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By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
The Andrews Mustangs set the Pecos Eagles up to score three runs in the
first two innings of their game Thursday night ... but the Eagles scored
only once.
But the Mustangs didn't squander the chances given them by the Eagles,
as they pushed across six runs, five of them unearned, in the first two
innings, and went on to an 8-2 home field victory over Pecos.
"We played bad defensively in the first innings, and you can't do that
against a good ballclub," said Eagles' coach Bubba Williams. The Eagles
made three errors in the first two innings, to go along with a couple of
passed balls that led to one of Andrews' five unearned runs.
"I don't know why, but we're always real uptight when we come over
here," Williams said. The Eagles' last win in Andrews was back in 1991.
All the unearned runs came off starter Moses Martinez, 4-2, who
struggled with his control for the second straight game, and for the
third year in a row in Andrews. The junior walked five and hit a batter
in the first two innings, which helped set up a two-run single in the
first by Cody Klein, and August Lewis' two out, bases loaded double in
the second that made it 6-1.
That came after two walks and an error loaded the bases with one out.
Martinez then came back to get Gabe Falcon and Klein - Andrews' two top
hitters - on a fly out ad a strikeout, but then issued a bases-loaded
walk to Elton Emiliano, and saw Lopez take a pitch down the line in left
to break things open.
Klein raised his record to 5-0, going the distance with a two-hit, eight
strikeout performance. But just as Sweetwater failed to take advantage
of their chances against Pecos' Jason Abila in the Eagles' 11-2 win on
Tuesday. Klein wasn't overpowering on Thursday, but did enough to keep
the Eagles off the scoreboard.
He got the Eagles on the board in the first. After walking Eric Abila
and giving up a single to Cisco Rodriguez, he balked both runners up a
base, then allowed Abila to score when his pickoff throw to second base
bounced away from shortstop Falcon.
But then Pecos blew a chance to make it 2-0, when Rodriguez left third
base well before Shaud Williams hauled in Jason Abila's fly ball to
center. Rodriguez had to go back to third, and Klein then struck out
Mark Abila to retire the side.
In the bottom of the first, Martinez opened by hitting Williams with a
pitch. He then had the sophomore picked off first, but his high throw
bounced off Joseph Strain's glove, sending Williams to third. One out
later Falcon walked and moved up on a Mark Abila passed ball, and both
runners scored on Klein's single, as the ball came loose from Abila's
glove as he tried to tag out Falcon.
Emiliano then sacrificed Klein to third, and was safe when Strain
dropped Martinez' throw. Another passed ball followed, scoring Klein.
Pecos missed a chance to score in the second, when Lewis bobbled
Strain's grounder to third, and another bad pickoff throw by Klein sent
him to second. But he made up for it one out later, fielding Oscar
Luna's sacrifice bunt try and throwing to Lewis, who the got Strain in a
rundown between third and second.
Pecos had one more chance to get back into the game, in the fifth. Luna
led off with a single, and Lucio Florez then bounced one by first
baseman Noel Olivas. But second baseman Lance Martin was able to field
it and beat Florez to first for the out, and Luna was then out trying to
go to third on Eric Abila's bouncer to shortstop. A walk to Rodriguez
and two stolen bases followed, but Martin was able to catch Gutierrez
looking for the final out.
Pecos' defense also improved in the later innings, though the damage
was already done. They turned double plays in the third and fourth
innings, and Luna made a diving catch in right-center field on Michael
Hudgens' two-out line drive with the basses loaded in the sixth.
That bailed out Gutierrez, who had come on to replace Martinez in the
fourth. He left after hitting Lewis with two out to load the bases, and
Gutierrez needed just one pitch to get Olivas to foul to Strain at first
base.
Pecos' final run came in the sixth, and was unearned, as Jason Abila
walked and stole second, moved up on a passed ball third strike to
Strain, and scored when Klein bounced a pitch off home plate and over
the backstop.
Before then, Guiterrez, who pitched his first inning since Senior
League last Friday against Lamesa, was for two runs in the fifth, on a
single by Hudgens and Williams, home run shot to left field.
"Richard looked good, but he needs to develop his curve ball," Williams
said. "He's got good velocity, on his fast ball, but they're just going
to sit on that unless he develops a curve."
The Eagles' coach also was optimistic about playing Andrews again next
month in Pecos, despite Klein's two-hitter.
"We made contact against Cody," he said. "We'll be there when we play
Andrews over there (in Pecos)."
The win lifted Andrews to 2-0 in district, and 17-2 on the season,
while the Eagles fell to 1-1 and 10-5, going into Tuesday's home game
against San Angelo Lake View. The Chiefs, 1-0 in district, host Fort
Stockton on Saturday.
...........PECOS............................ ANDREWS
............ab....r....h....bi............ ....ab....r....h....bi
E.Abila cf....3....1....0....0....Williams cf....3....3....1....2
Rdriguz lf....3....0....1....0....Martin 2b....3....1....0....0
R.Gtrz 2b-p....2....0....0....0....Falcon ss....3....1....1....0
J.Abla ss-3b....2....1....0....0....Klein p....4....1....1....2
M.Abila c....3....0....0....0....Emilino c....0....1....0....0
Strain 1b....3....0....0....0....Garcia cr....0....0....0....0
Mendoza 2b....3....0....0....0....A.Lwis 3b....2....1....1....2
Luna rf....3....0....1....0....Olivas 1b....4....0....0....0
Martinez p....0....0....0....0....P.Lwis rf....0....0....0....0
Vasquez ss....0....0....0....0....Hudson dh....3....0....1....0
Florez dh....2....0....0....0....Hamltn dh....0....0....0....0
....... .... .... .... .... ....Fletchr lf....1....1....0....0
...... .... .... .... .... ....Hudgns lf....2....1....1....0
Totals....24....2....2....0....Totals....25....8....6....7
Pecos 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 -|2
Andrews 3 3 0 0 2 0 x -|8
E - Klein 2, Martinez, Strain, A. