NOTEBOOK / SEAN WATERS : Aggressive Play Helps Corsairs to Victory

Although the Santa Monica College baseball team is struggling at the plate, the Corsairs have been able to steal two victories.

Santa Monica (3-8) is batting .215 and averaging five hits a game.

Two weeks ago, the Corsairs scored two runs on a squeeze play in the 10th inning to beat Santa Barbara, 5-4.

With Ramon Armendariz on second base and pinch-runner Chris Brennan on third, Mark Walker bunted down the first base line. Brennan scored from third and Armendariz scored from second.

Two days later, freshman Dean Davidson stole home in the bottom of the eighth inning and Santa Monica beat Ventura, 4-3. The former Culver City player walked, stole second and took third on a balk before scoring the winning run.

“Desperate men use desperate measures,” Coach Marty Berson said.

Add Corsairs: Santa Monica has lost Walker and catcher Junior Esparza because of injuries.

Walker broke his collarbone diving for a ball in center field and will be out for the season. Esparza fractured his jaw and lost four upper teeth when a ball skipped and hit him in the mouth during pregame warm-ups March 11. Esparza is expected to be out two to four weeks.

Friends now foes: Today’s NCAA first-round game between Arizona and Santa Clara will mark the first time that two Fairfax graduates have played against each other.

Arizona’s Chris Mills, who graduated from Fairfax in 1988, was the Pacific 10 Conference player of the year. Santa Clara’s John Woolery, a 1990 Fairfax graduate, is a guard for Santa Clara.

“I’ve had players in the NCAA tournament before, but I’ve never had them play against each other,” Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said. “I want them both to do well.”

Fairfax senior forward Lawrence Gardiner is awaiting results from his college entrance examination to see whether he will be eligible to play college basketball as a freshman. Gardiner, who averaged 14 points and six rebounds as a senior, is being recruited by UC Davis, Cal State Los Angeles and Cal Poly Pomona.

Out of retirement: Former Santa Monica High Coach Tebb Kusserow will return to the football field, but not as the Vikings’ coach.

Kusserow, who retired as the Vikings coach in 1990 after 17 seasons, will assist St. Monica Coach Norm Lacy with the South all-star team in a Catholic all-star football game.

The all-star game matches the best players from Catholic schools north and south of the Santa Monica Freeway (10). Although St. Monica is north of the freeway, Lacy was named South coach. Rich Lawson of West Hills Chaminade and Tim Lins of Encino Crespi will coach the North.

Vikings honored: The St. Bernard girls’ basketball team, which plays Grass Valley Bear River in the State Division IV final on Friday, placed five players on the All-Mission League team.

Olympia Scott was the league’s most valuable player. Also honored were first-team selections Joi Turner and Kelly Shimabukuro and second-team picks Letisha Ducree and Marte Alexander.

Fresh start: The Beverly Hills boys’ tennis team has won three of its first four matches, including victories over Brentwood and Palisades.

Freshmen Bobby Croll and Jordan Duboff have strengthened an already balanced team.

“They have been a pleasant surprise,” Coach Jason Newman said. “We have so much balance that players are competing for positions during practice. If they don’t work hard, they know someone will take their place.”

The Normans (3-1) will play host to South Torrance today at 2:30 p.m.