first baseman Jonathan Erb is anchoring a potent, deep lineup by leading the WSC in doubles (11), slugging (.747) and RBIs (36) entering last week.

Justin Bricker, J.C Aguayo and Bryan Wilson, who made 21 of the team's 25 starts as of Wednesday, were a combined 13-4 with a 2.59 ERA entering Thursday's game with second-place Hancock.

Rob Diamond, Juan Arteaga and four others won singles matches in straight sets as the undefeated Ventura College men's tennis team turned back Santa Barbara City, 8-1, Thursday afternoon to clinch its ninth Western State Conference title in 10 years.

Diamond, the sophomore from Thousand Oaks High, beat Nikolay Ivanov at No. 1 singles 6-4, 6-4 as the Pirates (14-0, 8-0) swept all six singles matches. The doubles teams of Thomas Millet-Romaine Scipione and Juan Arteaga-Pedro Arteaga won 9-8 and 8-2, respectively.

Ventura will open the postseason Tuesday by hosting a Southern California quarterfinal match at 2 p.m.

Anthony Martinez improved to 4-3 with his first complete game of the season, striking out 13 and allowing just seven hits and a walk as the Ventura College baseball team beat visiting Moorpark, 6-3, Thursday afternoon.

Dewey Gratton was 2 for 5 with an RBI and Joseph Luna reached base five times on two walks, two hit by pitches and a rally-starting bunt single in the two-run sixth as Ventura (12-13) improved to 4-6 in the WSC North.

Josh Gray tripled and Alexander Birgel doubled for Moorpark (8-16-1, 1-9)
Records: Ventura 12-13, 4-6 WSC North; Moorpark 8-16-1, 1-9.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL

Oxnard 7, Hancock 6: J.C. Aguayo went 2 for 3 with a walk, run and an RBI at the plate and pitched into the eight inning for his fifth win of the season as Oxnard stayed alone atop the WSC North with a win over second-place Hancock.

Brad Greve, Blake Adame,Harper White, Juan Reveles all had two hits for Oxnard (18-8, 8-2), which used a single run in the seventh inning to break decide a 6-6 tie.

Trailing 2-0 in the sixth inning, the first-place Ventura College softball team extended its lead in the Western State Conference's Gold Division to two games by scoring eight runs in the final two innings of an 8-2 win over Cuesta in San Luis Obispo Thursday afternoon.

Sabrina Gonzalez slugged a two-run homer, Vannessa Barretto was 2 for 3 with an RBI, Shianne Sharpe was 3 for 4 with an RBI and Alina Flowers had two RBIs as the Pirates (24-11, 11-3) scored three times in the sixth inning and five more times in the seventh.

Angela Ayala (5-0) allowed just four hits, backed by Gonzalez's diving, run-saving catch in left center field and Flowers' run-saving backhand play deep in the hole in the fifth and six innings, respectively.

Cuesta (15-17-1) fell to 9-4 in division play, two games behind Ventura.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SOFTBALL

Moorpark 8, Los Angeles Pierce 0: Arianna Drulias went 2 for 2 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored as the Raiders (16-15, 9-4) rolled into a second-place tie with Cuesta in five innings.

Oxnard 9, Hancock 1: Michelle Getman pitched a one-hitter, striking out three to improve to 10-4. Jessica Shaw went 2 for 2. The Condors (19-13, 9-6) drew 10 walks and were hit by four pitches.

Today's big community college baseball game between No. 6 Oxnard College and No. 1 Santa Ana is currently being broadcasted by HomefieldSports.com.

The proposal that would have shifted three Western State Conference schools into a Northern California conference was halted before it was brought to a vote before the Commission on Athletics' board Friday morning at the COA Convention in Ontario.

"They didn't even bring it up," said Moorpark College athletic director Howard Davis. "It's over."

The WSC could have lost five of its 15 schools as part of the controversial new structure, which would have moved Cuesta, Hancock and Bakersfield to the Central Valley Conference. All three schools opposed the plan.

"They basically dismissed the whole thing," said Ventura College athletic director Will Cowen. "There was no vote needed."

Antelope Valley College is still expected to petition to move to the WSC from the Foothill Conference.

"I would not be surprised if that happens," said Davis. "They're a good match for our conference."

Trailing 9-2 after four innings, Brystal Hood spurred a nine-run fifth inning with a two-run home run as the Oxnard College softball team came from behind to beat host Santa Barbara City College, 13-9, Thursday afternoon.

Priscilla Garcia (3-2) earned the win with six strong innings after starter Michelle Getman left with a leg injury.

Lindsey Herrera was 4 for 5 for Oxnard, which leapfrogged the Vaqueros (17-12, 5-6) into fourth place in the Western State Conference's Gold Division.

Ventura 14, L.A. Pierce 0:Ashley Dasnoit went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, Shiane Sharpe was 3 for 3 with two RBIs, Vannessa Barretto was 3 for 3 with an RBI and pitcher Jenn Jurarez pitched a two-hitter as first-place Ventura (22-10) improved to 9-2 in WSC Gold play.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL

Ventura 8, Los Angeles Valley 7: Derek Ring was 2 for 5 with a run scored, A.J. Gallardo was 2 for 4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Jeremy Dann hit a home run for the host Pirates (10-12).

