Sports : THE LONGEST DAY

Redondo sophomore Kerry Martin has pitched some outstanding games in her high school softball career, but Tuesday’s was perhaps the best.

With darkness threatening to suspend play, host Redondo scored a run on an error in the bottom of the 17th inning to defeat Woodbridge of Irvine, 1-0, in the second round of the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

Martin (20-4) went the distance in the nearly four-hour game, giving up five hits and striking out 16. Selena Fine scored from third with two outs in the 17th on an errant throw by the Woodbridge first baseman.

Redondo will play host to California of Whittier in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. today.

MOVING ON

Redondo’s baseball team will play at Gahr of Cerritos and West Torrance will play host to Antelope Valley in Southern Section quarterfinal-round games at 3 p.m. Friday.

Redondo advanced in the Division II playoffs with a 4-1 victory Tuesday over Buena of Ventura. Senior right-hander Scott Albin (11-0) pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, shutting out Buena on three hits in relief of sophomore Ian Herweg, to gain his second victory of the playoffs and improve his three-year varsity record to 23-3. Albin is expected to start Friday.

West parlayed the pitching of David Delgado and a 14-hit attack into a 10-3 Division III victory over host Jurapa Valley. Delgado (7-1), a left-handed junior, gave up seven hits in going the distance. His only loss was to Simi Valley early in the season.

NOT AGAIN

For the third consecutive season, a 20-victory El Segundo High baseball team has lost early in the Southern Section playoffs to a dominant pitcher.

In 1992, La Serna’s Jason LeBlanc pitched a five-hitter in a 5-4 second-round upset over top-seeded El Segundo. Last season, El Rancho left-hander Randy Flores gave up three hits and struck out 13 in a 3-2 first-round victory over the fourth-seeded Eagles.

It was more of the same Friday. Palmdale left-hander David Glick left El Segundo hitters frozen in their tracks, pitching a three-hitter and striking out 17 in a 5-1 victory in a Division III first-round game. The Eagles were caught looking on eight of Glick’s strikeouts.

“He just threw the ball right by us,” El Segundo Coach John Stevenson said. “He liked to come inside on our hitters, which makes it tough. I think our guys probably should have gotten off the plate a little bit.”

Friday’s performance was nothing new for Glick, who is expected to be a high-round draft pick. The victory left him with an 11-2 record, 10 complete games, a 1.36 earned-run average, 129 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 72 innings.

It wouldn’t surprise Stevenson if Glick excelled at the next level, the way LeBlanc and Flores have at Pepperdine and USC, respectively. Flores (10-1) has become USC’s No. 1 starter as a freshman.

“It’s almost like somebody is looking out for us, in the wrong way,” Stevenson said of his team’s playoff draws. “I know that isn’t true, but it almost seems like it. How can you be so unlucky? You can go through the playoffs without ever seeing those types of (pitchers).”

MORE TOUGH LUCK

As bad as things have gone for El Segundo in the playoffs, the Eagles have a way to go to match the frustration endured by Bishop Montgomery this season.

The Knights (7-17-1) lost 11 one-run games.

“They had to keep the sharp objects away from me,” Coach Rudy Garbalosa said.

The Knights’ inability to win close games detracted from an otherwise impressive season by pitcher Eric Fuller. The senior right-hander was 4-4 with a 1.38 earned-run average and was named Mission League pitcher of the year for a team that tied for sixth in an eight-team league. All of his losses were by a run in low-scoring games.

RETURN TO FORM

Serra High, which won three Southern Section boys’ track titles from 1980 to 1982, is back on top after winning the Division IV title Saturday at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

The Cavaliers scored 84 points, the most of any division champion, and got victories from Rod Smith in the 100 meters, Ricky Boyer in the 200, Cardell Overstreet in the 110 high hurdles, and Dion Tobias in the 300 intermediate hurdles and the 1,600 relay.

