SAN DIEGO COUNTY COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : UCSD Baseball Coach Didn’t Enjoy This Homer

UC San Diego baseball Coach Lyle Yates was not very happy after an 11-11 tie at Cal State Hayward last week.

“I’ve coached nine years here at UCSD, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “That’s the most obvious homer (umpiring) I’ve ever seen.”

Here was the scene:

UCSD had just pulled ahead, 12-11, in the top of the 11th inning. In the bottom of the 11th, Triton ace Rick Rupkey got the first two Hayward batters out on two pop-ups with just three pitches. He hit the next guy on one pitch and walked the next on four--all questionable calls, Yates said.

And then it was over. The ump called the game on darkness. The game reverted back to the previous inning and was ruled a tie.

Yates was stunned. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he repeated. “Either you don’t start the 11th, or you let it finish. I guarantee you there was plenty of light compared to just five minutes prior.

“It was just boom, see you guys later. I couldn’t believe it. Of course, the Cal State Hayward coach wasn’t saying boo.”

As hot as Yates was then, things were much better later in the week.

On Saturday, Yates got his 200th victory in the first game of a double header sweep of visiting Wisconsin Whitewater. Yates’ record is 201-187-4.

Of those four ties, two have come in the last 14 games as UCSD has posted a 10-2-2 mark during that span after beginning the season 4-6.

Its victories Saturday represented UCSD’s fifth consecutive double header sweep this season, a school record. UCSD is 14-8-2 overall.

In college tennis, players are there own umpires for the most part, and no one ever accuses Dan Mattera of being a “homer”.

Mattera, a senior at the University of San Diego and ranked 39th in the nation, was presented with the Grover C. Hall Jr. Sportsmanship award Sunday at the Blue-Gray National Collegiate Championships at Montgomery, Ala.

Along with the trophy and a watch, $1,000 will be presented to USD’s tennis program in Mattera’s name.

“It’s kind of nice to give something back to the university,” Mattera said, adding the punch line, “Although, I don’t think I would have given that much.”

Actually, this kind of award is becoming commonplace for Mattera. In December, he won the Marty Pincus Memorial Sportsmanship Award at the Fiesta Bowl tournament in Tempe, Ariz., and as a freshman won the Evelyn Housman Award and a lifetime membership in the U.S. Tennis Assn. during a junior tournament.

What’s his secret?

“I take an interest in the people running the tournament,” he said. “I don’t just play and leave. I stick around and talk to people. I talk to my opponent after the match. I talk to him before the match.

“Also, I think I’m fair with my line calls, and I think people appreciate that.”

Tammy Blackburn, a 5-foot-8 guard who signed with San Diego State’s women’s basketball team in November, averaged 13.6 points and led Brea-Olinda High in steals averaging 3.5 per game.

Brea-Olinda was ranked fourth in the nation by USA Today and had a 55-game winning streak before losing in the CIF Division III state championship.

For her efforts, Blackburn was selected to The Times’ All-Orange County team.

Now for the bad news. She showed up at the awards breakfast Sunday in Anaheim with her arm in a sling after undergoing shoulder surgery.

As a freshman, Blackburn had surgery to repair her other shoulder and major back surgery to correct a curvature in her spine.

Melissa Sortino, who signed early with the University of San Diego, also was selected to the Orange County team. Sortino, a 5-7 guard from Marina High, averaged 20.4 points and was the co-most valuable player of the prestigious 5-A Sunset League.