Dons Haven’t Dropped Conference Lead

If overconfidence becomes a problem for Rancho Santiago baseball Coach Don Sneddon’s team this season, he need only point to a paper taped to the dugout door.

Sneddon took the line score of the Dons’ March 6 game and enlarged it several times so all could read that Rancho Santiago made a school-record 12 errors in a 15-8 loss to Fullerton.

While 12 errors in one game is extreme, poor defense has hardly been rare for the Dons, who have made 26 errors in the first six conference games.

But despite all the mistakes, Rancho Santiago, two-time defending conference champion, is tied for first with Orange Coast, the early surprise.

“We’re fortunate to be (tied for first),” Sneddon said after Saturday’s 6-3 victory over OCC. “We’ve made a lot of physical and mental errors. We’re playing a little tight for no reason.”

OCC, under first-year Coach John Altobelli, lost two of three games last week to fall into the tie with Rancho Santiago.

But it’s hardly a two-team race. While Rancho Santiago (14-3) and OCC (10-7) are tied for first at 4-2, there are four teams--Cypress (13-7), Golden West (8-8), Riverside (12-5) and Saddleback (11-4)--a game back at 3-3. Fullerton (8-9) is seventh at 1-5.

“I think the key word here is parity,” Sneddon said. “The key is going to be the (team) that can keep from losing two or three in a row.”

Al Gasparian, the women’s volleyball coach at Golden West, has been selected to be an assistant coach for the U.S. team at World University Games July 6-16 in Buffalo.

Andy Banachowski, the UCLA women’s coach, is the team’s head coach. Gasparian is the only community college coach on the staff and it’s believed to be the first time a community college coach has been part of the staff for games.

Sue Woodstra, the coach at Pittsburgh, and Stanford assistant Denise Corlett will work with Gasparian as assistants.

“It’s awesome,” Gasparian said. “Some countries send their national teams. This will be considered international experience and that’s what I’m looking for.”

Gasparian will be working with several of the top players in the nation, including Elaine Youngs (El Toro High School), Jenny Evans (Newport Harbor) and Marissa Hatchett (Sunny Hills), all from UCLA.

Gasparian has been at Golden West for the 10 seasons with a record of 209-30. His teams won State titles in 1984, ‘88, ’90 and ’91.

Track and field: The Golden West men’s program is clearly on the rise.

The Rustlers, under second-year Coach Matt Simpson, knocked off district-rival Orange Coast, 93-69, last Friday. It was the first time since 1969 that Golden West had beaten the Pirates.

One of the major contributors for Golden West was freshman Adrian Brown from Huntington Beach High School. He won the 110 high hurdles (15.2 seconds), the long jump (22 feet 1 inch), the triple jump (44-2 3/4) and was the anchor of the 4 x 100 relay team that won in 44.4.

Golden West is 5-0 in Orange Empire Conference meets.

Mollemania: John Molle of Saddleback took his scoring act to a state-wide audience Saturday, scoring a game-high 27 in leading the South to a 125-122 victory over the North at an all-star game at the University of San Francisco.

Molle, from Irvine High School, was the most valuable player of the Orange Empire Conference.

Alumni update: In the offensive-dominated world of collegiate baseball it’s unlikely that any pitcher would lose a game, 1-0. But has happened twice in two seasons to former Rancho Santiago pitcher Mike Fontana.

Fontana, a starter for Cal State Long Beach, pitched a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts, but lost to University of the Pacific, 1-0, Saturday.

Fontana, who was slowed by a leg injury this season, is 2-3 for the 49ers.

The tough loss to Pacific brings to mind Fontana’s final game at Rancho Santiago last season. Fontana, pitching on two-days’ rest, was beaten by Los Angeles Pierce, 1-0, in the Southern California playoffs.

Still, Fontana ended 12-1 with a Rancho Santiago record 117 strikeouts. He was selected the co-most valuable player of Southern California.