Carter Is Best in the West 800

Matt Carter of Buenaventura Swim Club in Ventura won the men’s open 800-yard freestyle in 8:21.65 during the first day of competition Saturday at the Junior Championships West in San Jose.

His time qualified Carter, 19, for the U.S. National Championships Aug. 11-15 in Clovis. He needed a time of 8:22.69 to qualify for the national championships.

Craig Taylor, 17, of Swim Pasadena, clocked 8:44.03 to finish in 40th place, and Travis Taylor, 16, of Rose Bowl Aquatics, finished in 8:44.79 to finish 42nd among 48 swimmers.

Nicole Craft, 18, of Buenaventura clocked 9:11.17 to finish 25th in the women’s 800, but fell short of the nationals-qualifying time of 8:56.89.

Grace Peterson, 15, of Buenaventura finished 32nd with a time of 9:14.71 that just beat Heather Boylan of Swim Pasadena, who had a time of 9:14.98 and finished 33rd. Dana Stoddard of Swim Pasadena swam a 9:25.52 to finish 42nd.

SURFING

With three- to four-foot waves, conditions were good, but Tim Curran of Oxnard lost to Pat O’Connell in the round of 16 in the Op Pro contest in Huntington Beach.

BASEBALL

Left-hander Dave Perry pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts and Conejo Valley Little League’s 17- and 18-year-old team defeated Victor Valley, 8-2, in the Division 2 state tournament at La Mirada.

Danny Greene had three hits and two runs batted in for Conejo Valley (13-1). Wes Rasmussen hit a three-run home run and Shea Johnson hit a two-run homer.

Mike Seiser and Chris Schriber each had three hits for the 15-and-under Valley Heat in a 15-4 first-round victory over Missouri in the Amateur Athletic Union National Championships at Dobbyns Field in Kingsport, Tenn.

D.J. Milonas had three hits and two RBIs and Bobby Paschal and Jason Leskowitz each had two hits and two RBIs for the Southern California Quakes in a 15-5 first-round victory in the Amateur Athletic Union 14-and-under National Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

Anthony Pastore had three hits and Quinn Beswick, Greg Wapnick and Gabe Cohen each had two hits for Encino in a 10-7 victory over Ocean View in a Division 2 state tournament game for 9- and 10-year-olds in Ocean View.

MOTOR SPORTS

Ron Hornaday of Palmdale will start on the second row in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Penzoil 200 today in Loudon, N.H.

Hornaday won the race in 1996.