Valencia’s Taylor Stymies Mater Dei

Valencia sophomore Jordan Taylor stretched her streak of scoreless innings pitched to 51, and the second-seeded Vikings scored a 3-0 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei in a Southern Section Division I softball semifinal Wednesday at Thornton Park in Santa Ana.

Valencia (29-3), playing in its first title game, will meet fourth-seeded Simi Valley Royal (28-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Barber Park in Irvine.

“I was hitting my spots,” said Taylor, a 6-foot-1 right-hander who improved to 18-3 with the four-hitter.

Valencia gave Taylor all the support she needed in the fifth inning, when freshman Jessica Spigner tripled off the left-field fence and scored on a single by sophomore Torrie Anderson. The Vikings scored two more runs in the sixth.

Mater Dei (23-8), which was eliminated in the semifinals for the third time in four years, had its best scoring opportunity in the fourth, when Heather Johnson’s single put runners on first and second with one out. But Taylor induced Valyncia Raphael to line into an inning-ending double play, and the Vikings went on to post the 10th shutout in their last 11 games.

“We’re not a high-scoring team anyway,” Valencia Coach Donna Lee said, “so we can’t afford to give too many away.”

-- Dan Arritt

Boys’ Golf

Southern Section champion Murrieta Valley saw its chances of winning today’s Southern California regional championship hampered when its top player, Josh Anderson, broke his arm in a car accident two weeks ago. But the Nighthawks still have two things going for them: Rickie Fowler and home-course advantage.

Fowler, a sophomore, won the individual title last year with a tournament-record, 10-under-par 62. He also shot a tournament-record eight-under 64 in winning the Southern Section individual title last week. Murrieta Valley was undefeated this season, which included home matches at the SCGA Golf Course, site of today’s regional.

The top three teams and six individuals will advance to the state championship on Wednesday at Poppy Hills Golf Club in Pebble Beach.

Palm Desert assumes the role of team favorite because of Anderson’s injury. Anderson shot a four-under 68 at the section team championships, when Murrieta Valley defeated Palm Desert by eight shots.

Santa Barbara San Marcos, Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, Palisades and San Pedro are the other Southland teams vying for the team title in a tournament that matches teams and individuals from the Southern, City, San Diego and Central sections.

Defending team champion Torrey Pines did not qualify.

-- Peter Yoon

Football

Lakewood linebackers Luthur Brown and Adrian McCovey, headed to USC and Arizona this fall, will team up one more time as members of the West squad in the 38th 605 All-Star game on Saturday at Whittier Pioneer High.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. General admission tickets are $9 for adults and $7 for seniors.