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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
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Sports

Wednesday, September 30, 1998

Eagles survive errors, Lions to score victory


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Sept. 30 -- Mark down `killer instinct' as one of the
things Pecos Eagles coach Becky Granado hopes her team
develops before much more times goes by in the 1998 season.

The Eagles played pretty much the same type of game Tuesday
night against the Clint Lions that they had a week earlier
when the Fabens Wildcats came to town -- a strong start,
followed by a mistake-filled finish. However, unlike last
week, when Fabens took advantage of Pecos' errors to rally
for a three-game victory, Clint was just a generous as the
Eagles were in giving up points, and Pecos was able to
survive by 15-7, 15-12 scores.

"When we got to seven (a 7-2 lead in Game 2) Linsey
(Hathorn) scored, and then we came all the way around before
Linsey scored again," said Eagles' coach Becky Granado. "We
had nine missed serves in that game."

The Eagles actually made it all the way through the rotation
without giving up a point to Clint, getting to 8-2 on a bad
relay by Vanessa Rueda off Hathorn's serve. But the rest of
the match was a long, long struggle for the Eagles, who
managed to score just two more points on their own, off a
block of Monica Rios by Philonicus Fobbs and an ace serve by
Fobbs that closed out the match.

"Sherrie (Mosby) was on, and Philly was on and off," during
the match, Granado said. "She's going to have to be a lot
more consistent."

But the Eagles' coach's main concern was the lack of any
hard spikes from her outside hitters after Game 1.

"We just started tipping it again. They just don't want to
put it down on the floor," she said. "You'd be amazed during
practice how well they hit, then they get into a game
situation and don't want to do it."

Clint, which saw Fabens rally for a three-game victory this
past Saturday, took an early 2-0 lead off a spike by Rios
and an Eagles' error, before a kill by Mosby got Pecos on
the board and started a 9-0 run. Fobbs had the first of
three kills off oversets during the streak, and Mosby also
scored off a tip, before the Lions mounted a comeback.

Spikes by Rueda, Rios and Jessica Foster cut the lead to 9-7
before the Eagles were able to stop the string. A serve by
Amy Chabarria began a game-ending 6-0 streak for Pecos, and
also include another spike by Fobbs and a block by Shaye
Lara on a Tina Varela hit.

Foster had her problems at the start of Game 2, as did
Clint's back line, which set up Fobbs' two other overset
kills. They helped the Eagles build up their 7-2 lead before
the problems began. Clint made a couple of good plays on
their own, like a diving save by Rueda on a Mosby kill that
allowed the Lions to break serve, but a serve into the net
immediately cost them whatever momentum they had.

"They helped us out some," Granado said. "We did some things
but we're still not consistent. Hopefully, we'll do better
against Canutillo."

The Eagles make the 220 mile trip to Canutillo this Saturday
to face one of the two other Eagle squads in District 2-4A,
after pulling into a tie for second with the San Elizario
Eagles last night. San Elizario lost their first district
game, to Fabens, 15-9, 15-3, while Canutillo won its first
2-4A contest, and second overall, 15-5, 15-6 over Mountain
View.

Clint saw their district mark fall to 1-2 going into their
match Saturday against San Elizario, who'll be in Pecos next
Tuesday.

Pecos' freshman and junior varsity teams also won their
Tuesday matches over the Lions. The ninth grade gold team
rallied from a 14-2 deficit in the third game to pull out a
15-8, 10-15, 16-14 victory, while the JV swept Clint, by
15-8, 15-2 scores.

Wells able to outduel Rangers


By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
NEW YORK, Sept. 30 -- David Wells and the New York Yankees
knew that no matter how many games they won during the
regular season, it could all be wrecked in less than a week.

Not to worry.

Looking every bit like the team that set an AL record with
114 victories, Wells provided the Yankees a perfect start in
the postseason with a 2-0 win over the Texas Rangers in Game
1 of their division series.

``Right on top, get in this situation, playoffs, ain't
nothing better, I want the ball,'' Wells said. ``Tonight we
had the opportunity to win, that's one for us.''

Exactly a month after they clinched a playoff spot in a
season in which they were never challenged, the Yankees were
sharp. Clearly, they did not want to repeat the history of
the two teams they chased this year.

The 1954 Cleveland Indians, who held the AL record of 111
wins, were swept in the World Series by the New York Giants.
The 1906 Chicago Cubs, who hold baseball's mark of 116
victories, lost the Series in six games to the Chicago White
Sox.

Behind Wells, however, the Yankees were never in much
trouble. The left-hander, whose perfect game in May
highlighted their dream year, improved to 5-0 in postseason
action with New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Toronto.

``I was pumped up for this game. A house full of crazy
fanatics, that's what you want behind you,'' Wells said.

