Santiago’s Ace Has Returned

A familiar face will be staring down Norco batters today when the Cougars play Corona Santiago in a Mountain View League softball game. Taryne Mowatt has recovered from her bruised shoulder, which kept her out of the lineup for a week after pitching 589 1/3 consecutive innings.

Mowatt, injured by a line drive off the bat of Norco’s Ursula Lopez in a 1-0 loss on March 13, made her return to the lineup on Saturday in the championship game of the Jurupa Valley tournament. She pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over Chino Don Lugo. She had another two-hitter on Wednesday -- again striking out 10 -- in an 8-0 nonleague victory over Riverside La Sierra.

“It was very tough,” Mowatt (7-1) said of her week off. “I haven’t sat out a game since my freshman year.”

Santiago (11-1, 2-0) is ranked No. 2 in the Southland by The Times and Norco (7-0, 2-0) is No. 1.

Martin Henderson

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Baseball

With another hit today, Joe Spiers of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs can tie Nick Corbin of Maxwell (2001-03) for the second-longest hitting streak in state history.

The Cougars (7-2, 1-1) play host to No. 16 Riverside Arlington (6-3, 2-0) in an Ivy League game.

Spiers extended his hitting streak to 41 games with two singles Wednesday in a 7-3 victory over Riverside North.

The state record is 43 games, accomplished by Jason Kendall for Torrance (1990-92).

Dan Arritt

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Boys’ Tennis

Two-time defending champion Corona del Mar, ranked No. 1 by The Times, is the host team for the fifth National High School All-American tournament, beginning today at venues in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

The semifinals will take place Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Balboa Bay Club with the final at 4 p.m. at the Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.

Corona del Mar (8-0) is the top-seeded team, followed by Raleigh (N.C.) Broughton, Bethesda (Md.) Landon and Atherton (Calif.) Menlo. Ranked teams from the Southland competing are No. 4 Irvine Woodbridge, No. 6 Redondo, No. 7 Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, No. 8 Santa Ana Mater Dei and No. 10 Brentwood.

Elia Powers

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Boys’ Basketball

Seniors Jordan Farmar, who helped Woodland Hills Taft win the City Section championship, and Josh Shipp, who led City runner-up Fairfax to the state Division I title, were selected co-most valuable players for the City Section by sportswriters.

The UCLA-bound guards were joined on the 12-man first team by future Bruin teammate Lorenzo Mata, a 6-8 center from South Gate, and future USC guards Gabriel Pruitt of Westchester and Nick Young of Cleveland Reseda.

Rounding out the first team were seniors Jonathan Heard of Dorsey, Gerard Anderson of Carson and Christian Smith of Narbonne and juniors Jamal Boykin of Fairfax, Danny Williams of Fremont and D’Andre Bell of Palisades.

-- Lauren Peterson

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Pruitt scored seven points and Arron Afflalo of Compton Centennial had six for the West in a 124-110 victory in the EA Sports Roundball Classic on Wednesday in Chicago.

Robert Swift of Bakersfield, who is headed to USC, led the West with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Bob Rohwer

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Boys’ Golf

Newhall Hart, which set a course record in a 360-385 nonleague victory over Westlake Village Westlake on Monday at Robinson Ranch’s Mountain course, will be one of five ranked Southland teams participating in the Jesuit Masters tournament today and Saturday at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Sacramento.

Junior Joe Greiner led the way with a three-under-par 68 on Monday.

-- Rafer Weigel