Pacifica’s Freed Starts Quickly on the Mound

Amanda Freed’s favorite class at Pacifica is biology.

“It’s the most interesting,” said Freed, a sophomore pitcher for the Mariners. “Learning about animals and dissecting--I like dissecting things.”

She also has dissected opposing lineups at a record pace. She has won 21 consecutive games to begin her career, which is believed to be a state record.

She went 14-0 as a freshman, and opened this season with seven victories. Her earned-run average over that span is 0.26.

Cal-Hi Sports doesn’t keep a specific state record for victories to begin a career. The record for consecutive victories is 34, set by Fowler’s Michelle Perez from 1991 to 1992.

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The talent pool on Santa Margarita’s golf team runs so deep that no one expected the Eagles to be challenged in the Sea View League. However, they came up dry Thursday against Irvine.

Irvine (8-4, 4-3 in league) beat Santa Margarita, 205-214, at Coto de Caza, dealing the Eagles their first loss in two seasons.

“It could be the first time we have lost at Coto in I don’t know how many years,” second-year Coach Tim O’Hara said. “It might be the first time ever.”

The Eagles (7-1, 6-1) were playing without four of their top players, who were competing at an American Junior Golf Assn. tournament in Texas, but O’Hara said the same lineup had shot 185 at Coto in the wind and rain the week before.

Often this season Santa Margarita has had five players shoot below 40 in a match. Against Irvine, junior Nicolas Fritz was the Eagles’ low scorer with a 40.

“I knew it was bad when I beat everybody on our team but one,” said O’Hara, who like many coaches often plays with the team during matches.

Even so, Santa Margarita appears to be in little danger of finishing out of first place in the league. The Eagles have eight players averaging below 40.

“It was kind of a fluke,” O’Hara said. “Four of the six guys had their worst rounds of the year and they probably will not do it again.”

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From preseason No. 2 to the bottom of the Sunset League, the free fall of Marina’s baseball team has been stunning.

After a 5-0 start, the Vikings lost seven of eight, including six of their first seven league games. Three were losses to Fountain Valley, which Marina was expected to challenge for the title.

Now it will be all the Vikings can do to make the playoffs, though three of the five teams above them--Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos and Edison--have 3-4 league records.

Coach Paul Renfrow has kept his humor.

“One thing we had to do this season was develop a consistent No. 2 pitcher behind Justin [Lynch],” Renfrow said. “That hasn’t happened. And while we haven’t made that many mistakes, the ones we have we compound into bigger problems.

“The kids are a little confused as to what has happened, but they haven’t quit. At least we’re done with Fountain Valley, and everybody else still has to play them. We can still control our future.”

Although Marina lost its first game in the Big West Invitational, Renfrow hopes his team can use the tournament to correct what’s wrong.

“We are a good team,” Renfrow said. “We have to keep our wits about us.”

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Bryan Harrison, last year’s state champion in the 200 meters while at Dana Hills, now attends school in Atlanta. He will compete this weekend at the Arcadia Invitational. The meet annually attracts the top track performers from around the country, and Harrison, a junior, will match up against Garden Grove’s Kevin Griswold, who was second to Harrison in the 100 and 200 at last year’s Orange County Championships.

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Although swimming coach Kirk Price of Englewood (Colo.) Cherry Creek was a bit disappointed by his boys’ performance in their loss to Mission Viejo on Saturday, he still was glad they came.

“You guys are so spoiled out here,” Price said. “Look at this weather. It’s hot, no clouds in the sky and it’s so nice. This is California to me. Back home, it was snowing when we left.”

Times staff writers Martin Beck, Erik Hamilton and Mike Terry, and correspondent Don Turnbull contributed to this story.