Streaking Loyola Nine Will Take a Break, Face USC on Monday

Loyola Marymount University’s baseball team, apparently back on track after a mid-season slump, is off for Easter weekend, then plays non-league home games against USC on Monday and UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday, both at 2:30 p.m. Loyola entered the week on a eight-game win streak, improving its record to 30-14-1. The Lions are 6-7-1 and in third place in the West Coast Athletic Conference after sweeping three games over the weekend at the University of San Francisco.

In its streak Loyola has outscored opponents, 74-45. That includes junior pitcher Mike Jones’ 6-0 victory over USF Saturday, the Lions’ first shutout of the season. Junior third baseman Chris Donnels continues his power assault with a .359 average, 15 doubles, 13 home runs and 55 runs batted in. In 2 1/2 seasons Donnels is Loyola’s all-time leader in home runs (42) and RBI (205) and is threatening his season marks in both. Sophomore Travis Tarchione leads the team with a .395 average and has hit .490 over the last 12 games. He is 17 for 32 (.531) in Loyola’s seven-game streak. The Lions have hit .378 in their victory streak with seven home runs. Catcher Jim McAnany, hitting .351, set an NCAA record last year when he was hit by 21 pitches. He’s challenging that with 12 this season in 43 games.

Cal State Dominguez Hills, in first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball standings and ranked fifth nationally in Division II, plays a light conference schedule this week with a 2:30 p.m. home game Friday against UC Riverside and a 2:30 game Tuesday at Chapman College. The Toros entered the week 27-11 overall and 12-5 in the CCAA, a game ahead of Cal Poly Pomona (9-4). Cal State has won 17 of its last 21 games.

The Toros are hitting only .246 in conference games but are winning on defense and execution in close games. The team is 5-1 in one-run games in the last month and has committed only 36 errors this season contrasted with 96 by opponents. Outfielder Jon Beuder continues to pace the team in hitting at .356. He has 27 runs batted in, 7 doubles, 5 triples and 4 homers. Outfielder Fred Hanker continues to lead in home runs (6) and RBI (41). Pinch hitter Joe Jones has played a key role lately, with two hits in three pinch appearances. His first was a two-run double in the 10th inning to beat Cal State Los Angeles.

El Camino College soccer Coach Norm Jackson has been named Western Region junior college coach of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Assn. of America. Jackson, 59, is one of 62 coaches nationwide and one of nine in the Western region to be honored. Jackson, a Torrance resident, won the South Coast Conference and Southern California regional titles in 1986. His team lost in the state championship to Foothill College.

Leuzinger, Redondo and El Segundo, all members of the Pioneer League, are ranked 1-2-3 in this week’s CIF 3-A baseball coaches poll. Leuzinger rose from third to first, bouncing Redondo to second, while El Segundo improved from fifth to third. The other ranked South Bay team is St. Bernard, rated No. 2 in 1-A.

The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles will sponsor a youth cycling development program in two four-week sessions at the Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hills. Registration at the velodrome is from 4 to 7 p.m. April 13-17 for the first session, which will run from April 18 to May 15. Registration is May 11 to 15 for the second session, which runs from May 16 to June 13. The program, for boys and girls ages 10 to 17, stresses safety principles.

The Cal State Dominguez Hills women’s softball team, winner of nine of its last 11 games entering the week, plays a non-conference double-header Friday at Southern California College, then is at home Saturday for a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. double-header against Cal State Bakersfield, the conference’s second-place team. The Lady Toros began the week 20-21 overall and 6-6 in the CCAA, good for fourth place. Bakersfield is 8-2 in the CCAA.

The UCLA crew will race against Oxford University of England and Keio University of Japan in the fourth UCLA Crew Classic on Saturday along Ballona Creek in Marina del Rey. Preliminary men’s and women’s races begin at noon. The featured race, which pits UCLA against the oldest rowing club in the world--Oxford--and the oldest Asian club, begins at 2 p.m. Admission is free.