Morningside, meanwhile, continued its dominance in Division III by winning the boys’ and girls’ titles. It was the fifth consecutive title for the girls, led by Felicia Williams’ victories in the 100 and 200; and the third consecutive title for the boys, led by sprinters William Taylor, LaMar Reed and Ray Butler.

Also winning Division III titles were Phil Fonua of Mira Costa in the shotput and Martin Haynes of Bishop Montgomery in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

SWATTING THE IVY

Former Mira Costa standout Greg Gilmer has become the first Dartmouth baseball player in 48 years to win the Ivy League batting title.

Gilmer, a sophomore who played catcher and outfield, batted .476 (30 for 63) in 20 Ivy games to become only the third player in Dartmouth history and the first since 1946 to lead the league in batting. He batted .403 in all games, best on the team.

Gilmer posted those numbers despite playing the last 12 games with a broken little finger on his right hand.

After the season, Gilmer and former Chadwick standout Todd Seneker were voted co-captains for the 1995 season by their teammates.

KING OF THE COURT

Redondo High senior Matt Roghair extended an impressive unbeaten streak Saturday by advancing to the singles quarterfinals of the Southern Section individual tennis championships.

Roghair received a bye and won two matches at Diamond Bar High, improving his record to 53-0 in sets played this season. Dennis Chang of Peninsula also reached the round of 16. The quarterfinals will be played Friday, with the semifinals and final Saturday at Seacliff Country Club in Huntington Beach.

Redondo Coach Jim Ball said Roghair, who was the Ocean League champion and most valuable player, is the first Sea Hawk to rise to the top ranking among boys’ tennis players in the South Bay.

END OF THE LINE

The season came to a disappointing end last weekend for the Harbor College baseball team, which failed to win a game in the Southern California regional finals for the second consecutive year. The Seahawks (31-14) lost to Rancho Santiago, 2-0, and Citrus, 10-8, in the double-elimination tournament.

Defending state champion Rancho Santiago won the regional and will join three other teams, including Cypress, in the state finals beginning Saturday at Cerritos College.

On a bright note for Harbor, catcher Jeff Poor played for the first time in two weeks and delivered a pinch-hit double Saturday against Citrus. Poor had been out of the lineup after he was stabbed at a party May 7.

NOTABLE

* The South Torrance High boys’ volleyball team reached the semifinals of the Southern Section playoffs for the first time in school history by beating Esperanza, 15-12, 15-7, 15-13, Friday behind 14 kills by Steve Rhodes and 11 kills by Rob Spencer. The Spartans met second-seeded Royal in a Division II semifinal Wednesday night at Mira Costa. The winner advances to the final at 5 p.m. Saturday at Cerritos College.

* Harbor College guard LaTasha Burnett, the state’s leading scorer with a 28-point average, has announced she will attend USC. The 5-foot-5 Burnett led Harbor to its first state title in women’s basketball last season.

* Jim Harris, a reserve point guard for Loyola Marymount, is considering transferring to another school, according to reports. Harris played behind another freshman, Jimmy Williamson, last season.

* Cal State Dominguez Hills, which tied for the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball title before it was eliminated in the NCAA Division II regional last week, received two of three major conference awards. Senior right-hander Bert Horn was selected pitcher of the year and George Wing was named coach of the year. In addition, the Toros placed pitcher Scott Veeder and outfielder Eric Martin on the first team, and pitcher Tony Velasquez on the second team.

* Anthony Napolitano of the Loyola Marymount baseball team and Judey Petix of the Lion softball team have been selected for the second straight year to the GTE Academic All-District VIII team, representing the West Coast. Napolitano, a senior first baseman who led Loyola with a .344 batting average and 23 doubles, has a 3.61 grade-point average. Petix, a junior outfielder who batted .287, has a 3.47 GPA.

* Richard McFoy, a 6-8 center from state runner-up Ventura College, has signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Cal State Dominguez Hills.