PECOS ENTERPRISE

Daily Newspaper for Reeves County, Trans Pecos, Big Bend, Far West Texas

News|Opinion|Home Page|Archives Menu|Classified|Advertising|Monahans|

Sports

March 26, 1997

Eagles use full flock to chase off Mustangs


Return to top
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Mar. 26 -- There were no really dominating performances in the
Pecos Eagles' district-opening win over the Sweetwater Mustangs Tuesday
night. Instead, the Eagles got a little bit of help from 10 different
players, and in the long run, that may be better for their playoff
chances this season.

Pitcher Jason Abila did strike out 14 Sweetwater batters, but he also
surrendered seven hits and five walks on the night. The strikeouts did
get him out of a couple of tight spots, but his defense also came
through when it needed two, and eight of the Eagles' nine batters also
came up with hits, as Pecos scored an 11-2 victory.

Abila raised his record to 3-2 on the season, and the Eagles had their
second straight single-error game, while taking advantage of Sweetwater
mistakes to score the go-ahead runs in the second inning, and put things
away with a six-run fifth.

"That's the first sound defense we've played behind Jason," Eagles'
coach Bubba Williams said. "If we play defense behind him, he's going to
be tough to beat.

"We we make errors behind Jason, he gets frustrated, but when we play
defense he gets into a rhythm. They may hit him, but they won't do it
consistently," Williams added.

Abila got help in the first inning from outfielder Eric Abila, as he
threw out Curt Alexander trying to go from first to third on Steven
Weyman's two-out single to right. In the second, the Eagles lone error
helped the Mustangs get their final run, as Eddie Campos stole third and
scored when Mark Abila's throw went into left field. Campos had singled
home Michael Gomez, who led off the inning with a triple.

Pecos had already scored twice in the first, and added two more in the
second. Abila then bailed himself out in the third, fanning Jarod
Shelton, Weyman and Jason Gomez after leadoff walks to Justin Gee and
Marty Smith, and Mark Abila would later throw out two Mustang
baserunners trying to steal in the late innings.

Shelton started on the mound for Sweetwater and struck out seven
batters, but was hurt by both his defense and by the Eagles' success in
executing at the plate.

Cisco Rodriguez singled and scored in the first on a base hit by Jason
Abila, after a Richard Gutierrez walk. Gutierrez then came in on a
passed ball by catcher Nick Boil.

In the second, Nestor Mendoza's two strike single got things going.
Oscar Luna then sacrificed Mendoza to second and was safe at first on a
low throw by Michael Gomez at third base. Designated hitter Lucio Florez
then sent a deep fly to center field that Gee appeared to have, then
dropped. That scored Mendoza and Luna then come home on a one-out
squeeze bunt by Rodriguez.

Pecos wasted a one-out double by Mark Abila in the third, but in the
fourth, when Florez did the same thing, he came home on a two-out single
by Rodriguez.

"Cisco did a good job hitting in the No. 2 position. He got the suicide
squeeze bunt down, and hit to right field with two out when he needed
to," Williams said of the RBI single.

Right field hits would help Pecos break things open in the fifth.
Mendoza got the first, sending one down the line with one out, after a
Jason Abila hit and a walk to Mark Abila. Luna then went to left field
with another RBI single before Florez found a hole between three Mustang
players just behind first base. The ball spun off into foul territory,
Florez wound up with a two-run 120-foot triple and the Eagles lead grew
to 9-2.

Florez would score the 10th run when shortstop Brett Bishop threw wide
to first on Rodriguez' two out grounder, and Shelton was replaced on the
mound by Jeremy Maxwell after Gutierrez singled home Rodriguez with the
final run of the night.

"We ran the bases, and we executed in hit-and-run situations," Williams
said. "We also came through with two out base hits. Last year, we
weren't doing that."

The Eagles' mark improved to 10-4 on the season, while Sweetwater falls
to 4-11 overall. Pecos will now face their toughest test of the season
on Thursday night, when they go to Andrews for a 7:30 p.m. game.

The Mustangs improved to 16-2 on the season with an 8-3 win at Fort
Stockton in their District 4-4A opener, while Lake View won at Big
Spring, 9-2, in the other 4-4A opener.
......... SWEETWATER............................ PECOS
<at>
.......... ......ab......r......h......bi......
......ab......r......h......bi
Gee cf.........1......0......0......0......E.Abila
cf...4......0......0......0
Sepeda ph......1......0......0......0.....Rdriguz
lf....3......2......2......2
Smith 2b......3......0......1......0......R.Gutrez
3b...3......1......1......1
Shleton p......2......0......0......0.....J. Abila
p...4......0......2......1
Alexndr cr....0......0......0......0.....E. Aguilr
cr...0......1......0......0
Maxwell p......1......0......0......0......M.Abila
c....3......1......1......0
Weyman 1b......3......0......1......0......Strain
1b....4......0......1......0
J.Gomez rf......3......0......0......0.....Mendoza
2b...4......2......2......1
M.Gmez 3b......2......1......1......0......Luna
cf......3......2......1......1
Price 3b......0......0......0......0....Vasquez
ss......0......0......0......0
Campos lf......3......1......3......1....Florez
dh......4......2......2......2
Bishop ss......2......0......0......0
Mldndo ss......1......0......0......0
Boil c......0......0......0......0
Hefner dh......2......0......0......0
Hall dh......1......0......1......0

Totals......25......2......7......1......Totals......32......11......12.
.....8
<xt>
Sweetwater..... 0 2 0 ... 0 0 0 ... 0 -- 2
Pecos.......... 2 2 0 ... 1 6 0 ... x --11
E -- M. Garcia 2, M. Abila, Gee, Wayman, Bishop, Maldonado. DP -- Pecos
1. LOB -- Sweetwater 7, Pecos 7. 2B -- M. Abila, Florez, Hall. 3B -- M.
Garcia, Florez. S -- Luna, Rodriguez. SB -- Campos 2, Luna 2, Florez,
Mendoza, Rodriguez, E. Aguilar, Strain, Smith 2. CS -- Gee, Hall (by M.
Abila).

