Concordia

BASEBALL Vanguard 5, Concordia 4 COSTA MESA — Jason Dovel had a walk-off RBI single down the left-field line, lifting the Lions in the bottom of the 14th inning of Thursday's Golden State Athletic Conference game. Jeremiah Mejia, who led off the 14th inning with a single, scored the game-winning run. Joseph Vegas III earned the win after shutting out Concordia in six innings in relief. He struck out five and allowed three hits. Bryson Rahier went three for six with three RBIs for Vanguard (21-25, 15-19 in conference)

And then there was one. The Concordia University baseball team, quite possibly the most unlikely of champions, defied the odds and became just that — champions — winning the Avista-NAIA World Series held in Lewiston, Idaho. The Eagles, seeded No. 9 in the 10-team World Series, went 5-1 in the double-elimination tournament, taking home the school's first national crown in baseball, culminating with their 9-3 victory over Lubbock Christian (Texas) in Friday's winner-take-all title game.

IRVINE - Vanguard University split its doubleheader with host Concordia University Saturday afternoon in Golden State Conference action. Game one was a pitcher's duel between the Lions' Gina Liebengood and the Eagles' Carrie Shankles. Liebengood threw 11 innings, scattering five hits and allowing no earned runs, while striking out 13, but still took the loss. In game two, Vanguard (12-9, 3-3 in conference) outhit Concordia, 13-5. Val Vanaken and Stacey Caggiano each three had hits, an RBI and a run scored.

COSTA MESA - The Vanguard University baseball team tightened its grip on the fourth and final playoff spot in the Golden State Athletic Conference with an 8-0 win over visiting Concordia. The Lions (28-19, 15-13 in conference) jumped out to a 6-0 first-inning lead and never looked back. Anthony Walker pitched seven strong innings to improve his record to 9-3. GOLDEN STATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Vanguard 8, Concordia 0 Concordia 000 000 000 - 0 4 2 Vanguard 610 000 10x - 8 10 0 Selmser, Jones (2)

Tony Altobelli IRVINE - If the infamous "law of averages" actually is true, expect the Vanguard University men's basketball team not to lose until 2004. The drought continues for the Lions following Saturday night's 72-71 Golden State Athletic Conference loss to host Concordia. "I pretty much used a lot of cliches in the locker room," a dejected Vanguard Coach Stephen French said afterward. "I told them to keep on believing. This is such a talented group of players.

IRVINE - Vanguard University's Chad Chop punctuated an offensive onslaught Tuesday for the Lions with four hits and six RBIs as VU defeated host Concordia, 12-11, in Golden State Athletic Conference baseball. VU, which completed a season sweep of Concordia, won its fifth straight. The Lions collected 20 hits, while improving to 19-21-1, 13-12 in the GSAC. Concordia fell to 20-24, 9-15. Chop finished 4 for 6 with three runs scored and six RBIs, including a three-run home run in the fourth inning.

COSTA MESA - Megan Godfrey had 17 kills and Carly Birkhauser added 13 digs for Vanguard University's women's volleyball team in Saturday's 3-0 Golden State Athletic Conference loss to visiting Concordia University. The Lions lost to the Eagles, 15-8, 15-13, 16-14. For the Eagles (11-3, 2-1 in GSAC) Rachelle Danet was the server in 10 of the team's 15 points in game one. The Lions (7-6, 1-2) jumped out to a 10-0 lead in game two, but could not put the game away as Concordia came back.

The Vanguard University women's basketball team, which won the regular-season Golden State Athletic Conference championship, is the top seed heading into tonight's conference tournament opener at 7:30 against visiting Concordia. The Lions (26-2, 18-2 in the GSAC) come in ranked third nationally and have already secured a spot in the NAIA championships, where they reached the semifinals a year ago. The GSAC gets two teams into the NAIA championships.

