Nowak Strikes Out 18 as UCSD Sweeps a Doubleheader From Whittier

Rick Nowak struck out a season-high 18 batters in the second game Saturday as No. 4-ranked UC San Diego swept an NCAA Division III doubleheader from Whittier, 4-3 and 15-2.

Nowak (6-3) struck out the side in the third, seventh and ninth innings and scattered four hits.

Catcher Jim Martinez, who was 2 for 3 with 4 runs batted in, broke the game open with a 3-run home run in the third. Lico Kauleinamoru (2-4) was the loser.

In the first game, UCSD scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh and final inning to earn the victory. Henry Jiminez tripled home the winning run with none out.

Brian Crawford, who singled home the tying run and scored the winning run, was 2 for 3. Dave Adamson (4-1) was the winner and Tom Murphy (3-3) took the loss.

UCSD is 20-9; Whittier is 9-18.

The nightmare continues for the University of San Diego as visiting and No. 4-ranked Loyola Marymount swept a West Coast Athletic Conference doubleheader, 6-5 and 5-4, winning both seven-inning games in the final inning.

USD (7-22, 2-9) has now lost eight consecutive games, seven of those during the opposition’s final turn at bat.

Both games came down to Loyola’s Mark Grafitti batting against USD reliever Louis Skertich.

In the first game, trailing 5-3 with the bases loaded, Grafitti laced a pitch into left field that was misjudged by USD’s Chuck Graham. The ball went all the way to the fence, clearing the bases.

In the second game, after USD had come from behind with three sixth-inning runs to take a 4-3 lead, Grafitti came through with a two-run single to lead Loyola (34-9, 7-0).

Darryl Scott (7-2) won both games in relief for Loyola. James Ferguson (3-2) lost the first game for USD, and Skertich (2-6) was the loser in the second game.

Brian Tema, John Danis and Brad Hardan each had two RBIs as visiting Point Loma Nazarene College defeated Southern California College in the first game of a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader, 7-4. But Point Loma Nazarene managed just two hits in the second game and lost, 2-0.

Hardan’s third inning two-run home run highlighted the first game. Larry Johnson (4-8) picked up the win.

A.J. Napier collected both of Point Loma Nazarene’s hits in the second game.

Point Loma Nazarene is 11-22 and 4-8.

WOMEN’S TRACK

The Point Loma Nazarene women’s track team won the 57th Fresno Relays behind the stellar performances of relay team Stacy Arthur, Shawndal Reddic, Connie Navarro and Suzanne Johansson.

The quartet won the 1,600-meter relay in 3 minutes 58.67 seconds and was second to Azusa Pacific’s 49.38 in the 400-meter relay with a time of 50.063.

Navarro also won the 100 meters in 12:67.2.