Pingree’s Home Run Gives USD Victory

The University of San Diego baseball team, with a 2-1 West Coast Conference victory against Santa Clara at Cunningham Stadium on Friday, ensured itself of a winning season for the first time since 1987, and of a finish no worse than third in the WCC going into its season finale doubleheader today.

USD second baseman Dave Pingree hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the eighth to give the Toreros the victory, and make a winner of freshman Mike Saipe, a University City graduate. Saipe allowed five hits, one unearned run and he walked one and struck out seven in his eighth complete game.

After Santa Clara (19-31, 11-17) scored in the first inning, San Pasqual graduate Kevin Herde singled in Ed Scofield, with two out in the third for USD’s tying run.

USD improved to 27-23, 13-12. In 1987, the Toreros last winning season, they finished 31-27.

BASKETBALL

After 17 years under one man, former Pasadena City College assistant coach Dan Davis will replace Ben Foster as Point Loma Nazarene’s head coach. Davis is PLNC’s eighth coach in the last 40 years.

Davis was at Pasadena City, Cal State Los Angeles, New Mexico and Pasadena High for 14 years, and most recently was an assistant for the women’s team at Portland. This is his first head coaching assignment.

MEN’S TENNIS

Point Loma Nazarene’s Enrique Guajardo and Sean Willette blew match point in a doubles semifinal of the NAIA District 3 Championships, eventually losing to Cal Baptist’s Frank Ofari and Emmanual Paddi, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. The loss kept the Crusaders (14 points), from finishing the championships in a tie with Cal Baptist (16 points) in the team standings.

Cal Baptist and the doubles and singles winners advance to the NAIA Nationals in Kansas City, May 18-23. PLNC’s Mattias Rendefors and John Norton play for the doubles title today.

TRACK

Host Point Loma Nazarene’s men and women outscored Azusa Pacific and the rest of the field on the first day of the NAIA District 3 Championships. The men held a 113-89 margin over the Cougars; the women held a 75-67 edge. Stephan Kallenberg (3,691 points) and David Reidhav (3,452) were one and two in the decathlon standings, Kallenberg winning four of five events.

Four other Crusader men won individual events. Alicia Harasty, without winning a single event, led the women’s heptathlon standings with 2,529 points. PLNC’s women won the sprint medley and took six of the seven top places in the 100-meter finals. Dzifa MacKwashie (12.12) won the event.

SOFTBALL

San Diego State scored in the top of the eighth only to see Colorado State score twice in the bottom of the eighth to eliminate the Aztecs from the Western Athletic Conference tournament, 2-1. Tracy Stowe and Christie Dunckel each had two hits for SDSU. But Karen McCormick allowed 10 hits to the Rams, who were led by Tina Trujillo, who was three for four and scored the tying run.