COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS : Moorpark Drops to 3rd After 8-4 Loss

Moorpark College left 11 men on base in an 8-4 loss to Santa Monica College in a Western State Conference game Thursday at Moorpark. The win gave Santa Monica sole possession of second place behind College of the Canyons and dropped Moorpark to third place.

Santa Monica (10-6 in conference) scored four runs on three hits, a walk and a suicide-squeeze bunt in the top of the fourth, but Moorpark (14-12, 9-7 in conference) scored all of its runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the score. After Rick Allen and Sean Thompson received back-to-back walks, Darren Romano hit a slow roller toward third. Allen and Thompson scored when the Santa Monica third baseman threw wildly to first and Romano was credited with a single. Rod Stillwell then walked, and Dan Russell doubled to score Stillwell and Romano.

Santa Monica (10-6 in conference) scored the winning run in the fifth inning on two doubles.

BASEBALL

Frank Mutz was 4 for 5 with two runs batted in and one run scored, and junior right-hander Jeff Hagy pitched a complete game as The Master’s beat Biola, 7-1, in an NAIA District III game at Biola. Master’s is 17-14, 11-4 in district; Biola is 13-16, 4-5. . . . Canyons hit six home runs and had 21 hits in a 22-2 romp over Bakersfield in a Western State Conference game at Canyons. Canyons’ Andy Cutchall hit two home runs in four at-bats and drove in five runs. Catcher Mike Bible had a double, triple and home run for Canyons (21-3-1, 17-0-1). Bible’s triple was his fifth of the season, tying a Canyons record.

TENNIS

Irene Lempaka defeated Jennifer Fisher in No. 4 singles, 7-6, 6-4, and teamed with Kathy Gugliano to beat Chris McGovern and Karen Daniels, 7-5, 6-3, in No. 3 doubles as Pierce (11-4 in conference) clinched second place in the Western State Conference with a 6-3 win over Cuesta.