Hot-Hitting Mendoza Earns Another Pac-10 Accolade

Jessica Mendoza of Stanford went eight for 16 in five games and was chosen Pacific 10 Conference softball player of the week Monday for the third time in four weeks.

Mendoza, a Camarillo High graduate, leads the Pac-10 with a .467 batting average.

* College of the Canyons, Antelope Valley, Ventura and Moorpark are among 16 softball teams playing in the Southern California regional beginning Saturday.

No. 5-seeded Canyons (37-5) plays No. 12 Moorpark (22-14) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Cypress College.

No. 6 Antelope Valley (32-9) meets No. 11 El Camino (24-14) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Palomar College.

No. 8 Ventura (25-16) plays No. 9 Southwestern (25-11) at 2 p.m. Saturday at Long Beach City College.

* Antelope Valley’s Mikki Goldwater was selected pitcher of the year in the Foothill Conference and Gene Pagliaro was selected coach of the year. Goldwater, a sophomore, has a 19-5 record and 1.41 earned-run average.

Other Marauders chosen to the first team were catcher Nadine Klementz, third baseman Katy Gonzales, shortstop Jennifer Smith, outfielder Kristi DiMarco and first baseman Amber Slaton.

TRACK AND FIELD

* The Cal State Northridge women finished fifth and the Matador men placed eighth in the California-Nevada championships that concluded Sunday at California.

Sophomore Frances Santin won the 400-meter low hurdles in 58.73 for Northridge and ran on the 1,600 relay team that placed first in 3:40.53, the fastest time by a Northridge foursome since the school record of 3:39.10 was set in 1978.

Matador junior Annetta Wells finished second in the 200 in 23.65 and ran on the 1,600 relay team and on the 400 relay team that finished second in 45.90.

Northridge senior Billy Bush won the shotput in 60-1 1/4. Junior teammate Clinte Motley won the triple jump in 50-2 1/2.

BASKETBALL

* Tim Murray, the boys’ coach at Channel Islands High the last two years, will take a leave of absence next season for health and personal reasons.

Murray, 41, will be replaced on an interim basis by Lance Fay, a former Buena High standout who was Channel Islands’ junior varsity coach last season.