Briefs: Rivals collide Tuesday

Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor are going to play for a second time this year in high school boys’ lacrosse.

More than Back Bay bragging rights are at stake.

The fifth-seeded Sea Kings (14-4) play host to the 12th-seeded Sailors (8-9) in the opening round of the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Southern Section Division I playoffs Tuesday at 4 p.m.

CdM beat the Sailors, 8-3, in the Battle of the Bay at Newport Harbor on March 25. CdM, which has beaten the Tars each of the last six seasons, is trying to return to the Orange County Southern Section Division I final for the third straight season.

Newport Harbor last defeated CdM in 2005.

Former CdM Coach Mark Todd leads the Sailors, who finished third in the Sunset League. He is in his first year at Newport Harbor after resigning in 2009 at CdM.

G.W. Mix, a former assistant under Todd, is in his second year in charge of the Sea Kings. He guided CdM to its fourth straight undefeated Pacific Coast League championship season.

The winner plays at fourth-seeded San Clemente (12-4) on Thursday at 7 p.m.

In girls’ playoff action, ninth-seeded CdM (8-6) opens against eighth-seeded Trabuco Hills (10-6) Tuesday at Laguna Hills High at 5:30 p.m. The winner plays at top-seeded Foothill.

Eleventh-seeded Newport Harbor (6-8) is at sixth-seeded Mission Viejo (13-4) Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The winner plays second-seeded Beckman (13-2) on Thursday.

— From staff reports

OCC opens playoffs

The Orange Coast College baseball team will play host to Hancock College in a best-of-three Southern California Regional playoff series beginning Friday at 11 a.m.

The Pirates (28-8), who finished second in the Orange Empire Conference with a 14-7 mark, are seeded No. 4. Hancock (20-16) is seeded No. 13.

The top three seeds are Rio Hondo (34-2), Chaffey (27-9) and Orange Empire champion Santa Ana (24-12).

OCC finished the regular season with a .330 batting average and a 4.13 earned-run average. Coach John Altobelli’s Pirates averaged 8.3 runs per game.

OCC is led by sophomore right fielder Matt Moynihan (.452 with 30 runs batted in), sophomore infielder Jordan Beck (.370 with 42 RBIs), as well as freshmen pitchers Jed Vandernaald (7-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 51 innings) and Chad Thompson (3-0, with a 2.04 ERA.

— From staff reports

Whitehouse shines

UC Irvine sophomore Matt Whitehouse was named Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week after a career-best outing Sunday to clinch a series win for the Anteaters.

Whitehouse, a left-hander, allowed just three hits an no runs in eight innings in the Anteaters’ 7-0 nonconference triumph at Cal State Bakersfield.

He struck out a career-high seven and had no walks. He lowered his ERA to 1.54 and he is now 3-0.

— From staff reports