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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas

Sports

Tuesday, May 11, 1999

Eagles banged up beating up Bucks

By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
ALPINE, May 11 -- It was a great way to go into the playoffs, but the Pecos Eagles were lucky to get out of Monday's game alive.

The Eagles, who scored 10 of their 11 runs on Friday against Alpine's No. 3, 4 and 5 pitchers in the first of their two playoff practice games against the Bucks, racked up eight runs on their No. 1 and 2 pitchers, Adam Llanez and Buster Winn at Kokernot Field on Monday. Pecos then touched the rest of Alpine's staff for eight more runs on the way to a 16-4 victory, their 13th win in a row.

But at the same time, the Eagles almost lost three players to injuries during the nearly three-hour marathon.

Llanez nailed starting pitcher Louis Valencia in the left knee with a line drive in the third inning, and center fielder Oscar Luna was spiked in the base of the thumb by right fielder Kevin Bates, as both dove for a 400-foot line drive by Julian Molinar in the fifth inning.

Not even the dugout was safe. Pitcher Pifi Montoya was nailed in the shoulder by a Josh Lujan line drive, that then clipped Eagles' coach Bubba Williams in the sixth inning.

All those injuries left Williams upset when two errors kept Pecos from ending the game in the sixth under the 10-run rule, but the Eagles did use their extra at-bat in the seventh to score three more times off reliever Aguiles Gonzales.

"The kids hit the ball. He (Alpine coach Mike Pallanez) pitched all his pitchers, and we hit `em all," Williams said. "Chacho (Oscar Rodriguez) came out there and did a good job and Louis Valencia did a good job starting. Right now all our kids are playing great."

Montoya, a lefthanded sophomore, was hit in the right shoulder, and his injury was the least serious of the three. Both Valenica, who normally starts at second base, and Luna, the Eagles' leadoff hitter, came out of the game after their injuries Ï Valencia with ice on his knee and Luna with ice and a bandage on his right hand.

"We've got three people hurt. Louis hurt his knee and Oscar got banged up Ï but we've got Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to heal up and be ready to go," Williams said, referring to Pecos' Class 4A area opener on Friday in Big Spring against Plainview.

Valencia almost threw out Llanez after taking the shot off his leg, but collapsed as he tried to throw near the first base foul line. Rodriguez then came on to pitch, and after walking a couple of batters to allow Alpine to tie the score, settled down and shut out his former teammates over the next two innings to earn his seventh victory in eight decisions.

Luna did throw out Molinar, relaying the ball to Luis Salgado who nailed the Bucks' baserunner trying to stretch his fifth inning double off Rodriguez into a triple. Josh Casillas came on after that and allowed three hits and an unearned run in the final two innings, and was helped out by Luna's replacement, Alex Garica, who ran down a Brian Portillo fly ball in the right field corner.

Llanez shut out Pecos for two innings and earned a save in Alpine's 6-5 win back on March 4, but this time the Eagles tagged him for three runs in the first inning. Mason Abila singled with one out and scored on Jeff Martinez' double down the line in left. He scored on Casillas' single, and after a hit by John Gutierrez, the Eagles got their third run when shortstop Patrick O'Toole dropped Luis Salgado's pop up behind second base.

Alpine got two of those runs back in their half of the first, on a double by Llarez, a triple by O'Toole and a ground out by Portillo. Winn came on in the third to pitch, and after Alpine tied the game, he saw the Eagles go up for good at 4-3 without benefit of a hit.

Mark Abila was hit by a Winn pitch, then went to second on a David Evans passed ball. He was sacrifice to third by Orlando Lara and scored when Portillo's throw from first base sailed past Llarez.

Pecos would get four more unearned runs off Winn in their next at bat, after he booted Martinez' tap in front of the mound. Gutierrez doubled him home and after Bates reached on an infield hit, Mark Abila doubled to score both runners and give Pecos a 7-3 lead. Oman Monclova came on to pitch and he hit Lara with his first delivers, then saw Austin Yarborough lose Luna's fly ball in the lights for a two-run triple and a 9-3 lead.

Gutierrez' second double of the night, after a Casillas single, made it 10-3 in the sixth, and after an RBI single by Salgado, Gonzales was brought in to pitch. Abila greeted him by blooping a double between Nabor Gonzales and Conrad Arriola in right field, and he scored on Lara's single to center.

