La Quinta

Brian Pilkington pitched a four-hitter and hit a two-out, two-run home run in the eighth inning as Santiago defeated La Quinta, 2-0, in a Garden Grove League baseball game Wednesday at La Quinta. The loss was the second in a row for La Quinta, after the Aztecs had opened the season with a school-record 21 consecutive victories, and dropped it to 7-1 in the league, one game ahead of Santiago (12-8, 6-2).

Chemaine Ramirez pitched a two-hitter and had 13 strikeouts to lead La Quinta High School to a 1-0 victory over Estancia Wednesday in a Southern Section 3-A wild-card softball game at La Quinta. Ramirez is 8-5. The Aztecs (13-15) scored in the third inning. Kara Hendrickson walked, was sacrificed to second and went to third on a passed ball. Amy Weaver hit into a fielder's choice and Hendrickson escaped a rundown to score. La Quinta plays at Valencia Friday in the first round.

La Quinta returned Friday from a nine-day layoff, but Kennedy pitcher Chris Clark kept the Aztecs' bats on vacation. The junior right-hander pitched a four-hitter, leading Kennedy to a 4-1 victory over La Quinta, the eighth-ranked baseball team in Orange County, in a Garden Grove League game at La Quinta High. Kennedy (11-7-1, 5-1 in league) moved into first place by a half-game and the loss ended an 11-game winning streak by the Aztecs (14-3, 4-1).

Steve Castle, offensive coordinator at San Clemente High School the past two seasons, has been named varsity football coach at La Quinta High. Castle, 37, was among 24 applicants for the position vacated when Roger Takahashi resigned in December. Castle has been an assistant at San Clemente since 1988 and is a graduate of the University of Arizona.

James Johnson scored two first-quarter touchdowns and Pomona Ganesha rolled to a 46-15 victory over La Quinta Thursday at Mt. San Antonio College. Johnson scored on runs of four and 53 yards as the Giants (1-5)built a 38-point halftime lead. The Giants' defense, which shut out La Quinta in the first half, had seven sacks, five of which came in the first quarter.

Jimmy Connors' default from the Lipton International Players Championship Friday will not affect his participation in the Pilot Pen tournament that begins Monday at the La Quinta Hotel Tennis Club near Palm Springs. Connors may face a suspension of 21 days to one year and a fine up to $20,000 for his behavior.

Twenty-five years ago, Tom Julian of Garden Grove High School was one of the top running backs and sprinters in Orange County. Two decades later, his youngest son, Trent, is following in his father's footsteps. Trent Julian rushed for 132 yards in 13 carries and caught six passes for 62 yards to lead La Quinta High School to a 37-3 victory over Los Amigos Thursday night at Bolsa Grande High.

Matt Logan kicked a 37-yard field goal with one minute left to give La Quinta High School a 16-14 nonleague football victory over Orange Friday at El Modena High School in Orange. Logan's kick climaxed a 10-play drive on which La Quinta moved from its own 37 to the Panther 21. La Quinta quarterback Trent Julian, who didn't complete a pass in seven attempts in the first half, helped set up Logan's field goal with throws of 13 and 16 yards to Davey Posey and Wes Kollar.

La Quinta High School kept its playoff hopes alive Friday night, trouncing Santiago, 34-0, before a homecoming crowd at Bolsa Grande. Keeping with a "Looney Tunes" homecoming theme, the Aztecs (4-4, 3-2) dropped a refrigerator on the Cavaliers (2-6, 1-4) as 6-foot-3, 318-pound Sunny Gagau scored two touchdowns to help keep La Quinta tied for third in the Garden Grove league.

Ian Kennedy pitched a three-hitter and had nine strikeouts as Westminster La Quinta defeated Garden Grove Pacifica, 2-1, to win the Southern Section Division IV baseball championship Saturday, a year after losing in the title game. Cole Garner's two-run double to left-center gave La Quinta (30-2) a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning at Edison Field, and the Aztecs held on to beat their Garden Grove League rival for the third time this season.