COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS : CSUN Rallies to Stay Alive, 5-1

Cal State Northridge scored all its runs in the top of the ninth inning Friday to defeat UC Davis, 5-1, and advance to the single-elimination playoff round of the Cal State Sacramento softball tournament.

It was the second victory of the day for CSUN (49-6), which also defeated Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 6-0.

In the UC Davis game, ninth-inning singles by Lisa Hall, Barbara Flynn, Barbara Jordan and Beth Onestingel fueled the CSUN rally.

Lisa Martin (9-1) pitched a complete game for Northridge, allowing 3 hits, striking out 4 and walking 3.

Jordan was 2 for 4 with 2 runs batted in, Hall was 2 for 3 and Flynn was 3 for 4 with 1 RBI. CSUN had 10 hits in the game.

In the first game, Debbie Dickman (17-3) pitched a complete game, allowing three hits and striking out two for her 12th shutout of the season.

Priscilla Rouse was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Kelly Wynn was 2 for 3 and Tricia Saxton was 2 for 3 with 1 RBI for CSUN.

SOFTBALL

Pauline Madrid pitched a complete game, allowing four hits and striking out four, to lead Pierce to a 5-2 victory over Cuesta in the final Western State Conference game for both teams. Madrid (16-13) also had a triple for the game’s only extra-base hit. Pierce (16-13, 8-6 in conference) finished tied for third place with Cuesta. Diane Nicholls was 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs for Pierce, which six hits.

Sophomore Karen Mead pitched a one-hitter and had 13 strikeouts to lead Moorpark (27-11, 13-1 in conference) to a 6-0 Western State Conference victory over Ventura (1-16, 0-14). Jeana Verhey went 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and Malia Ouztz had three of Moorpark’s seven stolen bases, giving her 50 this season. Moorpark scored five runs in the first inning on two hits, two walks, four errors and five stolen bases. Mead has 285 career strikeouts, 27 short of the state community college record.

TENNIS

Pierce had four singles players and three doubles teams qualify for the Southern California regional tournament after clinching a top-eight finish at the ongoing Western State Conference finals at the Pierpont Inn in Ventura.

Alex Olaya and Dave Valastro will advance in the singles along with John Freeman and Robert Grundy, who play semifinal matches today. Freeman will meet Sean Angel of Santa Barbara and Grundy will play Dan Mainzer of Ventura at 9 a.m.

In the doubles competition, the teams of Freeman and Mike Rosenthal, Valastro and Dereck Messama and Grundy and Olaya have all qualified for Thursday’s regional at Pierce.