Seawolves' baseball lead shrinks

The baseball race for first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association is getting interesting.

Sonoma State, ranked second in the nation, dropped the opener of a key four-game series at eighth-ranked UC San Diego 7-4 Friday and saw its conference lead shrink to one game with 11 CCAA games remaining.

The Seawolves (35-6, 19-4) are 6-5 after opening the season 29-1 and ripping off a school-record 23-game winning streak. UCSD (35-9, 19-6) is No. 1 in the NCAA West Region rankings, which were released Thursday. SSU is No. 2.

The Tritons scored three runs in the top of the seventh off SSU reliever Nick O'Brien (3-2) to snap a 4-4 tie. UCSD battered O'Brien and Seawolves starting pitcher Matt Means for seven runs and 14 hits in 6« innings.

Means and O'Brien had entered with a combined ERA of 1.56.

Senior catcher Konrad Thieme led SSU's seven-hit attack.

Thieme went 3 for 4 with a pair of solo homers. Thieme is hitting .358 and leads SSU with 10 homers and 33 RBIs.

The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at noon today.

ARNOLD APPEARANCE

Olympic decathlon hopeful Jake Arnold, a former star at Maria Carrillo High, will appear at Heart & Sole Sports in Santa Rosa from noon to 2 p.m. today. Arnold will also appear on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free food will be provided.

Arnold, a two-time NCAA champion at the University of Arizona, is ranked fourth in the nation. He has qualified for the decathlon at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which will be held in Eugene, Ore., June 29-30.

Heart & Sole is located at 65 Brookwood Ave.

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIPS

Two local gymnasts have accepted full athletic scholarships to Cal. Madisyn O'Brien and Chelsea Spomer, both high school juniors who have trained for years at Rohnert Park Gymnastics, accepted the scholarships Wednesday.

The Rohnert Park gym has groomed other collegiate athletes, but this is the first time it has placed two simultaneously.

Spomer is known for her vaulting, O'Brien for her aggressive bar routines, but both are considered solid all-around performers.