COLLEGE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : SCC, Borders Lose to UC San Diego

Despite victories in her first two collegiate starts, Southern California College’s Ila Borders still had something to prove.

Claremont-Mudd and Concordia, her first victims, aren’t considered strong hitting teams, so some discounted her 0.57 earned-run average.

Thursday, Borders got her shot at a quality team, UC San Diego, ranked eighth in NCAA Division III, and lost a 4-3 decision in Costa Mesa.

Borders (2-1) gave up four runs on six hits in seven innings. UC San Diego (7-2) scored three in the third and one in the fourth off Borders. She struck out two, walked two and hit a batter.

The performance prompted a testimonial from SCC Coach Charlie Phillips.

“She is for real,” he said. “I don’t care what anybody says or any coaches say to me. She is for real .”

Borders, whose ERA jumped to 1.99, said she was more nervous about pitching against UC San Diego than she was before her first start.

“I don’t want to compare them to anybody, but they are an extremely good team,” Borders said. “You can’t make any mistakes out there or they will just spank it.”

UC San Diego Coach Lyle Yates said his team traditionally has had trouble scoring at SCC’s field, so the Tritons prepared by taking batting practice against one of their slower-throwing left-handed pitchers.

Several Tritons got solid hits off Borders, including Chris Miyake, who drove in two runs with an opposite-field double in the third and Dan O’Brien, who drove in the final run with an opposite-field triple in the fourth. But San Diego managed only one more hit against Borders before reliever Rick Homutoff took over at the start of the eighth.

SCC (6-8), which had only four hits off two Triton pitchers, scored a run in the second and two in the fourth. The Vanguards got the leadoff batter aboard in three of the last five innings, but reliever Kurt Luhrsen (2-0), who allowed only one hit after entering in the fifth inning, was able to snuff out any threats.

In an exhibition game:

Cal State Fullerton 4, Waseda (Japan) University 0--Jeff Ferguson had two hits, including a home run, and Bret Hemphill had a double and home run for host Cal State Fullerton.