Ventura Men Disappointed on All Counts

It wasn’t the kind of ending the Ventura men’s basketball players envisioned for their season, and the host city wasn’t what many expected, either.

The Pirates, who went into the state championships last weekend at the University of San Francisco ranked No. 1 in California, lost the title game to Columbia, 97-88. It was Ventura’s second loss in 39 games.

Most of the players were as disappointed in San Francisco as in the outcome of the tournament. “It’s ugly,” freshman point guard Joey Ramirez said of the city during his visit. “I look forward to going to the gym.”

Said Stephane Brown, a sophomore starting guard: “Everything is congested and crowded. I’m going to finish my mission and get the hell out of this city.”

Sophomore forward Michael King, who grew up in Chicago, saw similarities between the two cities.

“The buildings are too close and there’s trash on the ground,” King said. “It kind of reminds me of the west side of Chicago.”

Tony Bennett shouldn’t hear about this. . . .

The Pirates traveled to San Francisco by chartered bus. King, for one, wasn’t looking forward to the return trip.

“You ever been cramped in a bus for 6 1/2 hours? You walk out looking like an old man,” the 6-foot-6, 205-pound King said, laughing. “I’ve got long legs, man. And I almost dehydrated (on the ride north). I wouldn’t drink the sodas. They were hot.” . . .

Ventura forwards Calvin Curry and Brandon Jessie displayed sportsmanship when picking up their second-place medals during the award ceremonies Saturday night. Curry ran to the Columbia bench and embraced several players. Jessie pointed to the Columbia bench, acknowledging the team’s victory.

When Ventura Coach Philip Mathews received his award, he pointed to the winners and then motioned to the Columbia fans with his index finger, signifying that the Claim Jumpers were No. 1. The crowd responded with loud applause and cheers.

CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

BASEBALL

First baseman/pitcher Jason Shanahan, a sophomore from Missoula, Mont., and one of only two non-Californians on the Cal State Northridge baseball team, receives more than his fair share of teasing from his Golden State teammates.

“They ask if I still ride horses,” he said.

A high school football standout and all-state basketball selection, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Shanahan was limited to American Legion baseball because high school baseball is not offered in Montana.

Northridge Coach Bill Kernen spotted Shanahan in July, 1991 at the U. S. Olympic Festival in Los Angeles. Shanahan also drew interest from Cal State Fullerton, Washington State and Nevada, but had resigned himself to playing at the junior college level and transferring to a Division I team. Instead, he signed--only weeks before school started--with Northridge.

Shanahan, a .279 hitter, has driven in 22 runs, second only to the other non-Californian on the team, Greg Shepard, a senior from Battle Creek, Mich. Shepard has a team-leading 26 runs batted in.

Northridge’s series with fellow Western Athletic Conference member Wyoming did not count in the conference standings last weekend. Because the conference is divided between Western and Eastern divisions as a cost-cutting measure, only CSUN’s games against Western Division WAC teams (Cal State Sacramento, Fresno State, Hawaii and San Diego State) count in conference play.

At the end of the regular season, the winners of each division play for the WAC’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. The Eastern Division consists of Wyoming, New Mexico, Brigham Young, Air Force and Utah. . . .

Shepard extended his hitting streak to eight games with a pair of singles in a 4-3 victory over UCLA on Tuesday. Shepard is batting a team-high .420. . . . A six-game hitting streak has boosted senior left fielder David Prosenko’s average to .333. . . .

Jonathan Campbell, the designated hitter the past six games, is hitting .360. The sophomore from Poly High was six for 10 in the Wyoming series. . . . In one start and four pinch-hitting appearances, sophomore Erik Lazerus is four for five with three RBIs. . . .

The Matadors are hitting .310 and have outscored their opponents, 143-60. They lead the opposition in doubles (24-15), triples (three to one) and home runs (20 to 15). In 11 of their 17 games, the Matadors have reached double figures in hits. . . .

Northridge pitchers have a combined 3.22 earned-run average. John Bushart has a staff-leading 4-0 record and a 2.80 ERA. He has struck out 30 and walked 12. Keven Kempton (3-1, 2.83) has struck out 21 and walked six. . . . The Matadors are 2-2 in one-run games and 2-0 against ranked teams (USC and UCLA) with Bushart getting the win in both games.

SOFTBALL

Outfielder Terri Pearson, a junior from Fallbrook High, has seven hits in 13 at-bats since the Matadors opened a 14-game home stand Friday. She had three RBIs and scored three runs as Northridge (14-2) swept doubleheaders from South Carolina, New Mexico and Massachusetts.

In the six games, she raised her average to .257 from .091 (two for 22).

JUNIOR COLLEGES

BASEBALL

Getting some work on the mound apparently has done wonders for the hitting of Pierce shortstop Bryan Corey.

Corey, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks High, has 12 hits--including two home runs, two triples, three doubles and 14 runs batted in--in his last 23 at-bats and is batting .433 this season. He also has been pitching in relief, picking up a save in a 10-7 victory Saturday over Glendale in a Western State Conference game.

Coach Bob Lofrano credits Corey’s hitting rampage partly to his pitching. Lofrano turned to Corey, who has a live arm and excellent control, for pitching help because the Brahmas were overloaded with games after a series of rainouts. “I knew Bryan had pitched in high school,” Lofrano said. “He did a fine job (pitching for Pierce). The success he had on the mound carried over to his hitting.” . . .

Lofrano and the Brahmas (9-8, 7-5 in conference play) will spend time Friday after practice at the Crippled Children’s of L.A. County facility near Pierce. The team will play with the children and teach them some baseball fundamentals.

“We are doing it basically to get our guys involved with other kids who are not fortunate to be healthy athletes,” Lofrano said. “It’ll be a good experience for our players. It’s the first time we’ve done something like this, but I hope to do it again this season.”

Lofrano said the children attended a Pierce game last week. . . .

Oxnard’s struggles have been carried into extra innings. The Condors (4-14, 2-10) have played three extra-inning games, two of them back-to-back last week. Oxnard beat Moorpark, 12-10, in 12 innings March 6, then lost to Santa Barbara, 11-10, in 10 innings March 9 and to Bakersfield, 10-9, in 10 innings last Thursday. . . .

Antelope Valley catcher Jack Cox is second in batting in the Foothill Conference with a .415 average. Other Marauders hitting well are center fielder Jeff Whiteford (.333) and shortstop Ryan Branch (.326).

Staff writers Fernando Dominguez, Theresa Munoz and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.