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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Sports

Monday, March 22, 1999

Eagles play relaxed, rout Muleshoe, 13-3


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
GREENWOOD, Mar. 22 -- The Pecos Eagles had a relaxing
morning in Greenwood on Saturday against the Muleshoe Mules,
and coach Bubba Williams hopes the Eagles will keep playing
that way when the District 2-4A portion of their schedule
starts on Tuesday.

For the first time in 14 games this season the Eagles did
not allow an unearned run, while jumping on pitcher Cameron
Nix for seven runs in the first two innings of a 13-3
victory, allowing them to salvage one win at the West Texas
March Classic.

After committing 15 errors and allowing 11 unearned runs in
their opening tournament losses to Abilene Wylie and
Colorado City, Williams said before Saturday's guaranteed
game, "I told them not to tense up, and just to go out there
and play ball."

The Eagles did make two errors in the inning when Muleshoe
got their only three runs, but neither allowed extra runners
on base, and it was the control problems suffered by pitcher
Oscar Rodriguez in the third inning that allowed the Mules
to cut Pecos' 7-0 lead to 7-3.

Rodriguez faced only six batters in the first two innings,
but walked four in the third, to go along with two singles
that gave Muleshoe its runs. The errors came when Louis
Valencia had to hurry a throw on a high chop Rhett Kerby
infield hit and it go past John Gutierrez at first base, and
when Valencia and catcher Mark Abila got crossed up on a
trick play pickoff attempt at first while Muleshoe was
attempting a sacrifice bunt.

The ball went into right field, allowing one run to score,
but two more walks and a two run single by B.J. Gonzales
followed, before Rodriguez fanned Nix and got Mason Sinclair
to ground into a fielder's choice at second base.

After that, the Eagles' defense kept Muleshoe off the
scoreboard. Rodriguez walked the first two batters in the
fourth, but then threw out Kerby at third on a Lucio Soto
sacrifice bunt, and got James Barrett and Mitch Mason on
grounders to first and back to the mound.

In the fifth inning, Rodriguez allowed a couple of one-out
singles to Ismael Nunez and Nix before striking out
Sinclair. Abila then picked Nunez off third on a failed bunt
by Kerby, and ended up tagging him out at home, with Nunez
suffering a dislocated shoulder on the play.

"The kids played relaxed ball. We told them just to go out,
be positive and play relaxed, and whatever happens,
happens," Williams said.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were also more relaxed at bat
Saturday. After managing just five hits in their first two
tournament games, a failed sacrifice try by Kevin Bates was
the only ball not hit hard by Pecos in the first inning off
Nix.

After Oscar Luna opened with a walk, Mason Abila singled and
Mark Abila doubled both home with a shot down the left field
line. He scored on Joshua Casillas' single to right, and
after a walk to Gutierrez and Bates' failed bunt, singles by
Luis Salgado and Ricky Herrera followed to make it 4-0. Nix
finally got out of trouble by turning a hard shot by
Valencia back to the mound into a double play, but in the
second Pecos scored three more times.

Luna walked again and after Gonzales made a nice play to
throw out Mason Abila, the shortstop's throw to third on
Mark Abila's grounder was dropped by Kerby. Lupe Nunez then
let Casillas' single get past him for an error, scoring two
runs, and Gutierrez then doubled Casillas home with a shot
to the 400-foot sign in center field.

The Eagles got two runs back in their half of the third, off
errors by Kerby and Gonzales and Mason Abila's two run
single, while Nix and Barrett, his replacement on the mound,
ran into control problems in the fifth, allowing Pecos to
end the game under the 10-run rule.

Five Eagles walked in the inning, while Mark Abila and
Casillas came up with singles, and an error by Mason if left
field allowed a run to score. After a bases loaded walk to
Salgado, Herrera ended the game with a sacrifice fly that
scored Gutierrez.

Rodriguez improved to 3-1 on the season, and the Eagles
upped their record to 8-5-1 going into Tuesday's district
opener against Fabens.

"We start district play on Tuesday against Fabens and the
kids are going to be ready," Williams said. Pecos' district
rival, Clint, also 10-run rules Muleshoe on Friday, by a
14-4 score and then defeated Colorado City to win
consolation on Saturday, by a 10-8 score. Fabens played this
past weekend in the Alpine Tournament, where they defeated
Wall and Van Horn around a loss to Presidio.