..................IP H R ER BB KO
Sweetwater
Shelton L, 2-3 ...4¶ 11 11 6 2 7
Maxwell ..........1_ 1 0 0 0 3
Pecos
J. Abila W, 3-2 ..7 7 2 1 5 14
WP -- Shelton. PB -- Boil.
T -- 2:14.

Contracts key to Braves-Indians deal


Return to top
By The Associated Press

ATLANTA, Mar. 26 (AP) -- The big trade between the Atlanta Braves and
Cleveland Indians is the talk of baseball.

Though both teams talked about making major deals this spring, their
swap Tuesday was a shocker -- Atlanta sent Marquis Grissom and David
Justice to the Indians for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree.

``This is a trade of enormous magnitude for two very, very good
franchises,'' Indians general manager John Hart said. ``We're talking
about franchise-type players.''

New York Yankees manager Joe Torre was intrigued.

``It's an interesting trade,'' he said. ``I thought both clubs got
quality players. Lofton is such a good player, you say `Wow, he's out of
our league.'''

Boston Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette said the deal topped
anything he discussed with Cleveland or Atlanta.

``We've had conversations with both of those teams,'' he said, ``but not
a trade of that caliber.''

Clearly, there were considerations beyond the players' talents.

The Indians faced losing Lofton to free agency at the end of the season.
The Braves saved $7.7 million off their projected $62 million payroll,
highest in the majors.

Lofton and Grissom are regarded as the two best center fielders and
leadoff hitters in baseball. Both are 29, and both are coming off
outstanding seasons.

Lofton batted .317 last year, setting career highs with 210 hits and 75
stolen bases.

``I've done everything they've asked me to do in Cleveland, and I
thought I would be rewarded. I guess they rewarded me by trading me to
Atlanta,'' he said.

Grissom, a native of Atlanta who was acquired from Montreal in a trade
before the 1995 season, batted .308 with 23 homers, 74 RBIs and 28
stolen bases.

Justice, 30, had his best season in 1993 with 40 homers and 120 RBIs.
His home run gave Atlanta a 1-0 win over the Indians in the clinching
Game 6 of the 1995 World Series, but he missed most of the 1996 season
after dislocating his shoulder May 15.

``I'm in shock,'' Justice said. ``If I was supposed to shed any tears,
it was when I said goodbye to the guys.''

The NL champion Braves traded the high-priced Justice so they can try to
re-sign pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, both free agents at the
end of the season. Justice, who missed nearly all of last season with a
shoulder injury, will make $12.5 million in the next two seasons.

The AL Central champion Indians could have lost Lofton, winner of four
straight Gold Gloves and five consecutive AL stolen base titles, to free
agency at the end of the season.

``We had to make this trade based on the fact that Kenny Lofton is a
free agent at the end of the '97 season,'' Hart said. ``We went through
it last year with Albert Belle, and Albert left us. We were not prepared
to let that happen again.''

As for recent baseball trades involving so many star players, few
compare.

Toronto and San Diego pulled off a big deal after the 1990 season with
Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar going to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff
and Tony Fernandez.

In late 1992, the Oakland Athletics sent Jose Canseco to Texas for Ruben
Sierra, Bobby Witt and Jeff Russell.

The most intriguing baseball trade in years was driven by finances and
the prospect of Lofton's free agency. The Braves shaved their payroll
$5,844,000 by making the deal, and also will save about $1,870,400 in
luxury tax.

The deal raises Cleveland's payroll from an estimated $52 million to
nearly $58 million.

Grissom will make $4.8 million a year through 1999, while Justice will
be paid $6 million this season and $6.5 in 1998. Lofton will make $4.75
million in '97, the option year of his contract. Embree makes only
$206,000.

It was another major deal pulled off by Hart, who has praised for ending
four decades of losing in Cleveland and then criticized for overseeing
the breakup of the team. Fourteen players, including starters Belle,
Lofton, Eddie Murray and Carlos Baerga, are gone from the club that won
Cleveland's first AL championship in 41 years in '95.

Belle signed with the rival Chicago White Sox this offseason. Murray and
Baerga, traded in separate, controversial deals last summer, both called
Lofton when they heard he'd been traded, too.

``Eddie was more settled, calm,'' Lofton said. ``He just said, `It's
part of the game. You've got to move on.' Carlos just laughed.''

The Braves, who have been to the World Series four of the last six
years, gain Lofton for at least one season while making room for
talented young outfielders Andruw Jones and Jermaine Dye.

(Copyright 1997 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Return to top

State and Regional Sports Pages--San Angelo Standard-Times


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. Neither these AP
Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for
personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for
any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the
transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages
arising from any of the foregoing.


Copyright 1997 by Pecos Enterprise
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@bitstreet.com
Return to Sports Menu

Return to Home Page