SportsScope : Nevada-Reno Trip Could Lead Loyola to Conference Championship

Loyola Marymount University can clinch the West Coast Athletic Conference baseball title and a spot in the NCAA regionals by winning two of three games this weekend in Reno.

The Lions hold a two-game lead over Pepperdine with three conference games left to play. They will play an 11 a.m. game Friday and a 6 p.m. double-header Saturday at Nevada-Reno, where the odds are on Loyola. Not only are the Lions fourth-ranked nationally at 42-10, but they have a 19-2 road record. They are 18-3 in the WCAC. Reno is third in the WCAC with a 9-8 record, 22-21 overall.

Loyola senior right-hander Tim Layana was named WCAC player of the week as he picked up two victories, setting school season records for wins (14), strikeouts (113) and complete games (11). Junior left-hander Mark Stomp is 12-3.

With a team batting average of .327, Loyola’s hot hitters include outfielder Jim Holleran, who leads the team at .374, and catcher Jim McAnany, who boosted his average above .300 over the weekend.

Holleran had a 5-for-13 weekend, driving in five runs in a three-game sweep of the University of San Diego. McAnany, who got off to a slow start, went 7 for 12 with a double, triple and five RBIs to lift his average to .304.

Sophomore slugger Chris Donnels had only one hit over the weekend but it was significant: His 17th home run broke the school season record set by Brian Leighton two years ago. He also has a school record 70 RBIs.

Cal State Dominguez Hills completed its baseball season Wednesday but the Toros will not know the outcome of the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. race until Saturday, when Cal Poly Pomona finishes a three-game series at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

The Toros entered the week with a one-game lead over Pomona, which had played three fewer games. UC Riverside was 1 1/2 games behind. If the race ends in a tie, Pomona gets the nod over Dominguez Hills and Riverside, having won series from both. The Toros, 19-10 in CCAA play at the start of the week, also have the best overall record, 31-17-1.

The Toros have been on a scoring tear--19 home runs in 9 games--thanks to the hot bat of junior third baseman Fred Hanker, who homered in four straight games last week to tie shortstop Craig Grebeck for team leadership in home runs with 11. Hanker has also passed outfielder Jon Beuder in runs batted in, 48 to 44. Hanker is batting .302. Beuder is at .332, Grebeck has raised his average to .325 and leadoff man Mike Brocki continues to lead the team at .343, with 42 stolen bases.

Senior left-hander Jim Pena won a nine-hit victory against Riverside last week to improve his record to 8-2 and lower his earned run average to 3.18. The Toros’ other top winners are Mike Asprey (5-1, 2.40) and Brian Ayers (7-5, 3.94).

In the final week of regular season high school baseball, El Segundo has moved up to No. 2 in the CIF 3-A coaches’ Top 10, while Redondo has maintained its No. 3 position in 4-A. The two teams square off in a 4 p.m. double-header Saturday at Redondo.

In 1-A ratings, St. Bernard remained seventh, while in the Small Schools Division, Chadwick moved from seventh to sixth and Avalon improved from unrated to No. 10.

Three South Bay teams were ranked in girls softball: North Torrance, sixth in 3-A; Miraleste, second in 1-A, and Avalon, fourth in Small Schools.