Oxnard Left-Hander Merricks Signs Pact With Atlanta Braves

Matthew Merricks, a left-handed pitcher from Oxnard High, signed with the Atlanta Braves and will report to the team’s Orlando, Fla., Gulf Coast League affiliate today.

Merricks, a sixth-round pick in the amateur draft earlier this month, received a signing bonus of $168,000, plus $45,000 for college.

VOLLEYBALL

* Taft High won the boys’ title at the L.A. Watts Summer Games on Saturday. The Toreadors defeated Arcadia, 25-14, in the final in a rally score game at Cerritos College.

Setter Masood Noorzay of Taft was most valuable player of the tournament. The team was coached by graduated setter Andrew Reback.

* A six-team summer league will play Thursday nights at Valencia High. Teams from Canyon, Hart, Highland, Saugus, Taft and Valencia highs will participate.

BOXING

* Featherweights Memo Moreno of Beaumont, Calif., and Nobuto Honmo of Japan will headline the program July 11 at Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas.

The card is expected to include Port Hueneme welterweights Ruben Navarro and Ben Montenegro, making their professional debuts in separate bouts.

GOLF

* Hana Kim of Encino lost in her only match, but the United States rallied in the afternoon to take an 8 1/2-5 1/2 lead over Scandinavia in the Izzo Cup junior competition at Ullna Golf Club in Stockholm.

Golda Johansson and Josefin Gustafsson defeated Kim and Courtney Wood, 3 and 2, during the morning foursomes, when Scandinavia took a 4-1 lead that the U.S. trimmed to 4 1/2-3 1/2 before lunch.

The U.S. dominated the alternate-shot foursomes, 5-1. Play continues today.