OTHER CONNECTIONS

Here’s how other athletes from Santa Cruz County have fared at the college level in recent weeks:

Women’s basketball Delaney Moore (Monte Vista Christian), Idaho State, Sr.: The forward recently led ISU in scoring in two of its biggest games of the season: On Tuesday, Moore netted a team-high 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field, leading the Bengals to a 66-50 victory over Portland State in the opening round of the Big Sky Conference Tournament. Moore also scored 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting last Friday, propelling ISU to an 86-51 victory over host Eastern Washington and its first conference regular-season title since the 2011-12 season.

Moore garnered 14 points on 7-of9 shooting Feb. 25 in Idaho State’s 79-49 road win at Montana. Michaela Thornton (Soquel/ Cabrillo College), St. Katherine, Jr.: The guard/forward was named to the All-California Pacific Conference first team after averaging nearly 10 points in a COVID-19-shortened season. She scored 11 points on Feb. 27 in the Firebirds’ season-ending 82-68 loss to Benedictine University at Mesa (Ariz.).

Men’s basketball

Trey Whitley (Harbor), Black Hills State (S.D.), Jr.: The guard scored 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field Friday night in BHSU’s 71-64 loss to the Colorado School of Mines in the semifinals of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament.

Whitley also scored a team-high 22 points in the Yellow Jackets’ 87-82 loss to host Colorado Christian on Feb. 26. He shot 6-of-14 from the field — 3-for-10 from 3-point range — but was perfect from the foul line, going 7-for-7. Chris Martin (Santa Cruz),

Olivet, Sr.: The 6-foot-5forward scored a team-high 22 points — 10 more than any of Olivet’s starters — on March 2 in the Comets’ 89-74 loss to Albion in the quarterfinals of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament. Martin shot 9-for-17 from the field, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range.

Martin also netted 12 points on Feb. 24, helping Olivet edge host Alma 80-79 for its second win of the season.

Softball

Casson Rasmussen (Scotts Valley), Ottawa University, Jr.: The right-handed pitcher had an impressive stretch from Feb. 24 to March 1, giving up just three hits over a span of three games that included the second no-hitter of her career at Ottawa. She has also allowed just three earned runs in her past six games — two of which she played against teams ranked in the NAIA’s top 20 — en route to posting a 1.09 earned-run average on the season through Tuesday.

Rasmussen tossed her no-hitter against Park University on March 1, striking out three batters and walking two to earn a 3-0 victory. She also tossed a one-hit shutout against Grand View — then ranked No. 18 in the NAIA — on Feb. 27 and surrendered just two hits on Feb. 24 in a 9-1, five-inning victory over Mid-America Nazarene.

The latter two wins earned Rasmussen recognition as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Pitcher of the Week.

Rasmussen also shone at last weekend’s Red Dirt Classic in Oklahoma City, going 3-0 and allowing just two earned runs the entire tournament. Rasmussen threw four shutout innings last Friday in Ottawa’s 17-3, fiveinning win over Langston (Okla.) and earned a 1-0 victory in relief on Saturday against Oklahoma

City University, the NAIA’s fourthranked team.

Juliana Wilson (Watsonville), Central Florida, So.: The catcher/ outfielder put on a slugging display during her recent six-game hitting streak: Of the seven hits she collected from Feb. 26 through Sunday, five went for extra bases and two of those were home runs.

Wilson’s most recent homer came on Sunday, when she belted a two-run shot in UCF’s 7-4 victory over visiting Kennesaw State. She also swatted a solo roundtripper in the Knights’ 8-0 win over North Florida on March 3.

Wilson also accounted for five of Central Florida’s runs, driving in three and scoring two, on Feb. 27 in the Knights’ 11-3 win over McNeese State. Through Monday, she ranked among UCF’s leaders in several offensive categories, including home runs (second with five), RBI (second, 17), and runs scored (third, 15).

Shea Garcia (Aptos), Portland State, Fr.: The designated hitter/ third baseman fared well at the plate in her college debut on Feb. 26, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a run scored in the Vikings’

10-6 loss to No. 25 Iowa State at Grand Canyon University’s Purple Classic. She also went 1-for-3 on Feb. 26 in Portland State’s first win of the season, 5-4 over Grand Canyon, later in the tournament.

Garcia singled and scored PSU’s lone run in its 6-1 loss to Boise State on Sunday at the Oregon Invite.

Lauren LaHood (Scotts Valley), Santa Clara, Jr.: The left fielder tripled and scored a run last Friday in the Broncos’ 7-2 victory over host Sacramento State.

Liyah Lopez (Watsonville), Santa Clara, Jr.: The right-hander pitched solidly in her first start of the season last Friday, surrendering just one run and six hits in 3 2/3 innings in SCU’s win over Sacramento State.

Baseball

Luke Keaschall (Aptos), San Francisco, Fr.: The second baseman had back-to-back three-hit games last week: Keaschall went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in

USF’s 7-6 home win over Fresno State on March 2, then went 3-for-5 and scored three times last Thursday in the Dons’ 7-6, 10-inning loss to host Stanford.

