Leach Ties Section Home Run Record

Ben Leach of Riverside Poly enters today’s game against Riverside J.W. North needing one home run to become the Southern Section’s all-time leader.

Leach, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior outfielder, hit a home run Tuesday against Moreno Valley to tie the record of 35 set by Daryle Ward of Riverside Bethel Christian in 1993. Leach has 13 homers this season.

The state career record for home runs is 39, set by Brian Johnson of Oakland Skyline in 1986.

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Tim Thompson of Simi Valley Grace Brethren tied the state record for career victories by pitching a one-hitter in a 13-1 victory over Canoga Park Faith Baptist Tuesday.

Thompson, 12-2 this season, tied the record of 51 set by Scott McGregor of El Segundo from 1969-72.

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Palos Verdes Peninsula won the Griggs Cup in the Ojai Valley tennis tournament last weekend behind doubles champions Jeff Kazarian and Rylan Rizza, who won six matches, and singles player Goh Fukugaki, who won two.

The Griggs Cup is presented to the school that wins the most matches in the interscholastic doubles and singles portion of the tournament.

Thousand Oaks’ Philip Sheng was singles champion.

Competitors played unaffiliated with their schools in the other divisions. Boys’ winners were Lester Cook of Woodland Hills in the 16s, and Hagop Tadevosian of Glendale in the 14s.

Girls’ winners were Erin Burdette of Ojai (18s), Nina Yaftali of Westlake Village (16s) and Tracy Lin of Anaheim (14s).

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Gary Smuts, director of school services for the ABC Unified School District, said the committee investigating the Lakewood Artesia basketball program is in the process of writing a report that will be submitted to district officials. The committee investigated allegations that Artesia used players who held student visas with false information and that one of those players was in his fifth year of high school.