Former Coach Serving ‘Em Up to Padres

Joe Pimentel has a strong local tie to baseball. He was graduated from Carlsbad High and coached baseball there from 1987-91, once led MiraCosta College to the state community college championship and was a member of the UC Riverside team that won the NCAA Division II championship in 1977.

A right-handed pitcher, Pimentel was 30-7 in his two years at MiraCosta and was named conference player of the year his freshman season. After one year as a relief pitcher for Riverside, he played one year of rookie ball for the San Francisco Giants’ organization.

So what is he doing now?

Pimentel is a batting practice pitcher for the Padres.

It’s a job he had held before but gave up when he began coaching at Carlsbad.

And how is he doing?

“It’s frustrating because I’m coming off rotator cuff surgery about four years ago,” Pimentel said. “It’s been kind of a struggle. The arm is not what it used to be. But hopefully it will start stretching out a little. I’m just taking things one day at a time.”

Red light: Under first-year Coach Denny Cooper, Carlsbad leads the county in stolen bases with 102 in 23 games.

That, however, did not seem to impress El Camino catcher Thomas Wilka. He nailed four of the five Lancers who tried to steal off him on Wednesday.

Before that game, Carlsbad had been caught stealing only five times all year.

Heady athletes: Eric Abrams and Matthew Dilligan are among 10 boys’ finalists for the CIF/Reebok scholar-athlete of the year award.

Abrams played football and is playing baseball this spring for La Jolla Country Day. Dilligan ran cross-country for Point Loma.

The winner, who will receive a $2,000 college scholarship, will be announced today.

Just a bit outside: Amy Miner of Patrick Henry came within one out of pitching a perfect game Thursday in a 4-0 softball victory over Point Loma.

With two outs in the seventh inning, Miner walked a batter on a 3-2 pitch, “a questionable call,” said her coach, John Ferguson. “It could have gone either way.”

Miner’s eventual no-hitter was her second of the week, tying her for third place in the section record book for most consecutive no-hitters. The section record is four set by Madison’s Jenifer Booker in 1990.

Going to The Murph: Thanks to a $5,000 donation by the Padres, the San Diego Section baseball championships will be held at Jack Murphy Stadium.

A tripleheader has been scheduled for June 4, an off day for the Padres, beginning with the 1-A game at 1 p.m. and followed by the 2-A game at 4 p.m. and the 3-A game at 7 p.m.

Taylor-made event: Brothers Gary Taylor and Cary Taylor of Morse and Maurice Taylor of University City have recorded the top three long jump marks this season. In order, their marks are 24-feet, 23-6 1/2 and 22-5.

Cary and Gary Taylor are also Nos. 1 and 2 in the triple jump at 49-7 and 47-7. Cary’s mark is best in the state this spring.

Vulture victory: Coronado High used a different pitcher in each of seven innings Saturday, and the Islanders beat Ramona, 10-8, in the third-place game of the Coronado Rotary Tournament.

The winning pitcher was Russell Mize, who gave up seven runs (four earned) in the fourth inning on three hits, three walks, a hit batsman and an error.

Normally an outfielder, Mize (1-0) had thrown only one-third of an inning before Saturday. His earned-run average is 21.05.

On the other hand, Brandon Marks of Poway lost his second 1-0 game of the season Saturday against USDHS in the final of the Hilltop-Moose Tournament. Marks is 1-3 with an ERA of 1.86.

Decked out: Mira Mesa quarterback Chad Davis, the national all-time high school passing leader, has a senior prom coming up, but that’s not what lured him to two local tuxedo shops on May 4.

Davis was there as part of a promotion by the shops, signing autographs with Charger quarterback John Friesz.

Said Davis’ father, Bob: “I’m not even sure if he’s going to his prom.”

Making his mark: Damon Allen, the former Lincoln standout who has become one of the Canadian Football League’s top quarterbacks, signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats following three seasons with the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Terms of the three-year contract were not disclosed, but the Canadian Press reported that Allen’s base salary will be worth between $275,000-$325,000 in Canadian dollars. Allen reportedly earned $225,000 last season when he threw for 4,275 yards and ran for 1,036 more as Ottawa (7-11) finished third in the four-team Eastern Division.