Breitbard Stars of the Month, August, 2005

09-12-2005

Breitbard Stars of the Month

PROFESSIONALS

TREVOR HOFFMAN (Baseball, Padres) – The Padres’ closer moved into second place on the baseball’s all-time career saves list when he picked up 425th save in a 7-4 win on Aug. 24 against the Houston Astros. The save moved him past John Franco and left only career-record holder Lee Smith (478) ahead of the 37-year-old Hoffman. He added two more saves in the final week of the month to finish August with 34 for the season and 31 in a row.

ADAM JOHNSON (Baseball, SurfDawgs/San Diego) – The San Diego Surf Dawgs pitcher, a Torrey Pines High alumnus, was named the Golden Baseball League’s California Division Pitcher of the Week for the second time this year for his play in early August. He was 2-0 in 15 innings pitched while striking out 17, walking five and allowing only two earned runs for an ERA of 1.20. One of the wins was a complete-game, four-hit shutout of Long Beach. The Oakland A’s noticed his performances, signing him to a contract on Aug. 16 and assigning him to their Triple A affiliate in Sacramento. Johnson was 8-1 with a 2.58 ERA overall for the Surf Dawgs.

PHIL MICKELSON (Golf, San Diego) – The PGA Tour veteran won the second major title of his career by winning the 87th PGA Championship on Aug. 15 at the famed Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Similar to Mickelson’s Masters win in 2004, he made a birdie putt on the 72nd hole to the title. He finished with a four-under-par total score. Mickelson was 4-under par and leading by one stroke through 13 holes when play was suspended on Aug. 14 because of lightning conditions. “Lefty,” the crowd favorite all week, was forced to return on Monday and finish his round and hold off a final charge by Thomas Bjorn.

JAKE PEAVY (Baseball, Padres) – The All-Star pitcher was named the National League Player of the Week when he opened the month of August with a 2-0 record that included a complete game and 19 strikeouts. In a 3-0 win over the Nationals on Aug. 7 in Washington, D.C., Peavy struck out 10 with a five-hitter. It was the sixth time this season he struck out 10 or more batters. In his other start earlier in the week, he struck out nine batters in seven innings in a win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Peavy finished the month with a 4-0 record and ranked first in the National League with 197 strikeouts and 10th at ERA with 3.01. His 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Aug. 30 pushed the Padres’ lead in the National League West back to 5.5 games.

AMATEURS

HEATHER MacRAE (Women’s golf, SDSU/Dunblane, Scotland) – The San Diego State senior women’s golfer won the Ladies British Open Amateur in a playoff played on Aug. 19 in Narin, England. MacRae and Nicole Gergely of Austria were tied with an even-par score of 288 after 72 holes, but MacRae clinched the victory with a par on the first sudden-death playoff hole.

JEN MELLO (Women’s soccer, SDSU/Pleasanton) – The San Diego State freshman women’s soccer player was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week as the Aztecs opened their season in the final week of August with a 2-0 start. The Aztecs defeated Cal State Fullerton 2-0 and Northern Arizona 2-1. Mello, a 5-foot-4 forward from Amador Valley High, scored against Fullerton on a shot from 20 yards out into the upper right corner of the net. Against Northern Arizona, she fed a teammate with a well-placed cross to tie the score at 1-1 en route to the win.

KALEN PIMENTEL (Baseball, Little League World Series/Vista) – The Rancho Buena Vista Little Leaguer led his team with his arm and his bat at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. RBV was 3-0 in pool play as Pimentel struck out all 18 batters to tie a Little League World Series record in the first game and then hit grand slams in both the second and third games. He was the winning pitcher in three of the team’s four wins, winning the U.S. semifinal and the third-place game against Japan. He also hit a two-run home run against Japan.

JAMIE PUTERBAUGH (Men’s golf, SDSU/La Costa Canyon High) – The San Diego State sophomore men’s golfer won the San Diego City Amateur with a 72-hole score of four-under par 284. He shot a three-under par 69 on the final round at Torrey Pines South to emerge from the pack with a one-stroke victory. Heading into the final round, he shot 70 on Torrey Pines South, 72 at Balboa and 73 at Torrey Pines North. The La Costa Canyon High alumnus, who was a redshirt in the most recent collegiate season with a broken foot, earlier in the summer also won the La Costa men’s club championship and the Santee City Am.

MEGAN WOODS (Women’s soccer, Pepperdine/La Costa Canyon High) – The Pepperdine senior was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week after leading the Wave to a pair of wins over teams ranked among the top 30 in the nation. In Pepperdine’s first two games, the Wave beat No. 28 Central Florida 2-1 and No. 18 Arizona 3-1. Woods, a forward, scored one goal assisted on the other against Central Florida. Against Arizona, the La Costa Canyon High alumnus scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on the insurance goal. Woods finished the season earning third-team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Soccer Coaches Association of America.