Pecos' final runs came in the seventh, on an infield hit by Mason Abila, an RBI single by Casillas, a Bates ground out and a bases loaded hit batter Ï Mark Abila again, who has now bit hit by pitches six times in the Eagles' last six games.

The loss dropped Alpine to 20-4 on the season, while Pecos is 20-5-1 going into their playoff opener against Plainview, which swept Dumas in the bi-district round last weekend. Game 1 will be at 5 p.m. Friday at Howard College's Jack Butler Field, located at 11th and Birdwell streets in Big Spring, with the second and, if needed, third games at 1 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

PECOS ALPINE

ab r h bi ab r h bi
Luna cf 4 0 1 2 Yrbrgh cf 3 1 2 0
A.Garcia rf 1 0 0 0 Lnez p-3b 4 1 2 0
Ma.Abila lf 4 2 2 0 O'Toole ss 2 1 1 1
Florez ph 1 0 0 0 Vlnzula ph 1 0 1 0
Mrtnez 3b 3 2 1 1 Portillo 1b 4 0 0 0
Herrera 3b 1 1 0 0 Molnr 2b-c 3 0 2 1
Valencia p 0 0 0 0 N.Gnzlz 2b 1 0 0 0
O.Rdrguz p 0 0 0 0 Evans c 0 0 0 0
Cslls dh-p 4 1 3 2 D.Rdrgz dh 3 0 1 0
Nunez cr 0 1 0 0 Mata lf 1 0 0 0
Gutrrez 1b 4 2 3 2 L.Gnzlz ph 1 1 1 0
H.Garcia pr 0 1 0 0 Arriola rf 1 0 0 0
Bates rf-cf 5 1 1 1 J.Lujan ph 1 0 0 0
Salgado ss 5 1 1 1 R..Lujan 3b 1 0 0 0
Mk.Abila c 3 2 2 3 Winn p 1 0 0 0
Florez pr 0 1 0 0 Monclova p 1 0 0 0
Lara 2b 3 1 1 1 A.Gnzlz p 1 0 0 0

Totals 38 16 15 13 Totals 28 4 10 3

Pecos 3 0 0 1 5 4 3 --16
Alpine 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 -- 4
E -- O'Toole, Gutierrez, Llanez, Portillo 2,
Mk. Abila 2, Winn, Bates 2, Arriola.
DP -- Alpine 1. LOB -- Pecos 8,
Alpine 8. 2B -- Martinez, Gutirrez 2, Llanez,
Mk. Abila, Molinar. 3B -- O'Toole,
Luna. S -- Lara. SB -- Martinez,
L. Gonzales, Ma. Abila, Valenzuela.
CS -- Mata.

IP H R ER BB KO
Pecos
Valencia 2 5 3 3 2 0
O.Rdrgz W, 7-1 3 2 0 0 3 2
Casillas 2 3 1 0 0 4

Alpine
Llanez 2 4 3 2 0 2
Winn L 2 2/3 3 5 0 1 1
Monclova 1 4 4 4 0 1
A.Gonzales 1 1/3 4 4 3 2 0
HBP -- Mk. Abila by Winn,
Lara by Monclova,
Mk. Abila by A. Gonzales.
PB -- Evans, Molinar.
T -- 2:51.

Pecos junior high golfers in third

PECOS, May 11 -- The Pecos Eagles' junior high boys golf team came away with a third place finish on Saturday and remained in third place overall after the third round of the four-round area golf tournament.

The boys came into Saturday's round in third place after 27 holes, and remained there after play on their home course. Pecos' score of 353 put them at 919 though 45 holes, trailing Monahans and Andrews, both of whom shot 342s in the third round. The Loboes lead overall with an 875 total, 13 shots ahead of the Mustangs.

Trey Perkins, Casey Breiten and Jack Stickles all shot 87s on Saturday, giving Perkins a 217 score for 45 holes, six shots up on Stickels at 223 and 13 ahead of Breiten, at 230. David Bradley shot a 92 and is at 234 for the tournament, while David Elkins shot a 98 to round out the `A' team scores. Elkins has not played in all three rounds of the tournament.