Moorpark 8, Porterville 0: Brett Hockenberry went 4 for 5 with an RB, Michael Bonenfant went 3 for 5 with three RBIs and Rob Toczynski went 2 for 4 for the host Raiders (8-16-1).

Just six days removed from a nine-game winning streak, the Oxnard College baseball team is dealing with its first rut of a promising season.

J.C. Aguayo and Justin Bricker combined to throw a three-hitter, but five errors in the field and a few more on the basepaths conspired to push the Condors to their third loss in six days, 4-2, to visiting Citrus on Wednesday afternoon.

"That ain't right," said Oxnard coach Jon Larson. "We basically gave them the game."

Click here for the full story from Thursday's newspaper.

Oxnard freshman Janelle Garcia delivered a game-winning single in the first game and Moorpark sophomore Taylor Neumann answered a mound emergency in the second game as the Oxnard College and Moorpark College softball teams split an all-county doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Oxnard.

Oxnard's Anyessa Riley went 2 for 3 and scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on Garcia's hit as the Condors took the opener 5-4.

Neumann threw a two-hitter, striking out three and walking two, and was 2 for 3 with an RBI double, as Moorpark cruised to a 4-1 win in the second game.

Click here for the story in Wednesday's paper.

With a two-match lead with two to play, the Moorpark College men's volleyball team has all but wrapped up a runner-up finish in the Western State Conference.

But the Raiders are focused on loftier goals this month.

Redemption.

One year after the winningest team in school history was upset at home in the state quarterfinals by Orange Coast, Moorpark is focused on postseason success.

"We were really disappointed with how that season ended last year," said Moorpark coach Steve Burkhart. "If we're fortunate to get ourselves in that position again, we're going to be playing awfully hard.

"They've been talking about getting to the state tournament all year... Having that experience can to pay off for us."

Sophomore-laded Moorpark (10-4, 5-2) is led setter Adam Quinn, who leads the state in assists (13.88 per game) for the second straight season;

"Adam is really a unique player," said Burkhart. "He's a special kid."

Right-side Josh Howley and outside hitter Trevor Willenburg are ninth (4.02) and 15th (3.37) in kills per game, respectively.

"He's an incredible little athlete," said Burkhart of the 6-foot Howley. "He's a dynamic player... He's worth the price of admission himself."

Middle blocker Kyle Auge, the former Marmonte League Player of the Year at Royal High, is fourth in the state in hitting percentage (.424) and libero Brendan Keane is 10th in the state in digs (2.46 per game).

Coming off a win a rival Los Angeles Pierce Wednesday, the Raiders have only had trouble this year with defending state champion Long Beach City, which is 14-1 and is unbeaten in eight WSC matches.

"We're on that same track this year," said Burkhart, "but it really all comes down to how you finish this year."

The Commission on Athletics' state executive board was expected to vote Friday morning on a series of controversial reconferencing proposals which could see the Western State Conference shrink from 15 to 10 schools next year.

Proposed in the name of cost cutting, the new structure would see Bakersfield, Cuesta and Hancock shift regions to Northern California's Central Valley Conference.

All three schools adamantly oppose the changes, which would force the two Central Coast schools to traverse the dangerous routes 41, 46 and 166 rather than Highway 101.

"Our concerns, along with Hancock's concerns, are the travel commitments to be made on those types of roadways," said Cuesta athletic director Bob Mariucci Thursday. "The 41, 46 and 166 are some of the most dangerous roads in the entire state."

Along with its official response to the proposals, Cuesta submitted supporting CHP statistics which showed CVC highways as two to three times more dangerous as WSC highways.

The "Blood Alley" junction of Route 46 and 41 was the scene of the fatal collision that killed 24-year-old actor James Dean in 1955, but the Cuesta community was rocked by a more recently fatal crash in 2003, when Cuesta women's water polo player Casey Goodwin was killed on Route 41.

"Our institutional perspective is that we need to stay south for several reasons," said Hancock athletic director Kim Ensing, "primarily geography and the safety of the roads."

The proposal would also shift Santa Monica to the South Coast Conference, Citrus and Glendale to a new conference along the 210 freeway and Antelope Valley would join the WSC, which would no longer need a division structure in sports like baseball, basketball and soccer.

To make things even more confusing, Bakersfield and Hancock would remain in Southern California for football.

The San Luis Obispo Tribune and Bakersfield Californian published articles about the issue this week.

On March 17, the WSC voted unanimously to oppose reconferencing. Four of the five SoCal conference voted against the proposals. The only supporting conference, the Pacific Coast, is unaffected.

This morning's vote took place at the COA's annual convention in Ontario.

Leading 12-1 in the seventh inning March 25, Oxnard College skipper Jon Larson figured he was safe to take the ball from starting pitcher J.C. Aguayo.

Aguayo had held host Ventura down for six innings, but he had thrown 120 pitches and the Condors, even without closer Santos Reyes, who was on the shelf, seemed to have their 10th straight win sewn up.