Two seniors from rival high school programs will be on the same boys' basketball team in the 47th annual Orange County North-South All-Star Game at Concordia University on Saturday. Estancia center Rashad Davis and Costa Mesa point guard Nick Dawson will represent the South All-Stars in the game set for 7 p.m. Davis earned the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Dream Team Player of the Year and Dawson made the Dream Team. Each made the All-Orange Coast League first team. Davis' and Dawson's high school teams split the Orange Coast League two-game series.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Concordia University men's basketball team had the look of a runner-up in the early moments of the NAIA Division I national championship game Tuesday. But the No. 4-seeded Eagles wouldn't let a slow and ugly start get to them. They responded and beat No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist, 72-69, to win their second national title. Oklahoma Baptist (32-5) appeared on its way to winning its third national title with a 16-1 lead in the first half. But Concordia (31-7)

MEN'S BASKETBALL Concordia 81, Shorter 67 KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Eagles will make their fourth championship game appearance and will be seeking its second title in the NAIA Division I National Championship after its win over top-seeded Shorter Monday. Concordia (30-7), the No. 4 seed, will play against No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist Tuesday at 7 p.m. central time. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network. Austin Simon led the Eagles with 19 points.

The NCAA may have coined the phrase "March Madness," but it has nothing on the NAIA's version of a national basketball tournament. Concordia University men's basketball team boarded a plan Sunday morning for Kansas City, Mo., where the NAIA will host the 32-team tournament. But while the NCAA Tournament lasts weeks, the NAIA's gathering will be finished in less only six days. Concordia, which is seeded No. 4, will play in the first round against Oklahoma Christian on Thursday.

If someone were to tell See's Candies Chief Executive Brad Kinstler that the path to riches was through Christian holidays, there would be no debate. That's because his South San Francisco-based company makes the bulk of its annual revenue on Christmas and Easter, Kinstler said at the ninth annual Concordia University Faith and Business Forum on Thursday at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa hotel. "In part, I can be troubled by the amount of profit made by Christian holidays," Kinstler said.

There never was any moment when Ken Ammann "decided" he wanted to be a coach. In a way, it was always a given, it was in his blood. Ammann's parents taught and coached at Edison and Fountain Valley high schools, so it was natural for Ammann to find his way back to school after he completed his own education. Even his time as a kid when he roamed the sidelines as a ball boy for Edison football games along with future NFL quarterback Todd Marinovich was an experience from which he learned.

MEN'S BASKETBALL Concordia 94, Vanguard 69 COSTA MESA — Cameron Nettles had 15 points to lead the host Lions in the Golden State Athletic Conference game Tuesday. Taylor Kelly (12), Christopher Kupets (11) and Chris Pynch (11) also scored in doube figures for the Lions (11-6, 3-3 in conference). No. 6-ranked Concordia (14-2, 4-2) shot 53.8% from the field and posted a 50-25 rebounding advantage to overcome 21 turnovers, eight more than the Lions. Vanguard visits Fresno Pacific on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

COSTA MESA - It's not swagger, exactly, but the Vanguard University women's basketball team may have its mojo back. The Lions, ranked No. 10 in the NAIA, handled visiting Concordia, 86-45, in a Golden State Athletic Conference game Tuesday to extend their winning streak to four. The 41-point bulge marked the biggest margin of victory this season for the Lions (12-3, 6-1 in conference), who last blew out an opponent in the 90-50 season-opening home triumph over La Verne. "This is the first game [since Nov. 19]

Dan Fisher's cell phone still starts with area-code 808, even though he moved from Hawaii to take the women's volleyball coaching job at Concordia University several months ago. He really hasn't had time to do much of anything other than coach, virtually hopping off the airplane and landing in his new digs at the Irvine campus just in time to meet his players, the administration and get started. The Eagles had a remarkable season, going 18-0 in winning the Golden State Athletic Conference and rising to the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA poll.

The Concordia University men's basketball team will play a game on its home floor Tuesday night against San Diego Christian. But it's been so long since the last one there, the game might as well be on the moon. The Eagles are 6-0 this season, all six games away from CU Arena. In fact, the Eagles have not played a game on their home floor since March 8, when they beat Azusa Pacific to win last season's Golden State Athletic Conference Tournament. Tuesday's game against San Diego Christian is also the GSAC opener, so San Diego Christian didn't have a choice.