SPORTSCOPE : Cal Poly Pomona Baseball Team Takes CCAA Lead

The Cal Poly Pomona baseball team will try to maintain its narrow lead in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. when it plays a home-and-home series against Cal State Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday.

The Broncos, who are ranked No. 11 in the NCAA Division II with a 22-22 record and are 13-8 in the conference, will play host to Cal State L.A. in a single game at 3 p.m. Friday and will play a double-header at Cal State L.A. at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Cal State L.A is in fifth place in the six-team conference at 8-12 and is 17-28 overall. The Golden Eagles have 10 games remaining in conference play and Pomona has nine.

Pomona took a major step toward its first CCAA title since 1988 by taking two of three games against Cal State Dominguez Hills last week. That left the Broncos with a one-game lead over Dominguez Hills (12-9), although Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (11-9) and UC Riverside (10-9) are also in the title race.

The Broncos have won behind the offensive play of outfielders Ramiro Garcia and Chris Hunt. Garcia, a senior, is batting .382, and Hunt, a junior, is hitting .344.

The pitching leaders for the Broncos have been starter Dan Mead and reliever Geoff Johansen. Mead, a junior, has a 6-3 record and Johansen, a senior, has a 3.09 earned-run average.

After the L.A. series, Pomona will play three games against Chapman and three against Riverside to finish the regular season.

Coming off its best record since the 1980-81 season, the Cal Poly Pomona men’s basketball team has signed two community college transfers to national letters of intent.

The Broncos, who were 15-14 and finished second in the CCAA postseason tournament, have signed forwards Russ May from Cerritos College and Damon Ballard from Chemeketa of Oregon.

The 6-foot-7 May averaged nine points and seven rebounds for Cerritos last season and received honorable mention on the All-South Coast Conference team. Ballard, 6-6, averaged 14 points and eight rebounds and was selected to the All-Northwest Athletic Assn. of Community Colleges second team.

“Damon gives us inside quickness and athleticism that will help take up some of the slack from the departure of All-American Terry Ross,” Coach Dave Bollwinkel said. “Russ complements Damon’s abilities in that he brings size and strength to our inside game.”

Pomona previously signed three high school players during the NCAA’s early signing period in November. They are guards Brandon Bryce from Mills of Millbrae, Dwayne Dupree from Mt. Eden of Hayward and center Chris Hacker from Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita.

The Cal Poly Pomona women’s softball team will play host to UC Berkeley in a non-conference double-header at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Pomona.

Berkeley has one of the top players in the nation in All-American pitcher Michelle Granger.

Pomona, which lost three of four games last week and has a 21-31 record, has been led by the pitching of sophomore Bonnie Ebenkamp and the hitting of senior first baseman Stephanie Fleischaker. Ebenkamp is 10-13 with a 1.11 earned-run average and Fleischaker is batting .284.