FULLERTON – Former high school teammates Gerrit Cole and Daniel Renken, both standouts at nearby Orange Lutheran, took the mound as opponents on Friday night.

Renken, who graduated a year before Cole, outmatched his counterpart in the hyped pitcher’s duel to lead Cal State Fullerton to a 6-3 victory over UCLA in front of a season-high 3,335 at Goodwin Field. Read the rest of this entry »

For the first time this season, the Pac-10 Conference will feature a full schedule of in-conference games. Among the highlights: the Oregon schools renew the Civil War, each Washington school travels to California to face an opponent from the Bay Area, and the Los Angeles teams host an opponent from Arizona. Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES – Heated rivals Japan and Korea met Monday night at Dodger Stadium with the World Baseball Classic championship on the line.

But it wasn’t even the most important baseball game played in Los Angeles.

The city’s bragging rights were at stake a mere six miles away, as USC hosted archrival UCLA in the rubber match of a three-game set at Dedeaux Field. The Bruins had won Saturday’s contest 14-4, while the Trojans responded with a 5-1 Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – After being criticized for months, Gerrit Cole let his arm do the talking Saturday.

Much was made about Cole’s decision to attend UCLA after his selection in the first round of last June’s MLB Draft. Most of the scrutiny came from the New York Yankees, the team that took him with the 28th-overall pick, and their fans after the former AFLAC All-American hurler failed to sign without ever listening to offers.

Instead, the right-hander from Santa Ana, Calif. passed on the millions and decided college was a better option. And if his performance Saturday against UC Davis was any indication, he made the right choice. Read the rest of this entry »