Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 5, 1994                   TAG: 9403050070
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: COSTA MESA, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Medium

FEMALE PITCHER TAKES 1ST LOSS

Ila Borders, the Southern California College freshman who became the first woman to pitch in an NCAA or NAIA baseball game, took her first loss Thursday.

And some abuse, as well.

"Their players were very abusive," school spokesman Pat Guillen said after a 4-3 loss to the University of California-San Diego. "They were calling Ila names and using profanities throughout the game."

Borders, an 18-year-old left-hander, pitched seven innings, giving up six hits and four runs, all earned. She walked two and struck out two in the loss to the nation's eighth-ranked NCAA Division III team.

Borders (2-1) threw 109 pitches before being relieved by Rick Homutoff to start the eighth inning in the game at Southern California College.

Borders said she felt good about her performance. When asked about the language used by the UC-San Diego players, she said she was used to it.

"It's been worse than it was today," she said. "I don't think it should be a gender issue. I'm just an athlete trying to get people out."

The Vanguards (6-8) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but UC-San Diego (10-2) went ahead for good by scoring three runs in the third. The big hit of the inning was a two-run double by Rick Quandt.

The Tritons scored their final run in the fourth, and Southern California College picked up its last two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Borders said she was especially nervous before the game because UC-San Diego is a nationally ranked team, but said she settled down after the first inning.

"I've just got one thing to say: She's for real," said Borders' coach, Charlie Phillips. "I felt real good about how she pitched. The only reason I took her out is because she threw 109 pitches. I thought she kept the batters off-balance all day."

Borders pitched a five-hitter in her debut Feb. 15 when the Vanguards beat Claremont-Mudd 12-1. On Feb. 25, she gave up six hits and an unearned run in 6 innings in a 10-1 victory over Concordia.