Santa Cruz native Natalia Grossman, a 22-year-old who lives and trains in Salt Lake City, continued her dominance in front of friends and family by winning the IFSC World Cup Series 2024 stop in Utah on Sunday.
The Olympic qualified Grossman upped her count of World Cup medals in the Boulder discipline to 10 – six of which have been won in Salt Lake City.
She flashed three out of four boulders in the final and placed ahead of the French duo Oriane Bertone (silver) and Naïlé Maignan (bronze).
“I’m extremely proud,” said Grossman, in an interview with on-site reporters. “That second climb in the final, I’ve been working on coordination so much this past few months, and to have it pay off in the semi-final and in the final… I was psyched.
“I always love the World Cup in Salt Lake City. The crowd hyped us up. I appreciate it a lot. It is very special to have my family here, being able to sleep in my own bed, eat my own food, it’s really nice.”
College softball
Sacramento City d. Cabrillo: The Seahawks saw their season come to a close Sunday after visiting Sacramento City swept a doubleheader to win the teams’ best-of-three, CCCA NorCal Regional Playoffs first-round series.
The Seahawks lost 10-2 in Game 3, and 5-3 in Game 2 on Sunday. Cabrillo won 5-4 in Game 1 on Friday.
Alicia Mendez had two hits, a walk, and two RBI for Cabrillo (29-12 overall). Bella Fromel had a hit and two RBI.
Elizabeth Baucum gave up two runs, one earned, over six innings and earned the win. Ada Neu gave up three unearned runs over 2 1/3 innings and took the loss.
Brooklyn Llamas had two hits and two RBI in Game 2. Abreanna Alba had two hits and one RBI, Fromel had two hits, a stolen base, and a run scored, and Kasydi Bennett had a walk, hit, stolen base, and scored twice.
Korrie Almond gave up three runs over 6 1/3 innings and earned the win. She was pulled after giving up a pair of runs in the seventh inning. Baucum recorded the final two outs for the save.
Mendez gave up five runs, four earned, over 5 1/3 innings and took the loss.
Men’s tennis
NCAA Team Tournament: Santa Cruz’s Luke Casper defeated Sacchitt Sharrma 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6 singles, and No. 15 Texas A&M beat San Diego 4-2 in the second round of the NCAA Team Tournament in College Station-Bryan, Texas, on Saturday.
The Aggies (20-10) play at No. 2 Texas (24-3) in the Super Regional in Austin on Friday at 4 p.m.
Christopher Newport 5, UC Santa Cruz 2: The No. 3 seed Banana Slugs was eliminated by the No. 2 Captains in the Coast-To-Coast Tournament semifinals in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Saturday.
In doubles action, UCSC’s Adam Hidas and Andrew Tjoa won 8-4 at No. 2, and Radin Sadeghi and Praneet Varade won 8-6 at No. 3.
Hidas was named to the all-tournament team.
UCSC (10-10) plays at No. 1 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (25-3) in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Friday. The winner faces either at Redlands (13-7) or George Fox (11-9) on Saturday in Claremont. Match times haven’t yet been released.
Women’s tennis
Mary Washington 5, UCSC 1: The No. 3 seed Banana Slugs were eliminated by the No. 2 Eagles in the Coast-To-Coast Tournament semifinals in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on Saturday.
At No. 3 doubles, UCSC’s Tanner Rowland and Meghana Damojipurapu won 8-1 over Riley Smith and Linda Dimitroff.
Reporting Scores
Coaches are encouraged to report scores and highlights to sports@santacruzsentinel.com following games. Please include your name and contact number in the email.