Saturday
MULESHOE PECOS

ab r h bi ab r h bi
Brt lf-lb-p 2 0 0 0 Luna cf 1 2 0 0
Mason c-lf 3 0 0 0 Ma.Abila lf 3 2 2 2
Gonzales ss 3 0 1 2 Mk.Abila c 4 3 2 2
I.Nunez 1b 2 0 1 0 O.Rdrguz p 0 0 0 0
Black c 0 0 0 0 Casliias dh 4 2 3 3
Nix p 3 0 2 0 Gtrrz 1b 2 2 1 1
Black 0 0 0 0 Bates rf 3 0 0 0
Hahn 1b 0 0 0 0 Salgado ss 2 0 1 1
Sinclair cf 3 0 0 0 Herrera 3b 2 1 1 2
Kerby 3b 1 1 1 0 Valencia 2b 3 1 0 0
Warren 2b 0 1 0 0
L.Nunez rf 0 0 0 0
Soto dh 1 1 0 0

Totals 18 3 5 2 Totals 24 13 10 11
>
Muleshoe 0 0 3 0 0 -- 3
Pecos 4 3 2 0 4 --13
Game ended with two outs in fifth under 10-run rule
E -- Kerby 2, L. Nunez, Valencia, Mk. Abila, Gonzales,
Mason. DP -- Muleshow 1, Pecos 1. LOB -- Muleshow 6, Pecos
8. 2B -- Mk. Abila, Gutierrez. SB -- Luna, Ma. Abila 2,
Valencia. CS -- I. Nunez.

IP H R ER BB KO
Muleshoe
Nix (L) 4 2-3 10 13 8 7 2
Barrett 2-3 0 0 0 2 0
Pecos
O.Rdrguz W 3-1 5 5 3 3 6 5
WP -- Nix.
T -- 1:59

Defense helps Eagles beat Lions


By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mar 22 -- The biggest game in the brief 1 1/2 year
history of the Pecos Eagles' softball team brought out some
nerves at the start of play Friday against the Clint Lions.
And while the Eagles never really got their bats going as
they had in their first three District 2-4A games, they were
able to handle the pressure in the late innings on defense
and rallied for a 10-7 victory over the Lions at Martinez
Field.

Clint outhit Pecos by a 14-5 margin, and held a 6-0 lead
after 1 1/2 innings. But the Eagles used 12 walks by pitcher
Erika Morales to get more than enough baserunners to come
back, and came up with enough hits in the fourth and fifth
innings to improve to 4-0 in district.

"They were nervous. THey were anticipating this game and
were a little scared," Eagles' coach Tammy Walls said. "But
it was an important game and they found a way to win.

"We had heard a lot of stuff about Clint and thought they
were going to be tough, and they were, especially at bat,"
Walls said. Michelle Tullins was the only Lion batter not to
get a hit off Alexa Marquez, but she allowed only two walks
and the Eagles committed just two errors, and none in the
final four innings.

Morales benefited the first error, scoring on a bad relay
throw by Katrina Quiroz in the third after a bases-clearing
triple that gave Clint its 6-0 lead, while Marissa Arnold,
who was 4-for-4 on the day, got the Lions' final run an
inning later, scoring when her single went through Kathy
Maldonado's legs in center field.

Aside from the one error, Quiroz was involved in 11 of the
21 putouts on Friday at shortstop, while Maldonado ended the
game with the tying run at bat in the seventh, taking
Lorraine Chavez' line drive and then doubling Arnold off
second base for the final out.

"I thought Katrina had a really good game at shortstop, and
although she wasn't throwing that hard, I thought Alexa did
good at pitcher, because they were hitting the ball, but
they weren't hitting it hard off us," Walls said.

A Morales single and a Michelle Franco ground out scored
Clint's first two runs, and Pecos wouldn't get their first
hit off Morales until the third inning, when Nicole Payne
singled. However, by then the Eagles already had pushed four
runs across the plate.

Five walks and two wild pitches by Morales in the second
inning helped that happen, while a throwing error by Denise
Duran allowed Pecos to then score on a bases loaded walk to
Ashley Salcido and a ground out by Quiroz.

Pecos cut the lead to 6-4 when Maldonado tripled past a
diving Chavez on the left field line, and after Jessica
Rodriguez was hit by a pitch and stole second, another
Morales wild pitch scored Maldonado and another ground out
by Quiroz brought Rodriguez home.

The Eagles would get the ball out of the infield only once
in the fifth inning, but they still scored four times with
two outs to pull into the lead.

