SportsScope : Cal Poly Women Take Aim at Third Softball Crown in Pony Tournament

Cal Poly Pomona has already won two women’s softball tournaments this season but the third could be the toughest for the Broncos.

Pomona, ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division I, will compete against many of the top teams in the nation in the annual Pony Tournament today through Sunday at Cal State Fullerton.

The Broncos, 18-5 overall and 4-2 in the Pacific Coast Athletic Assn., will meet Toledo in their tournament opener at 1:30 p.m. today. Pomona also plays Long Beach State at 7:30 tonight, Arizona at 1:30 p.m. Friday and USF at 7:30 p.m. Friday to complete pool play.

Pomona is expected to receive strong competition from Arizona, ranked No. 3 in Division I, and Long Beach, No. 4. Other top-ranked teams are Fullerton at No. 2, Fresno State at No. 6 and Minnesota at No. 19.

The Broncos, who won the tournament in 1983 and 1984, will bring a solid pitching staff into this year’s event. The leader is junior Kris Rokosz, with a 5-0 record and 0.17 earned-run average with three shutouts. Another standout is freshman Nicky Luce, an All-CIF player from Cypress High who has an 8-2 record and 0.29 ERA with four shutouts. Pomona has a team ERA of 0.60.

Rokosz and Luce have also been two of the team’s hitting leaders. Rokosz is batting .317 and Luce .289. Other Bronco leaders include catcher Betsy Burr and shortstop Dana Ramos, both at .286, and first baseman Kandi Burke at .267 with a team-leading 2 home runs and 15 runs batted in.

More than 1,200 athletes from 63 high schools will compete in the 26th annual Bishop Amat Invitational Relays at 9 a.m. Saturday at Cerritos College Stadium in Norwalk.

The meet is usually held at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut but the site had to be changed because the school has not completed installation of its new track surface.

Among the top valley athletes competing are discus throwers Reneeka Williams of Nogales and Kimya Phillips of Walnut. Williams won the CIF 3-A Division title last year.

Perhaps the top distance runner from the valley is Karen Hecox of South Hills, a senior who finished second in the state in the 3,200-meter run last season.

Others scheduled to compete include four CIF state meet participants from last season: Robbyn Bryant of Hesperia in the 1,600 meters, Crystal Irving of Long Beach Poly in the 400 meters, Persephone Lowery of Norco in the 800 meters and Tom Parker of Notre Dame in the pole vault.

The top contenders for the team title are expected to be Long Beach Poly, which won the CIF 4-A Division title last year, and Walnut, which won the 2-A Division.

After winning three of its first four conference games, the Cal State Los Angeles baseball team faces a pair of match-ups against California Collegiate Athletic Assn. contender Chapman on Friday and Saturday.

The Golden Eagles, who entered the week 11-16 overall, host Chapman at 2:30 p.m. Friday and visit the Panthers at 1 p.m. Saturday. Chapman entered the week at 15-11-1 overall and 4-2 in the CCAA.

Cal State has been paced offensively by shortstop Mica Lewis, batting .393 with 13 stolen bases, third baseman Ed Pimental at .360 and outfielder Rex De La Nuez at .344 with three home runs and 17 runs batted in. Outfielder Loy McBride also is batting .310 with a team-leading 18 stolen bases.

The top pitcher for the Golden Eagles has been senior Rod Windes, 1-0 with a 3.37 earned-run average. But overall the team’s pitchers have struggled to a 5.14 ERA.

Hoping to qualify athletes for the NCAA Division II national meet in May, Cal State Los Angeles will send a strong contingent of distance runners to the Stanford Invitational track meet Friday and Saturday in Palo Alto.

Leading the way for the women will be Sylvia Mosqueda and Gretchen Lohr in the 10,000-meter run. Mosqueda has already qualified for the national meet in the 5,000 meters, having won the Division II cross-country title in a 5,000-meter time of 15:30.5 last December.

The top runners for the men are Ramon Acosta in the steeplechase and Rob Arsenault, Benny Cruz and Martine Sandoval in the 10,000 meters.

The men’s team, which already has qualified six athletes for the Division II nationals, will also compete in the 50th annual Santa Barbara Relays on Saturday at Santa Barbara City College.