Cougars escape with 3-2 win

Kris Krise tossed a complete-game eight-hitter and walked just two as

visiting College of the Canyons escaped with a 3-2 nonconference win

over Orange Coast Thursday.

Krise forced the Pirates (4-4) into 18 groundball outs, allowing

single runs in the first and ninth innings.

Orange Coast’s right fielder Jeff Piaskowski slammed his first

home run of the season -- a two-out solo blast in the ninth -- to cut

the Cougars’ lead to 3-2, but Krise tallied his lone strikeout two

hitters later to end it.

OCC starter Josh Gagne struck out three, walked two and allowed

three runs in six innings while Keith Mastel went 2 for 4 to lead the

Pirates.

*--*

Nonconference

College of the Canyons 3, Orange Coast 2

Score by Innings

CC 000 111 000 -- 3 9 0

OCC 100 000 001 -- 2 8 2

Krise and Enciso; Gagne, Lutgendorf (7),

Farias (8) and Hazen. W -- Krise. L --

Gagne. 2B -- Hodge (CC), Alvarado (CC).

HR -- Piaskowski.

*--*

Lions fall in ninth

*BASEBALL: The Vanguard University baseball team held a 1-0 lead

after eight innings, but lost, 4-2, to nonconference visitor British

Columbia Thursday.

Vanguard pitcher Jason Searle struck out four, allowed four hits

and shut out British Columbia in his 7 2/3 innings.

But the Thunderbirds (5-3) scored four runs in the ninth inning

off reliever Brent Erickson.

Scott Martin led the Lions’ offense with a 2-for-4 performance

that included one RBI. Matt Franco added two hits, including a solo

home run, for Vanguard (4-3).

*--*

Nonconference

British Columbia 4, Vanguard 2

Score by Innings

B.C. 000 000 004 -- 4 7 1

Vanguard 000 000 011 -- 2 7 2

Campbell, Miller (8) and Thomson,

Kornberger; Searle, Erickson (8), Harris

(9) and Westerfeld. W -- Miller, 1-0. L

-- Erickson, 1-2. 2B -- Tobin (BC),

Wallace (BC), Searle (V). HR -- Franco

(V).

*--*

OCC denied by Tigers

* SOFTBALL: Orange Coast College outhit visiting Riverside City

College, but the Pirates softball team lost its Orange Empire

Conference opener, 5-1, as the Tigers’ pitcher, Carla Chasey, led her

team to victory Thursday.

Chasey allowed one run and struck out four to go the distance for

the Tigers.

Riverside blew the game open with four runs in the fifth inning.

OCC (6-7) outhit the Tigers, 8-7. Yvonne Diaz, Christen D’Allesandro

and Toni Porrazzo collected two hits each to lead the Coast offense.

*--*

Orange Empire Conference

Riverside 5, Orange Coast 1

Score by Innings

Riverside 010 040 0 -- 5 7 2

OCC 000 001 0 -- 1 8 1

C. Chasey and M. Chasey; Bell and Ensey. W

-- C. Chasey. L -- Bell. 2B -- Reimer

(RCC).

*--*

VU teams undefeated

* TENNIS: The Vanguard University men’s and women’s tennis teams

remained undefeated, as both recorded 9-0 victories over

nonconference host La Sierra Thursday.

Led by No. 1 singles player Anders Hakansson, the Vanguard men

(4-0) dropped just one game in its shutout. The Lions’ women’s team

(3-0) gave up just four games and swept in doubles.

UCI divers win again

* SWIMMING AND DIVING: UC Irvine’s Anton Slobounov (men’s 3-meter

diving) and Franny Brittle (women’s 1-meter diving) both won events

Thursday at the Big West Conference swimming and diving championships

at Belmont Plaza in Long Beach.

UCI falls to Pepperdine

* TENNIS: UC Irvine Anteaters (2-4) lost to visiting Pepperdine,

6-1, Thursday.

The Waves won two of three doubles matches to earn the doubles

point. In No. 1 doubles, UCI senior Tiffany Chang and junior Anna

Bentzer defeated Natalie Braverman (Newport Harbor) and Merve

Asimgil, 8-2.

In singles, Anna Bentzer defeated Charlotte Vernaz, 6-3, 6-1, in

the No. 2 match for the lone UCI point. Two of the remaining five

matches went to three sets.

Chang lost to 67th-ranked Braverman, 5-7, 6-4, (10-3) in the No. 1

match.

Big West Fest on tap

* BASKETBALL: The Big West Conference Fan Fest, coinciding with

the conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments March 10-13

at the Anaheim Convention Center, will be held for a second straight

year at the House of Blues and ESPN Zone at the Downtown Disney

District in Anaheim.

Discounts at both venues, as well as to Disney theme parks, will

be offered to tournament attendees.