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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Wednesday, October 20, 1999
Eagles down Canutillo, clinch playoff spot
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Oct. 20, 1999 -- It took the entire District 2-4A schedule to
do it, but the Pecos Eagles finally came up with an easy home victory Tuesday
night.
Pecos closed out the home portion of their district schedule with a
15-3, 15-9 win over the Canutillo Golden Eagles, a win that clinched a
playoff berth for the host Eagle squad.
The Eagles, who had gone three games in all their other home district
matches, scored 11 of the final 12 points in Game 1, and outscored Canutillo
to close out Game 2 by a 13-1 margin, after falling behind by an 8-3 score.
"It was an easy win. We didn't have to work too hard, but we almost
let them get back in it in the second game," said Eagles' coach Becky Granado.
"We finally started settling down and working hard."
Canutillo is to District 2-4A what Big Spring was to the Eagles' old
District 4-4A _ the biggest school in the district, but one where basketball
plays a bigger role that volleyball. The Golden Eagles were the only team
out of the playoff race prior to Tuesday's matches, and their leading hitter
_ last year's district MVP in basketball Ale Pineda _ had a rough time
dealing with Pecos' Philly Fobbs.
Pineda had just two kills on the night and was blocked once by Fobbs,
while hitting several other shots out. Fobbs had two kills for points in
the opening game, and two more blocks in Game 2, along with a couple of
dinks after a slow start.
"She was just hitting the ball out of bounds. I told her if they're
going to score, make them earn the points," Granado said.
Canutillo went up by five off a Pineda serve and spike by Patricia Guzman
before the Eagles rallied. A spike by Alexa Marquez off Guzman began an
8-0 run, and the visitors also had problems handling serves by Ashley Salcido.
Pecos tied the game on a Marquez kill and got a block and dink from Fobbs
to take the lead.
Canutillo would score their final point on a Cynthia Silvas hit, before
Pecos closed things out off two dinks by Salcido, a spike by Fobbs and
her block of a dink attempt by Stella Alvarez.
The win improved Pecos to 6-2 in district and 17-10 on the season, while
Canutillo fell to ———. Coupled with Clint's win over San Elizario, it assured
the Eagles of no worse than a third place finish. However, the Eagles will
still have to win their match on Saturday at San Elizario to sew up second
place in the 2-4A standings, and then will have to see about the outcome
of Mountain View's match with Clint to see if they'll have to make up their
canceled Sept. 25 contest with the Lobos in El Paso.
Mountain View eliminated Fabens from the playoff race with a 15-9, 15-5
win on Tuesday, and are a game up on San Elizario for third place in District
2-4A. Wins by both the Eagles and Lobos on Saturday would be the only way
to avoid a Monday make-up game, as they would assure Pecos of second place
and clinch third for Mountain View.
Pecos' junior varsity and freshmen teams both went three game s with
Canutillo on Tuesday. The ninth graders lost by 15-13, 12-15, 15-8 scores,
while the JV downed the Golden Eagles, 15-9, 2-15, 15-6.
Mets' miracles end as Braves reach Series
By BEN WALKER
AP Baseball Writer
ATLANTA, Oct. 20, 1999 — So much suspense, so much back-and-forth drama
and still the whole incredible series — the entire season, really — came
down to a full-count pitch.
"Oh, no!" Mets manager Bobby Valentine shouted, slamming the dugout
railing when Kenny Rogers' fastball sailed high and outside.
It was all over. Andruw Jones walked to first base, Gerald Williams
trotted home with one out in the 11th inning and the Atlanta Braves beat
New York 10-9 Tuesday night to win the NL Championship Series 4-2.
The Atlanta Braves, having derailed the Mets' grand plan for a Subway
Series, were headed to the World Series for the fifth time this decade.
Game 1 against the New York Yankees will be Saturday night at Turner
Field. It's a rematch of 1996, when the Yankees won in six games.
Five straight one-run games, with an amazing finale. The Braves blowing
a 5-0 lead, then the Mets losing one-run leads in the eighth and 10th innings.
A sellout crowd of 52,335, including thousands of Mets fans, roaring for
4 1/2 hours.
"It was an extremely stressful week," said Braves reliever John Rocker,
who pitched in every game despite being involved in a car crash Monday.
"Games hinging on one pitch, night after night after night."
After the Mets' 4-3, 15-inning win Sunday at Shea Stadium, the teams
came back to play one of the most thrilling postseason games ever.
"We had chances to die and we didn't," Braves manager Bobby Cox said.
"There's more than one way to win a ballgame."
The Mets nearly became the first team in postseason history to win three
games in a row after losing the first three.
The Mets overcame a 5-0 deficit in the first inning, getting a big home
run by Mike Piazza to make it 7-all in the seventh. But they could not
hold on in the later innings.
"I told them they played like champions," Valentine said. "We don't
have a trophy, but they did everything they had to."
The Mets took a 9-8 lead on Todd Pratt's sacrifice fly in the 10th off
Rocker at exactly the stroke of midnight.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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