"As soon as he came out all hell broke loose," said Larson.

Ventura piled up 11 runs on 11 hits in the seventh inning to tie the game and eventually won it by drawing a hit by pitch with the bases loaded in the 11th inning.

"You analyze a game like that a little bit," said Larson. "But you just have to forget it because it drives you crazy."

Oxnard (15-6, 7-1) still leads the Western State Conference's North Division by two games entering this afternoon's trip to second-place Hancock, but Thursday once again underlined the biggest issue for a powerful team that has lead in all 21 games this season, but has dropped five late, including four in walk-off fashion.

"Our bullpen has been our bugaboo," said Larson.

Despite VC loss, Oxnard remains No. 3 in Southern California in the ratings percentage index that is a significant component in postseason seeding.

And the Condors will host No. 1 Citrus (15-6) and No. 2 Santa Ana (15-5) in the next two weeks. The makeups of early season rainouts will be on Wednesday and April 6, respectively.

"It just so happens that we have them in our yard," said Larson. "Those will be fun games, that's for sure.

"We're up for the challenge."

The Moorpark College baseball team snapped its eight-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over visiting Cuesta March 25.

The Raiders (6-13-1, 1-7) finally showed some fight two days after being pummeled 16-1 in San Luis Obispo.

"That's exactly what a couple of the players said," said Moorpark coach Mario Porto. "The frustrating thing is that's how we should have been playing all along."

Freshman pitcher Landon Hunt pitched a complete game and freshman outfielder Robert Toczynski cleared the loaded bases with a three-RBI double to give Moorpark a 5-1 lead through four innings.

"Landon Hunt pitched very well," said Porto. "He's a bulldog kid and he loves to be out there.

"When your offense and defense sees a guy like that doing what he's doing, they take it up a notch."

After Cuesta pulled within 5-3, Moorpark tacked on three runs in the eighth to allow Hunt to finish it out easily.

"Those were things we hadn't been doing, coming up with those big hits," said Porto

The Moorpark College baseball team snapped its eight-game losing streak with an 8-3 win over visiting Cuesta March 25.

The Raiders (6-13-1, 1-7) finally showed some fight two days after being pummeled 16-1 in San Luis Obispo.

"That's exactly what a couple of the players said," said Moorpark coach Mario Porto. "The frustrating thing is that's how we should have been playing all along."

Freshman pitcher Landon Hunt pitched a complete game and freshman outfielder Robert Toczynski cleared the loaded bases with a three-RBI double to give Moorpark a 5-1 lead through four innings.

"Landon Hunt pitched very well," said Porto. "He's a bulldog kid and he loves to be out there.

"When your offense and defense sees a guy like that doing what he's doing, they take it up a notch."

After Cuesta pulled within 5-3, Moorpark tacked on three runs in the eighth to allow Hunt to finish it out easily.

"Those were things we hadn't been doing, coming up with those big hits," said Porto

Last week's baseball results underscore the strength and depth of the WSC North this season.

The two bottom teams, who had combined to win just one of their first 13 WSC North teams, beat the division leader (Oxnard) and powerhouse (Cuesta) that has won 12 of the past 14 division titles.

"That tells you how good our conference is," said Moorpark coach Mario Porto. "It really does."

The RPI figures show that the WSC North is on the Orange Empire's heels as SoCal's top conference. And Ventura and Oxnard still have games remaining against OEC leader Santa Ana.

The debate in the dugout after the WSC Gold-leading Ventura College softball team's 5-3 13-inning win over second-place Moorpark March 25 was whether the players had
just played in the best game in their careers.

Pirates like first baseman Shianne Sharp, center fielder Sabrina Gonzalez and pitcher Crystal Bingham agreed that it has been the best game in their two-year Ventura College careers.

"This is the best," said Sharp.

The result emboldened a Ventura team which had dropped three games to Moorpark last year by a combined four runs when the Raiders edged the Pirates for the WSC title by two games.

"We're going to take it this year," said Gonzalez. "This is a big win for us."

While Moorpark coach Will Thurston reminded his players that the race goes one game at a time, the Raiders found it hard not to think about the season-ending doubleheader at Ventura on April 20.

"We definitely wanted it," said Moorpark star catcher Taylor Neumann. "It's not over."

The Moorpark College women's basketball team will sent a graduate to a NCAA Division I school for the second straight year after 6-foot-3 center Reyneisha Mays committed to Utah State earlier last month.

"I had a visit out there two weeks ago," said Mays. It was really nice. The campus was nice. The people were really nice. You could really tell the city of Logan was really oriented towards Utah State."

The Granada Hills High product struggled for consistency as a sophomore, averaging 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds.

"I was kind of starting to give up a little bit," said Mays. "I was starting to lose hope."

But she had one of her best games of the season in front of the Aggies coaching staff Feb. 3, when she had 18 points, nine rebounds and a game-winning putback in overtime, and will leave Moorpark with a positive experience.

"Before Moorpark, I'd shut down when I'd get yelled at," said Mays. "But this was a really great experience, despite all the hardships that I went through... I don't regret anything. It built tougher skin for me."