1996_05 The Daily Collegian May 1996

              Sports Editor: Brian R. Fisher
Telephone: (209) 278-5733
Sports
THE DAILY
COLLEGIAN
Friday, May 3,1996
University of Hawaii 3
#30 Fresno State 13
SCHEDPtl
Today's Games
• #3 Softball vs. San Diego State @
Softball Stadium, 5 p.m.
• #30 Baseball vs. University of
Hawaii @ Beiden Field, 7 p.m.
• #28 Women's Tennis—First round
of NCAA West Regionals—vs. #19
USC @ Pepperdine University. 9
a.m.
;• #26 Golf—Western Athletic
Conference Championships—hosted
by the University of Wyoming @
Cheyenne Country Oyb, All day.
Tomorrow's Games
• Football—annual spring game—
intersquad scrimmage @ Bulldog
Stadium, 9:30 am.
• Softball vs. Northridge @ Softball
Stadium, 1 p.m.
•#30Baseball vs. University of
Hawaii @ Beiden Field, 1 p.m.
Sunday. May 5
• No games scheduled.
1    SPORT SHOUTS    1
Fresno State softball team
remains at No. 3 in most
recent poll
In the 10th softball poll released
by the National Softball Coaches
Association on Wednesday, the
Fresno State softball team remained
at No. 3 in the weekly USA Today/
NSCA Coaches Top 25 poll.
Led by Western Athletic
Conference Player of the Week Nina
Lindenberg, Fresno State is coming
off two doubleheader sweeps in
WAC play on the road against
Colorado State and New Mexico last
weekend.
—Sports Information
Collegian seeking to employ
sports writers for fall
semester
The Daily Collegian Sports
Department is accepting applications
for full and part-lime writers for the
fall semester.
All majors are encouraged to
apply. Some knowledge of Fresno
State athletics and decent writing
skills are recommended.
These are paid positions.
,For more information stop by
The Daily Collegian or,call Sports
Editor Brian R. Fisher at 278-5*213.
'Dogs rip'Bows
By David Johnson
Sports Writer
Everything seemed to be going
great for the Hawaii Rainbows
pre-season All-American. pitcher
Mark Johnson.
Going into the game, he had a
6-4 record, with a 4.09 ERA.
Yesterday morning, he was notified
that he received an invitation to try
out for the U.S.A. Baseball Team
and have an opportunity to play in
the 1996 Olympics.
What's more, yesterday was his
birthday.
The Bulldog offense gave him a
present, in the form of eight hits and
10 runs, eight of them earned.
The Bulldogs (33-22, 18-10
Western Athletic Conference)
defeated the Hawaii Rainbows
(29-24,12-16) last night 13-3. This
game was the first of the final three-
game series of the regular season
for both teams.
The senior Johnson (6-5)
struggled in the final start of his
collegiate career, giving up a lead-
off home run to Ben Reynoso and
nine runs in the third inning.
"I don't think he really had his
stuff going," Bulldog shortstop
Reynoso said. "He's the type of
pitcher that if he gets his stuff early,
he's going to be really tough to beat.
We jumped on him early and he
never got in a groove."
Reynoso batted four-for-five
with two home runs and four RBI.
The Bulldogs are in the midst of
an eight-game win streak, and are
finishing off strong, as they need to
earn    the    WAC    Divisional
Championship.
"I think you just have to take
your hats off to our players, because
they've done a terrific job," Bull-
' dog Head Coach Bob Bennett said.
Senior pitcher Scott Navarro (9-,
2) did a terrific job as well. He
started off slow by giving up five
hits and two runs in the second
inning.
Once he regained his control,
however, he went on to strike out
13, walk only one and throw a
complete game, his fourth of the
Navarro's game was strange,
Bennett said, because he would
give up a few hits and then bear
down and strike out two batters to
end the inning.
As it was, Navarro's game was
spectacular in light of the fact that
he wasn't slated to start Freshman
Jeff Weaver, who earned his own
invitation to try out for the
Olympic squad, became sick
yesterday and was pulled from the
rotation, Bennet said. He should
start tomorrow night.
After Rey noso's lead off homer,
the Rainbows came back in the top
of the second inning and rocked
Navarro for five hits and two runs.
In the bottom of the third inning,
however, the Bulldogs knocked
Johnson nine hits and eight runs.
Fourteen batters faced Johnson
in the inning. Everybody just
wanted to grab a bat because ev¬
eryone was stinging the ball all
over the park," Reynoso said.
Designated hitter Joe Gerber
started off the inning for the Bull
dogs when he was hit by a pitch.
