MSN_022217

36 | February 22, 2017 | Malibu surfside news Sports
malibusurfsidenews.com
Athlete of the Week
10 Questions
with Gabrielle Cano
Gabrielle Cano, 17, is a
junior goalie on the water
polo team.
How did you first get
into water polo?
My best friend and my
cousin convinced me to try
it. At first I didn’t know if I
was going to continue with
it, but I loved it so much I
never looked back.
Have you always been
interested in water
sports?
I’ve always loved to
swim but I only became a
swimmer when I started
water polo in the seventh
grade. Before that I did volleyball
and soccer.
Is there a certain
mentality you have to
play goalie?
Yes, I imagine myself
being the wall that Trump
always wanted. Every ball
fired at me is a Trump supporter
and the cage I’m
protecting is Mexico. My
brother lives there.
Do you find sports
help as a release from
what’s currently going
on in politics?
Yes, whenever I have a
bad day, being in the goal,
even if it’s only practice, is
one of the few places that
I feel like I’ve done something
right. And it reminds
me to keep bad things from
getting to me. I literally
block them from doing any
mental harm.
What hobbies do you
have outside of water
polo?
I like to color a lot. When
I’m done I hang all the pictures
in my room.
What are your
thoughts on the
season?
I think our team is doing
really well this year. We recently
became champions
of our league which is really
exciting and I think we
have a good chance in CIF.
I’m so proud to be a part of
this team.
Was there any one
moment from this
season that stood out
to you?
Probably when we beat
Foothill Tech. And when
we played Carpenteria
last, it was an accident but
at one point my opponent
Suzy Demeter/22nd Century Media
ripped my mouth guard out
when we were fighting for
the ball.
What are your goals
for the playoffs?
Goals? I don’t have any
because I keep blocking
them. Just kidding. I want
to get as far as we can in
CIF and I know my teammates
want the same.
What did you like best
about growing up in
Malibu?
The weather is almost always
perfect and the community
itself is so liberal
and accepting.
Did you idolize any
particular athletes
growing up?
My dad. He played football
in high school and his
number was number 1,
which is also mine.
Interview by Freelance
Reporter Ryan Flynn.
Pepperdine Athletics
Waves baseball opens season with series sweep
Pepperdine got off to a
perfect 3-0 start, completing
a series sweep over St.
Joseph’s with a 9-5 win
Sunday, Feb. 19, at home.
Austin Bernard led the
Waves with three RBIs,
while Matthew Kanfer
knocked in two runs. Will
Jensen, a freshman righthander,
was given the
start and gave up just two
earned runs on four hits. He
walked three and struck out
four. Austin Gehle got the
win after throwing 2.1 innings
of relief.
The Waves took the
lead in the third and never
looked back. With the bases
loaded and the game scoreless,
Pepperdine drew a
walk and a hit-by-pitch to
take a 2-0 lead. Bernard
cleared the bases with a
double into a gap in left
field.
“It is never easy to
sweep a team,” coach Rick
Hirtensteiner said. “We
played really well last season
down the stretch in our
last conference series, but
we didn’t sweep anyone.
We found a way to sweep
This Week In ...
sharks athletics
Boys Baseball
■Feb. ■ 25 - host Chatsworth,
11 a.m.
■Feb. ■ 28 - at Burroughs, 3
p.m.
Boys volleyball
■Feb. ■ 27 - at Pacifica, 5
p.m.
■Feb. ■ 28 - at Cate, 4:30
p.m.
Boys tennis
■Feb. ■ 27 - host Carpinteria,
3:30 p.m.
■March ■ 1 - host Milken, 3
p.m.
opening weekend and we
played some good baseball,
so that’s a positive start.”
St. Joseph’s answered
with a solo homerun in the
top of the fourth, but the
Waves knocked in two off
a RBI double from Matt
Crowder and a sacrifice fly
from Quincy McAfee to
jump ahead 7-1.
The Hawks scored a run
in the fifth and three more
in the final two innings.
Pepperdine secured its lead
with runs in the seventh and
eighth innings. Both teams
notched eight hits in the
game; Brandt Belk was the
lone Wave to tally a two-hit
game Sunday.
The Waves opened the
series with stellar pitching
performances from Ryan
Wilson and Kiko Garcia.
The pitchers had a combined
one-hitter and helped
the Waves to a doubleheader
sweep of Saint Joseph’s
Saturday, Feb. 18.
Wilson worked 4.2
scoreless innings without
giving up a hit after getting
the start. He struck out five
batters, and walked six.
softball
■Feb. ■ 28 - host St.
Genevieve, 3:30 p.m.
■March ■ 1 - at Viewpoint,
3:30 p.m.
lacrosse
■Feb. ■ 28 - at Sierra Canyon,
6:30 p.m.
PEPPERDINE Athletics
Men’s Basketball
■Feb. ■ 23 - host Saint
Mary’s, 7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 25 - host San
Francisco, 1 p.m.
Women’s Basketball
■Feb. ■ 23 - at Saint Mary’s,
Garcia came in for the
final 4.1 innings and struck
out five batters while walking
none. He gave up the
lone hit of the game to
start the sixth inning, but
promptly got two strikeouts
and a flyout to end the
threat.
Ben Rodriguez led the
offensive charge Saturday,
going 4-for-6 over the two
games, with two homers,
five RBI and three runs
scored.
Freshman McAfee went
5-for-10, driving in two
runs and scoring a teamhigh
four.
Matt Gelalich and Brandon
Caruso each had threehit
days as well, with Gelalich
driving in and scoring
three runs. McAfee and Gelalich
each homered on the
day as well.
Pepperdine used three
pitchers in the late game,
with Max Gamboa going
4.0 innings in the start. Jonathan
Pendergast entered
the game with the Waves
leading 6-5 in the fifth.
Please see
Pepperdine, 37
7 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 25 - at San Francisco,
2 p.m.
Men’s Volleyball
■Feb. ■ 24 - at Hawaii, 9 p.m.
■Feb. ■ 26 - at Hawaii, 9 p.m.
Men’s Golf
■Feb. ■ 20-22 - at The
Prestige at PGA West
■Feb. ■ 27-28 - host
Southwestern Invitational
Women’s Golf
■Feb. ■ 27-28 - host Bruin
Wave Invitational