Aztecs Capture WAC Title in 10th

San Diego State scored five unearned runs in the top of the 10th inning Saturday night to beat Hawaii, 7-2, in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference baseball tournament.

It was the Aztecs’ second consecutive WAC title.

SDSU defeated Hawaii, 6-4, Saturday afternoon in the semifinals to force a second game with the Rainbows for the championship and the WAC’s automatic NCAA College World Series Regional berth.

SDSU trailed 2-0 early in the championship but rallied for an unearned run in the fifth and a run in the eighth.

SDSU came out of the loser’s bracket after being routed in the opening game of the tournament, 19-1, by Brigham Young.

In the semifinal against Hawaii, Rick Navarro scattered nine hits over 7 1/3 innings and yielded three runs before being replaced by Rob Callaway, who gave up one hit and one run. Navarro improved to 8-5. Callaway earned his second save.

Navarro and SDSU got a scare in the second inning when the left-handed pitcher from Helix High took a line drive off his ankle. On the carom, first baseman Jason Ledford scooped up the ball and tossed to Navarro, who alertly covered first, for the putout.

Navarro then fell and spent seven minutes in the SDSU dugout getting taped before returning.

SDSU had a 6-0 lead before Hawaii scored two in the sixth and one each in the eighth and ninth.

San Diego Mesa was eliminated in the second round of the Southern California Regional in Riverside after losing to Rancho Santiago, 9-2. Sophomore Albert Mendiola, a Madison High graduate, went two for four and scored a run for Mesa (27-15). Mesa freshman Todd Wilson, a University City graduate, went three for four.

WATER SKIING

Defending slalom champion Helena Kjellander of Sweden will go head-to-head with Toni Neville in the finals of the Michelob Dry Water Ski Tour at Mission Bay’s Fiesta Island. Orlando’s Jennifer Leachman will go against Kristi Overton of Oviedo, Fla., who was the top qualifier with a mark of 5 at 35 off. Kjellander was the second qualifier with 3 1/2 at 35 off.

Australia’s Karen Neville and Sherri Slone of Zachary, La., qualified with jumps of 129-feet, and Britta Grebe jumped 123 in the women’s jump.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

UC San Diego defeated tournament host Emory (Georgia) University, 6-3, for third place in the NCAA Division III championships.

The Tritons won four of six singles matches led by Carla Nicolas, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Meika Neblett at No. 2, and Janet Whalen, a 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 winner over Jennifer Earle at No. 3.