Wells gave up five hits in eight innings and struck out
nine, many with a sharp curveball. He kept Juan Gonzalez
from hitting a ball out of the infield and escaped the
Yankees' only real jam by fanning Mike Simms to end the
seventh with runners on first and second.

``You talk about a courageous outing,'' Yankees manager Joe
Torre said. ``And Todd Stottlemyre, and I'm not saying that
just because his dad is our pitching coach.''

Stottlemyre allowed just six hits and struck out eight for a
complete game in front of his father, Mel, watching in the
opposing dugout.

``Tonight's game probably ended the best way,'' Mel said.
``My son pitched well and we won. That's my job.''

Andy Pettitte (16-11), who struggled down the stretch, will
start Game 2 tonight against Texas' Rick Helling (20-7) in
the best-of-5 series.

Wells, who shut out Texas last month, stopped a team that
hit .316 against lefties this year, permitting just one
runner past first base until the seventh.

``He didn't give us much to hit,'' Texas manager Johnny
Oates said. ``He's got a lot going for him right now.''

Recently, Torre said the team's most significant games this
season came six months ago, in the first week at Seattle
after a 1-4 start. No surprise, it was Wells who beat the
Mariners in the opener of that series.

Shortstop Derek Jeter made a sensational play on Rusty
Greer's slow roller to end the eighth, and Mariano Rivera
pitched a perfect ninth for a save. It was a familiar sight
for the Rangers -- in their only previous postseason
appearance, they lost to New York in the first round in
1996.

The Stottlemyre family affair surely created some anxious
moments. The wives of both Mel and Todd sat in the Yankees'
family section, and did not hesitate to cheer when a New
York runner was thrown out at the plate in the first inning.

When Todd won at Yankee Stadium last month, his mother left
her usual seat to sit with the Rangers' wives. On Monday
night, all four Stottlemyres dined together.

``I just wanted to be in this section this time,'' Jean
Stottlemyre said.

Father and son did not talk before the first pitch, nor did
they glance at each other on the field.

``I've got my whole life to look at my dad,'' Todd said. ``I
didn't have time to tonight.''

Chad Curtis, whose defense earned him the start in left
field ahead of fan favorites Darryl Strawberry and Shane
Spencer, doubled to set up a two-run second inning.

Scott Brosius followed with an RBI single that put runners
at the corners with one out. Brosius then took off for
second as Chuck Knoblauch struck out, and when catcher Ivan
Rodriguez threw to second, Brosius stopped and got in a
rundown while Curtis scored without a throw.

Big Unit suffers Brown-out, 2-1


By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON, Sept. 30 -- Randy Johnson had all the hype. Kevin
Brown, it turns out, had most of the strikeouts.

With his sinker and forkball leaving Houston batters
flailing, Brown boosted the San Diego Padres into control of
their NL division series with a 2-1 win over the Big Unit
and the Astros on Tuesday.

Brown was brilliant, striking out a career-high 16 and
allowing just two hits in eight innings. Bob Gibson is the
only pitcher with more postseason strikeouts, 17, in the
1968 World Series.

Brown pitched a no-hitter for Florida in 1997, but said
this victory, in the opener of the best-of-5 series, was
bigger.

``I'll take this one any time because of the impact of the
situation,'' he said. ``Being in the regular season, that
didn't have the meaning for the team that this one did.''

Brown's performance rejuvenated the Padres, who struggled
in September, particularly after clinching the NL West
title. Their goal had been to get overall home-field
advantage for the NL playoffs, but they couldn't even get it
for the first round.

``We stole the home-field advantage away from them,'' Tony
Gwynn said. ``I felt like we were ready to play. The guys
were getting antsy. Now they can relax and do what they need
to do.''

Game 2 is Thursday, with the Padres starting Andy Ashby
(17-9) against Shane Reynolds (19-8).

Johnson truly had the home-field advantage, going 5-0 with
four shutouts in the Astrodome since the Astros acquired him
in a trade with Seattle on July 31.

But then Brown did what everyone expected Johnson to do.

``It was a very dominating performance,'' said Johnson, who
has lost his last four postseason decisions.

``Now I know why a lot of the hitters drag their bats
back,'' added Johnson, who struck out 12 Padres in an
interleague game on June 24. ``He defies the law of gravity
with the pitches he throws. With his forkball and sinker,
it's no fun facing a guy like that.''

Houston's Killer B's -- Craig Biggio, Derek Bell and Jeff
Bagwell -- were a combined 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts.
Catcher Brad Ausmus, who bats eighth, had the two hits off
Brown.

``The way Kevin Brown pitched today, I don't care who you
are, you're not gonna get a lot of hits,'' Bagwell said.

``Randy gets a lot of hype, but Kevin is a great pitcher
too,'' Ausmus said.



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