Penn State Upends SDSU in Volleyball Tourney Final

The San Diego State men’s volleyball team, ranked third in the nation, suffered its first upset of the season, losing to No. 5 Penn State, 3-1, in Saturday’s championship of the fourth annual Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Maine.

SDSU, the defending tournament champion, lost, 15-8, 15-9, 9-15, 15-11, to fall to 18-5. The Nittany Lions improved to 25-4.

SDSU’s Mike Mattarocci and Tagore Evans were named to the all-tournament team. Penn State’s David Muir was the most valuable player.

BASEBALL

With a run in the bottom of the last inning, San Diego State defeated New Mexico, 7-6, for its 13th consecutive victory. The Aztecs (25-7, 6-0) also remained in first in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Lobos (14-21, 2-4) tied the seven-inning game in the top of the seventh with a two-out blooper just inside the left-field foul line.

Bill Dunckel led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. He was sacrificed to second, stole third and scored on Lobo catcher Rob Jaramillo’s throwing error.

John Lynn, in his first varsity appearance, won in relief. Aztec third baseman Steve Boucher went two for three with two runs and an RBI.

The teams also played a late game, and round up the four-game series today at 2 p.m. at Smith Field.

Pepperdine won two from the University of San Diego, 5-1 and 8-0 to sweep the three-game weekend series by a combined score of 21-1. Pepperdine pitchers also limited the Toreros (13-21-2, 6-13) to only eight hits in the series.

The seventh-ranked Waves (26-5-1, 15-3) have won 16 of their last 17 games.

USD scored its lone run in the seventh inning of Saturday’s first game, taking a 1-0 lead. But Pepperdine came back with five runs in the next two innings, the big hit a three-run homer by Chris Sheff. Steve Montgomery (6-0) won in relief. Torero starter James Ferguson (2-6) took the loss.

In the second seven-inning game, Steve Duda (5-2) and Jeff Myers, a former Carlsbad High pitcher, combined for a three-hitter.

U.S. International gave up five unearned runs in an 8-4 loss to host Cal State Northridge. Sophomore Darin Forster, a Santana High graduate, went three for four with two doubles and USIU’s four RBIs. The 20th-ranked Matadors improved to 27-10-1. USIU fell to 11-25.

Point Loma Nazarene’s Mark Ratekin and Southern California College’s David Black dueled for 14 innings with Black and SCC finally prevailing, 2-1, in the first game of a Golden State Athletic Conference doubleheader. SCC (21-13, 8-2) won the second game, 10-0.

SCC pinch-hitter David Seely drove in Greg Bertel in the bottom of the 14th for the game-winner.

Ratekin, who also had two of the Crusaders’ four hits and the only RBI on a first-inning double, struck out 13 and allowed only six hits, but fell to 4-6. Black earned his seventh win against two losses.

Ratekin had PLNC’s only hit in the second game.

UC San Diego swept a doubleheader from Menlo, 16-6, 12-4, at Menlo Park.

In the first game, sophomore Matt Reis hit a grand slam to give UCSD a 15-2 lead in the fifth inning. Ted White went three for three with three runs, Ernie Isola three for four with four RBIs and Steve Nowlan three for five with one RBI.

In the second game, Erikk Aldridge went four for four with two runs, an RBI and four stolen bases for UCSD (11-15). Menlo fell to 8-18.

SOFTBALL

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo swept a doubleheader from UC San Diego, winning the first game, 3-1, and the second, 2-1.

In the second game, Cheryl Lutes, who went two for three, hit a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh to clinch the victory for Cal Poly SLO (20-10). In the first game, five errors by UCSD (13-10) contributed to three unearned runs for Cal Poly SLO.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Fifteenth-ranked San Diego State upset No. 12 Indiana, 6-3, in a nonconference match at SDSU.

SDSU’s Eva Oliverez defeated Deborah Edelman, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 singles, and SDSU’s Nicole Storto downed Jody Yin, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) at No. 3. Oliverez, Sue Hawke and Tanya Lauer were double winners for the Aztecs (9-7). Indiana fell to 16-6.

The University of San Diego took a close nonconference match from UC Santa Barbara, 5-4, by winning the final doubles match in three sets.

In that last match, USD’s Laura Richards and Kara Brady nipped Laura Rutledge and Carla Quarsma, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6.

At No. 1 singles, USD’s Tonya Fuller, ranked 12th in the nation, defeated Tracy Johnstone, 6-2, 6-2.

Brady and Paula Hanson were double winners for No. 14 USD (11-8). The Gauchos fell to 12-10.