Catch up on the latest Long Beach City College athletics news and notes after a busy weekend.
Men’s Volleyball
LBCC team survived a scare last week to remain undefeated and No. 1 in California. The Vikings (16-0, 3-0) traveled to El Camino on Friday and easily won the first two sets 25-21, 25-21. El Camino bounced back to take the next two sets 25-23, 25-15 and force a tie-breaking fifth set that LBCC won 15-12. Steven Rotter had a team-high 20 kills for LBCC, and Andrew Pearson chipped in 12 kills on 21 attacks. Setter Melbe Perez finished with 39 assists. The Vikings hit .588 as a team in the deciding fifth set.
LBCC only has three regular season matches left before the regional playoffs start on April 20.
Beach Volleyball
LBCC suffered just its second loss of the season last week against Mira Costa at Rio Hondo. The 3-2 defeat is the first setback in more than a month for the Vikings (14-2) and it’s their first loss to a junior college team.
LBCC will take time off for spring break before returning to conference play against El Camino on April 13.
Baseball
The Vikings (15-13, 6-5) split a pair of conference games last week against Santa Ana. LBCC won the first game at home, 9-2, before falling on the road two days later, 14-4, to snap its five-game winning streak.
In the victory, freshman pitcher Bryan Sandoval earned his first win. The Lakewood High alum allowed two runs on six hits while striking out two in five innings. Sophomore pitcher Geovani Ceballos then picked up his first save while only allowing one hit in four innings.
Sophomore third baseman Reese Berberet helped the Vikings even the score in the first inning with a double, and broke the game open with a home run in the fifth inning. It is the record-setting 13th of his career.
The Vikings play two conference games against Pasadena this week.
Softball
LBCC (18-12, 2-4) had its four-game winning streak snapped by El Camino last week in a 13-1 loss on the road. The Vikings had beaten Cerritos 7-6 two days prior to the blowout loss. LBCC held off a late Cerritos rally after taking a 7-2 lead. Sophomore Alissa Cienfuegos had three hits. Jennifer Tobar and Amanda McCalip each had two RBIs in the win.
The Vikings also found time to give back to the community…
LBCC Athletics on Twitter
Team IMPACT, along with Long Beach City College Softball, held a special Draft Day celebration for 11-year-old Elyse Pineda of Lakewood, CA last month. See the video here: https://t.co/jLcGcguYnI #WeAreLB⚾️
LBCC hosted L.A. Harbor today and is at Compton on Thursday for conference action.
Track & Field
Both men’s and women’s teams competed in the Concordia Invite last Saturday. The Vikings had two first place and three second place finishes.
Sophomore Sherrice Pelle took first place in the 100 meter hurdles, and was on the 4×100 relay team with freshmen Destinee Augustus, Sauriyanna Harrison and sophomore Aaliyah Abdulrahmaan that finished first with a time of 51.17. Harrison also placed second in the 400 meter.
LBCC Athletics on Twitter
Pelle Leads Track & Field in the 100 Meter Hurdles at Concordia https://t.co/fx6nf75v03 #WeAreLB?♂️?♀️
Both teams will compete again on Friday at the Arnie Robinson Twilight in San Diego.
Swimming
LBCC men’s and women’s swimming was dominant in their first meet of the year at the Viking Aquatic Center last Friday against visiting Rio Hondo and East Los Angeles College with 20 first-place finishes.
Freshman Felipe Carsalade won the 200 yard freestyle, the 200 yard backstroke and the 500 yard freestyle. Breast stroker Andrew Ingram also won the 100 yard breast stroke, the 200 yard breaststroke and the 200 yard individual medley. Sophomore Cori Reynolds won the 100 yard breaststroke, the 50 yard freestyle, and the 200 yard breaststroke. Sophomore Charli Chavarria won the 1000 and 500 yard freestyle.
LBCC Athletics on Twitter
VIkings Dominate in First Place Finishes At Home Pool https://t.co/IStj2X0Pjx #WeAreLB
LBCC will be in action on Thursday, April 19 at the South Coast Conference Swim Championships.
