Rams Rally Past Bad Officiating to Beat DeAnza 6-2

BY ZURI BERRY
Editor

The Rams came full circle, defeating the DeAnza Dons 6-2 on April 17 at Balboa Park for their fourth win of the season, and breaking an eight-game skid that began on March 20 with a loss to the Dons.

Kyle "Yogi" Yeend (right) celebrating after his team's victory over the DeAnza Dons. JORGE PARADA / GUARDSMAN

It was a dramatic win for the Rams, who stormed from behind after a botched call in the second inning. Rams' starting pitcher Evan Scandling gave up a controversial home run to DeAnza's Mike Atilano after walking Jimmy Costa. The "home run" was actually caught by DJ Stacey before he crashed into the center field wall and dropped the ball over the fence.

The umpires originally ruled it an out, but after protests from DeAnza's coach, they reversed their decision and called it a home run.

There was immediate uproar from the City College dugout.

Head coach Jon Vanoncini stopped play for 10 minutes, repeatedly yelling, "He caught the damn ball!"

"I've never seen a ball not even go over the fence called a home run, let alone one that was caught and ran with for three steps," said catcher Kyle Yeend.

"(The umpire) let that coach go out there and make that call for him," said reliever Zach Arthur, "and there's no way you can change an out to a home run."

The Rams squad stranded two runners before responding in the fourth inning when third baseman Eliot Metzger scored on an RBI single by Derrick Reynolds, cutting their deficit to 2-1.

Yeend then drove in two runs on a single in the fifth inning, giving the Rams a 3-2 lead that would not be relinquished.

"I got to a 2-0 count...and I was thinking, 'I'm about to hit a home run right now,'" said Yeend. "Then my coach says, 'Get a base hit,'... so I just shortened up (and) pumped it back up the middle."

The game only got worse for DeAnza after they fell behind. The Dons gave up a single in the sixth inning and walked three batters to help give the Rams a 4-2 advantage.

DeAnza's woes continued in the seventh after Metzger drew a walk to lead off the inning. The Rams' Dejuan Johnson then singled to left field, advancing Metzger to third base, putting him in position to score on an error, making the score 5-2.

The Rams' Mike Lawson hit a triple in the eighth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly from Stacey to end the Rams onslaught for a final score of 6-2.

The Rams moved to 4-12 (10-16) this season and hope to revive the chemistry they had in the preseason when they went 6-4, including a five-game winning streak.

"We've been clicking," said Yeend. "We've had good chemistry the whole time. It's just breaks haven't been going our way."

"They've come through much adversity in the last week and feel they have an outside chance of making the playoffs," Vanoncini said.

Women's Tennis Sees Turnaround

BY ZURI BERRY
Editor

Jacqueline Wong takes her swing against a Monterrey opponent. JEREMY TANNER/GUARDSMAN

City College's women's tennis team hopes to ride a new wave of confidence to the state tournament despite having suffered a head coaching change.

Cassandra Cunningham took over after head coach Mary Graber, who originally left on maternity leave, chose not to return.

"She's been a coach for 15 years," said Cunningham. "She just wanted to spend some time with her family."

Despite only one sophomore returning from last spring and an overall team record of 2-5 this season, Cunningham feels the team had a big turnaround after their meet against Monterrey.

The turning point came when the players realized the difference between friendly play and what Cunningham calls "Being hungry and fighting for something that you want."

"Having that ambition, having that hunger" is key for playing competitively at this level, said Cunningham.

Sophomore Tabitha Wong is hailed by Cunningham as the team's strongest singles player: "Every time she steps onto the court, she's just gonna fight till the end."

Darel Smith and Vickie Rand, both freshmen, have tremendous potential as doubles partners. Tabitha Wong also doubles with Jacqueline Wong (no relation) for a strong tandem.

The Rams have two more meets before state seedings are accumulated, after which the Ojai Tournament and the state tournament will follow. While the talents of T. Wong, Smith and Rand are apparent, the seedings for the rest of the team cannot be foreseen.

Catcher Aims to Push Team's Limits
Kyle Yeend sees playoff hopes despite tough regular season

BY SEAN MOORE
Staff Writer

City College baseball player Kyle Yeend wakes in the morning knowing he's doing what he loves. But doing what you love while mak-ing a name for yourself is a feeling better than any other.

Kyle "Yogi" Yeend has been a motivational leader for the Rams in dissapointing season. PHOTOS BY COLLEEN CUMMINS / GUARDSMAN

East Bay native Yeend is pushing his baseball team to new heights this season by leading them to make a playoff run down the stretch.

A graduate from North Gate High School in Walnut Creek, Yeend led North Gate as their baseball team captain. He attended Santa Barbara City College the following season, but did not like the baseball tempo there. Then he came to City College.

After a red-shirt season last year, the 21-year-old catcher has a .284 batting average and is a pure doubles hitter.

Yeend said he loves playing at City College under head coach Jon Vanoncini and has wanted to make a change to the atmosphere.

"Football is not the only recognizable sport here at City, baseball is making a move to be on the same level," Yeend said.

"Yogi," as Yeend has been called since fourth grade because he looks like the great Yogi Berra, wants to keep the baseball momentum going for him after he graduates from City College.

He would love to play baseball at Eastern New Mexico University, one of the schools interested in him. After completion of his degree, Yeend wants to pursue a career as a massage therapist, but his dream is to one day coach with the Oakland Athletics organization.

Yeend hopes to rally the troops for the rest of the season and sees the possibility of a playoff berth.

Whenever you go to a game, you will know exactly where to find the inspirational Yeend. Just look for the loudest player cheering his team on and you'll know it's him.

UConn's Emeka Okafor Makes the Grade

BY MILES HARWELL
Staff Writer

All-American Emeka Okafor, who led the University of Connecticut to the NCAA Men's National Title, will likely be the first pick in the NBA draft this summer, but even more significant is that he will be graduating a year early with a finance degree and a 3.76 GPA, proving that not all athletes are in college just to play sports.

Emeka Okafor (left), embodies the spirit of academic and athletic achievement.

Okafor's devotion to his studies has been well documented by the media. Even though he averaged 17.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.1 blocks this season, his GPA is mentioned almost as often as his scoring average.

The typical college basketball player doesn't stay four years in school, let alone graduate with a degree. Most of the best players go pro early for the money.

With the emergence of LeBron James as a legitimate star coming out of high school, many young players are bypassing college and going straight to the draft.

What these players don't realize is that one injury could end a career. If Okafor suffers a career-ending injury, he can still get a high-paying job. But without a college degree, there is little to fall back on.

Anyone can benefit from a college edu-cation, and athletes should be no exception. Although money talks, education speaks loud-er. Young athletes may be persuaded by large pay checks, but going to college will provide them the knowledge to start a second career if things don't work out on the court.

Okafor took advantage of a college education to use both his mind and his body to their full potential, and athletes given the same opportunities would be wise to do the same.