The Eagles' `B' team finished seventh on the afternoon with a 391 score, but their 1001 total is still good enough for fifth place overall. Andrews `B' is fourth, with a 949 after a 362 round, while Monahans `B' (380-1026) and Fort Stockton (389-1034) still trail the `B' team going into the final round in Monahans this weekend.

Jake McKinney had the `B' team's low score, a 90, and is at 234, while Chase Lawrence shot a 91 and is at 234 through 45 holes. John Parent had 100, Pete Vasquez a 110 and Bubba Foster a 114 for the other team scores, while the other two junior high golfers, Will Armstrong and Jeremi Ballard, shot 121 and 125 respectively on the day.

Affidavit says Tuinei's death linked to drugs

By C. BRYSON HULL
Associated Press Writer
McKINNEY, May 11 -- Former Dallas Cowboys star Mark Tuinei's final hours were spent looking for heroin and, later, slowly dying in his antique roadster while a former teammate slept beside him.

That account, revealed in a police affidavit Monday, came from Cowboys running back Nicky Sualua, who was with Tuinei in the hours leading up to the former All-Pro lineman's death last week.

Police said they expected toxicology results today which could provide further evidence as to what caused the 39-year-old Tuinei to die.

According to Sualua's account, Tuinei told his friend he took the stimulant Ecstacy. The two later went to a north Dallas apartment to obtain heroin, and Tuinei went into a bedroom, ``and he said `Here it is,''' the police affidavit said.

Tuinei emerged unsteady, ``as if he was passing out,'' and eventually stopped breathing, Sualua said.

Sualua added that he performed CPR at the apartment until Tuinei was breathing again, but still unconscious.

Rather than seek medical help for his friend, Sualua dragged the 6-foot-5, 320-pound former player to his 1933 classic Ford roadster. Sualua drove to Tuinei's house in an affluent section of Plano, a Dallas suburb, and parked in back. ``Mark was snoring loudly,'' the affidavit said.

Sualua got two blankets from the house and slept in the car with his friend. When he woke up, about 5:30 a.m. Thursday, Tuinei was not breathing, Sualua told police.

In a 911 tape released Friday, a man identified as ``Nicky'' told the dispatcher that his friend had stopped breathing. ``I can't feel a pulse,'' he said. Tuinei was pronounced dead after arriving at a nearby hospital.

Neither Sualua, a reserve fullback for the Cowboys, nor his agent, Steve Weinberg, could be reached Monday.

Sualua was at his suburban Carrollton home, which he purchased from Tuinei last year, but refused to answer the door. Jerry Banks, an attorney who said he is representing Sualua, refused comment as he left the house.

``He's not going to answer the door. He's not going to talk to anybody,'' Banks said.

Tuinei played 15 seasons for the Cowboys before retiring in 1998. He had made plans to return to Hawaii, hoping to coach high school football and teach youngsters the same skills that helped him become a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Cowboys.

Dallas police said Monday that since Thursday, three arrests have been made at the apartment where Sualua said Tuinei went for heroin. Those arrested face various charges, ranging from heroin possession to public intoxication.

Police submitted the affidavit including Sualua's statement in order to secure a search warrant for Tuinei's home. The subsequent search yielded marijuana pipes, a marijuana cigarette, a white tablet, a cell phone and papers with phone numbers from Tuinei's house, but no heroin, according to an inventory attached to the affidavit.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello refused comment Monday.

Aiello did note, however, that not all players are subject to random drug testing. Players who have first-time offenses are then randomly tested, however, their names are all confidential.

Under NFL rules, players involved in drug-related violations of the law are subject to disciplinary action.

Word that Tuinei's death might have been drug-related is the latest in a long line of events -- drug charges, weapons charges and other incidents -- to tarnish the Cowboys' silver star in recent years.

All-Pro receiver Michael Irvin was suspended by the NFL in 1996 after a cocaine charge, and then-coach Barry Switzer was arrested in 1997 for taking a gun to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In between, several other Cowboys faced drug- or alcohol-related league suspensions.

The future of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Leon Lett is hanging in the balance after he reportedly failed an NFL drug test for the third time, league sources have said. The violation could carry a lifetime ban.



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Pecos Enterprise
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