Redding Heats Up for Northridge

Laura Redding has been red hot recently for the Cal State Northridge softball team. That’s why Matador fans were calling her “El Fuego” (the fire) during Northridge’s Big West sweep at Cal State Fullerton Wednesday night.

Redding is eight for 16 in the past six games and boosted her paltry .186 batting average to a respectable .271.

Redding, a junior middle infielder, transferred from Sacramento City College, where she helped lead the Panthers to the state championship.

Souped-up Mustang: Danny Cato, a junior infielder from Saugus High, is The Master’s best player, batting a team-high .367 and leading the Mustangs with 17 doubles, 38 runs and 61 hits.

Cato, 5 feet 8 and 165 pounds, moved from third base to shortstop this season, and holds the school record for assists in his career.

In 13 1/3 innings, Cato (1-1) has a team-best 3.38 ERA and one save.

Crear move: Mark Crear, 1996 Olympic silver medalist in the 110-meter high hurdles, dropped by Saturday’s Western State Conference track and field championships at College of the Canyons in his hometown of Valencia.

He wound up in the announcer’s booth calling some of the races--starting with the women’s 100-meter high hurdles.

Crear’s first words over the public-address system were done in his best Michael Buffer imitation: “Let’s get ready to hurdle!”

To the next level: Three players who helped Moorpark College finish third in WSC women’s soccer are making plans to play at four-year schools.

Marisa Capra, the Raiders’ stopper and a 1995 graduate of Alemany High, plans to walk on at UC Santa Barbara.

Midfielder Jen Valle, a 1994 graduate of La Reina, will walk on at San Diego State.

Vanessa Macen, a striker from Santa Clara who led the WSC in scoring in 1994 and returned to post 18 goals and 22 assists after sitting out a year, is considering walk-on offers from Cal State Northridge and The Master’s.