File Photo
Shopping at the gap. Fresno State tight fielder Derek
Feramisco was one of four Bulldogs to hit a double in the third
inning.
Gerber reached base four times in
the contest.
Reynoso came up to bat and
rocked a double into right center.
Reynoso was moved to third on a
Josh Kaitfors sacrafice bunt, and
then scored on a passed ball.
With the bases cleared, Derek
FeramiSco hit a double into the
same spot. Transplanted third
baseman Matt Curtis then followed
suit with his own double. Pete
Hennecke then knocked an RBI
double to the same spot. Johnson
had trouble controlling his slider,
and the hot hitting Bulldogs took
advantage.
Noel Roberts then hit an RBI
single. Guiseppe Chiaramonte
knocked a towering home run to
clear the bases again.
Gerber then reached on an error
and Reynoso hit his second homer
of the game.
CSW employee
escorts Olympic torch
■ Ronald Zavala of
Auxiliary Services acts
as escort runner to
three consecutive
torchbearers in
downtown San Jose
last weekend
By Ruthie Longley
Sports Writer
Participating in the Olympics is
in the dreams of thousands of
Americans, and for Ronald Zavala
of Auxiliary services at FresW
State, the dream came true last night
when he participated as an escort
runner to three * Olympic
torchbearers.
Coca Cola is sponsoring the
1996 Olympic Torchbearer Event,
and was searching for student
athletes to escort the torchbearers
when the company called Fresno
State and asked that a member of
the women's softball team to
participate.
When the softball team declined
to participate, the invitation found
its way into Zavala's hands, and
Zavala accepted.
Zavala, a high school and
college track runner, has not
competed since he graduated.
"It's an honor," Zavala said.
"But as far as being nervous or
scared. I'm not. I just hope I can
finish." «
Escort runners had to be able to
run at least 3.1 miles to participate.
Their job is to encourage and
provide moral support to the
torchbearers.
"The role of the escort runner is
extremely important to the succesi
of the torch relay," said' Brendan
Harris, director, Olympic Torch \
Relay.
Zavala escorted runners through
downtown San Jose. Each
torchriearer will run for
approximately one mile, and Zavala
escorted three consecutive runners.
Before the run, Zavala spoke
about his feelings on the distance.
"The distance won't be hard to
run," Zavala said. "I run two or
three miles three times every
week.'*
~y
Softball previeW
By Matthew Lievre
Sports Writer
A championship separates a
good team from a great team.
The Fresno State softball team
(44-8) has the opportunity to
capture their first WAC title this
weekend against conference rivals
San Diego State and Cal State
Northridge, a feat that has never
been accomplished since the
Bulldogs joined the WAC in 1992.
Friday, the Bulldogs will
entertain San Diego State who will
have revenge on their mind after
being swept over spring vacation in
the first meeting between both
teams 2-0 and 5-0.
The Aztecs are currently in sixth
place in the WAC with a 26-25
record overall and 11-10 in the
conference.
They will be led offensively by
shortstop Kelly White (.372 20
RBI) and utility player Erryn
Gutjahr (.346 20 RBI) while on the
mound the Aztecs will look to
Renae Mohamed""( 12-10 2.06 ERA)
and Marquessa Penrod (9-11 2.43
ERA) to halt the Bulldogs'
offensive attack.
Saturday, the Matadors of Cal
State Northridge will come to
Bulldog Diamond in a must win
situation as they trail Fresno by
three games in the conference.
The Matadors were another of
Fresno's victims over spring break
as they were also swept at home
1-0 and 3-1.
Offensively Northridge has one
of the dangerous hitters in the
country in catcher Scia
Maumausolo who is hitting .461
with 15 home-runs and 41 RBI. On
the mound, Fresno will face
Jennifer Richardson who is 20-5
with a 1.07 ERA, but two of those
five loses are at the hands of Fresno
who have beaten her 2-1 and 1-0.
"Our goal is to win, and
everybody knows to win these
games puts us in a great spot," Head
Coach Margie Wright said. "We
cannot be focused on other things,
and we have to be focused on one
pitch at a time."
This will be the last regular
season home game for Fresno and
the new Bulldog Diamond has
treated the Bulldogs nicely as they
are 20-2 at the corner of Barstow
and Cedar.
'To end it [regular season] on
our senior day is going to be the
bomb to win the WAC and go out
with a bang," Senior Jo Pini said.
"It's been an honor to be playing as
a senior during the first year of the
stadium, and for coach to get her
700 [win] we're pretty pumped."