Mireya Medrano scored the tying run when Marquez singled
off Arnold's glove at second base. After Morales walked
Maldonado and hit Rodriguez for the second time, Salcido
singled to left, scoring one run, and Maldonado also scored
when catcher Amanda Bravo dropped the ball at home plate.
Tullins would then drop the throw from Duran at shortstop on
a Quiroz grounder, which allowed Rodriguez to score the
final run of the day.

Pecos' defense then shut Clint down in their final two
at-bats, getting Morales and Lopez to hit into fielder's
choice grounders after a leadoff hit by Claudia Bravo in the
sixth, and then getting the double play in the seventh after
a pair of one-out singles.

"We're still a young team, and it's good for us to beat a
team like that," said Walls, as the Eagles improved their
record to 4-0 in district, 7-5 overall, while Clint fell to
3-2 and 6-6.

Pecos can open up a two-game lead on their closest 2-4A
rivals on Tuesday, when they close out the first half of
district play with a 4:30 p.m. game in San Elizario.

CLINT PECOS
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Duran ss 4 1 1 0 Rdrguez 1b 0 2 0 0
C.Bravo cf 3 1 1 0 Salcido 2b 3 0 1 2
Morales p 4 2 2 4 Quiroz ss 2 0 0 2
Lopez rf 4 0 2 0 Wein c 4 0 1 0
Franco 3b 4 0 1 1 Payen cr 0 0 0 0
Tullins 1b 4 0 0 0 Gnzales 3b 2 1 0 0
A.Bravo c 3 0 1 0 Payne rf 4 0 1 0
Arnold 2b 4 2 4 0 Medrano lf 2 2 0 0
Chavez lf 4 1 2 0 Marquez p 2 2 1 1
Maldnado cf 3 3 1 1

Totals 34 7 14 5 Totals 22 10 5 6

Clint 2 4 1 0 0 0 0 -- 7
Pecos 0 4 0 2 4 0 x --10
E -- Quiroz, Duran, Maldonado, A. Bravo, Tullins. DP --
Pecos 1. LOB -- Clint 8, Pecos 10. 3B -- Morales, Maldonado
Wein. SB -- C. Bravo, Rodriguez 2, Medrano 2. CS -- Quiroz.

IP H R ER BB KO
Clint
Morales (L) 6 5 10 5 12 3
Pecos
Marquez (W) 7 14 7 5 2 0
WP -- Morales 2.
PB -- A. Bravo 2, Wein.
T -- 1:49.

Tough weekend for Pecos track teams


PECOS, Mar. 22 -- There were no medals and only a few points
for both Pecos Eagle track teams this past weekend, at the
West Texas Relays in Odessa and the Mustang Relays in
Andrews.

Pecos' boys scored 16 points and finished eighth at the
West Texas Relays, while Pecos' girls had seven points in
their sixth place finish in Andrews.

The boys were blanked in the field events, and coach Vance
Washington said they were hurt by a knee sprain suffered by
junior Jacob Esparza.

"He hurt his knee in the triple jump and we had to pull him
out of that, and we also had to scratch him in the 200,"
Washington said. Esparza, who won the triple jump at Kermit
two weeks earlier, did run one leg of the 400 meter relay,
where the Eagles placed fifth overall.

The Eagles' highest finishes Saturday came from sophomore
Daniel Terrazas, who was fourth in the 400 meter dash with a
52.17 time, and from the 1600 meter relay team, which also
was fourth, in 3:30.61.

Lubbock Estacado won the Division II team title with 142
points, while El Paso Parkland finished with 121 and El Paso
High with 80. El Paso teams dominated the 1,600 and 3,200
meter runs, taking all of the top six spots in the two-miles
race and the first five spots in the mile run.

Up in Andrews, coach Lily Talamantez said distance runner
Liz Parent ran well at the Mustang Relays, but added that
several other Eagle players didn't make the trip Saturday.

"Liz did really well. She cut down her time a lot, but
overall we didn't have too many people," Talamantez said.
"Most went to confirmation, or they went to the (church)
retreat, so I only had about eight or nine girls.

"We were able to run the 800 relay, but we didn't have
enough girls to run the sprint (400) relay," she added.

None of the Eagles won medals in the meet, which was won by
Monahans, with 154 points to 142 for Andrews.

Pecos' teams will again be going to different meets this
coming weekend, with the boys competing at the San Angelo
Relays on Friday and Saturday while the girls go to the
Golden Crane Relays in Crane on Saturday.



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