Keaschall also went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and two runs scored in San Francisco’s 8-6 loss to Stanford on Saturday. He drove in a pair of runs on Feb. 25 in the Dons’ 10-4 win over Cal.

Chase Watkins (St. Francis), Oregon State, So.: The lefthanded reliever had his best outing of the season on Friday, striking out three batters in 1 1/3 innings to help the Beavers clinch a 5-3 win over visiting Brigham Young. Watkins has yet to surrender a run in five innings this season.

Andrew Ciandro (St. Francis), Cal State Bakersfield, Sr.: The right-hander pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief Friday night in the Roadrunners’ 10-4 loss to the University of the Pacific. Ciandro allowed three hits, struck out two batters and walked one.

Brendan Bobo (Harbor), Cal State Fullerton, Fr.: Bobo stroked a pinch single in his first collegiate plate appearance Feb. 26 in the Titans’ 6-1 road loss to the University of San Diego.

Ian Blair (San Lorenzo Valley), Pacific (Ore.), Jr.: The right fielder is hitting .409 with seven RBI and seven runs scored through seven games for the Boxers this season. His best day at the plate was Feb. 28: Blair went 3-for5 with three RBI and two runs scored in Pacific’s 16-0 victory over host George Fox.

Blair also drove in at least one run in each of Pacific’s first three games against Whitman last weekend: On Saturday, he was 1-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored as the Boxers won the first game of a doubleheader 11-7. Blair then batted 2-for-4 with two RBI in the nightcap, which Pacific won 7-4, and was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in the Boxers’

8-6 win on Sunday.

Jack Harris (Aptos), Newberry College (S.C.), Grad.: The designated hitter, a transfer from San Francisco State, is batting .357 with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored — both team highs — for the Wolves this season. He had a pair of threehit games last weekend against Queens College of Charlotte, bringing his team-high hit total to 18. Josh Rodriguez (St. Francis), Mayville State (N.D.), Sr.: The right-hander pitched solidly in his first start of the season on Saturday, firing five scoreless innings to earn a win over Hastings (Neb.). Rodriguez struck out six batters, walked two and scattered five hits.

Dillon Danner (Santa Cruz), College of Idaho (NAIA), Fr.: After struggling at the plate to start the season, the catcher/designated hitter had his most productive series thus far last weekend against Eastern Oregon: Danner connected for an RBI single in the Coyotes’ 17-7 win in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday, belted a double in the nightcap, and went 2-for-4 in the second game of a twin bill on Sunday.

Danner also went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI on Feb. 27 in the Coyotes’ 16-9 win over host Corban in Keizer, Ore.

Football

Scott Poetzinger (SLV), Puget Sound (Wash.), Sr.: The linebacker led the Loggers with seven tackles, including two for losses, in their Feb. 27 road win at Pacific Lutheran.

Wrestling

Christian Rebottaro (MVC), Michigan State, R-Sr.: The heavyweight went 0-2 at the Big Ten Conference championships on Saturday, falling to Ohio State’s Tate Ornduff 6-0 in his opening match and Penn State’s Greg Kerkvillet by major decision, 16-5, in the consolation bracket.

Men’s water polo

Gabe Discipulo (Santa Cruz High/Bellarmine), UCLA, So.: The center scored a secondperiod goal on Saturday in the No. 2-ranked Bruins’ 11-8 loss to thirdranked Stanford in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament semifinals.

Women’s water polo

Hannah Henry (Soquel), San Jose State, Jr.: The goalkeeper made five saves and allowed just one goal on Sunday in 15th-ranked SJSU’s 17-7 win over host Santa Clara.

Henry also made six saves last Friday in the Spartans’ 6-4 loss to No. 11 UC Davis and six more Feb. 27 in San Jose State’s loss to Cal. Shea Salvino (Soquel), Cal, So.: The utility player scored once on Feb. 27 in the Golden Bears’ 19-8 win over 16th-ranked San Jose State.

Men’s indoor volleyball

Wyatt Harrison (Pacific Collegiate), UC San Diego, Sr.: The 6-foot-5 outside hitter recorded five kills and four digs on Feb. 24 in the Tritons’ three-set loss to Hawai’i.

Women’s beach volleyball Maggie Walters (Soquel),

UCLA, R-Fr.: In her first college dual on Feb. 27, Walters teamed with Lea Monkhouse at secondranked UCLA’s No. 5 spot to win in straight 21-18 sets against their opponents from No. 19 Stanford, securing a 3-2 victory for the Bruins.

Jillian Rodriguez (Aptos), Long Beach State, So.: Paired with Emily Mattoon in 17th-ranked LBSU’s No. 5 spot, Rodriguez handily won two sets against her opponents from Vanguard 21-1, 21-4 on Thursday, capping a 5-0 victory for the 49ers. Rodriguez and Mattoon also lost a hardfought, three-set match later that day against their opponents from No. 7 Loyola Marymount, which edged Long Beach State 3-2.

Rodriguez and Mattoon opened the season on Feb. 26, defeating their opponents from Stanford in two sets to help secure a 3-2 win for LBSU.