Cut Stops DeLuca in Round 4 of Title Fight With McKenzie

Britain’s Duke McKenzie retained his International Boxing Federation flyweight title Wednesday night in London, stopping blood-spattered Tony DeLuca of San Diego at 2:03 of the fourth round.

Referee Bill Connors stopped the bout at Royal Albert Hall after the American challenger sustained a cut above his right eyebrow.

The wound, opened by the champion in Round 3, worsened in the following round and twice was inspected by ringside doctor Adrian Whitehouse before Connors stopped the fight.

It was McKenzie’s first defense of the title he won last October from Rolando Bohol of the Philippines and stretched his unbeaten record to 23 fights. DeLuca dropped to 14-2-3.

BASEBALL

San Diego State took advantage of two errors and went on to upset host USC, ranked No. 7 in the nation.

Casey McKeon flied to left to start the sixth, but Mike Robertson dropped the ball, and McKeon stopped at second. Jeff Barry then bunted and USC first baseman Murph Proctor threw the ball over the third baseman’s head and McKeon scored.

The Aztecs (11-6) had just two hits while starter Erik Plantenberg and Rob Brown combined for a 10-hitter. USC is 19-6.

Pat Fitzsimons pitched a five-hitter for his first college shutout, and Andy Roberts had two hits and three runs scored to lead the University of San Diego to a 4-0 nonconference victory over visiting Point Loma Nazarene College.

BASKETBALL

The Christian Heritage men’s basketball team survived an opening stretch of 9:48 without a basket and went on to a 72-47 victory The Master’s College in the semifinal round National Christian Collegiate Athletic Assn. West Regional.

Christian Heritage was trailing, 11-2, before scoring its first basket. The Hawks (24-8) outscored The Master’s, 70-36, the rest of the way.

Brad Soucie led Christian Heritage with 23 points. Mark Kraatz clinched the NCCAA assist championship with 10 for 312 for the season.

Christian Heritage will play in the regional final Saturday at 7:30 at Southern California College in Costa Mesa. The winner advances to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the national quarterfinals.

RUNNING

The Carlsbad 5000 on April 2 will be featured as ESPN’s “Road Race of the Month” for April.

The race will be broadcast April 15 (2:30 p.m.), April 21 (12:30 p.m.), April 22 (11:30 p.m.) and April 23 (11:30 p.m.).

A number of top Soviet runners are expected to enter the elite race, which is to begin at 9:15 a.m. Steve Scott, the three-time champion who set world road bests for 5,000 meters at this race in both 1986 and 1988, is also scheduled to compete against field that is to include a number of 1988 Olympians, including steeplechase medalists Julius Kariuki (gold) and Peter Koech (silver) of Kenya.

The open women’s race is scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., the men’s race at 8:15.

SOFTBALL

Dana Chaiken had six stolen bases, two doubles and scored three runs to lead UC San Diego to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Occidental (1-5). UCSD (6-3) won the first game, 11-1, and then routed Occidental, 21-2, in the second.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne, defeated visiting UC San Diego, 15-11, 17-19, 11-15, 15-11, 15-8.

UCSD was led by Nate Brown with 25 kills. Jay Golsteyn led Indiana with 32 kills.

UCSD dropped to 3-11. Indiana is 11-4.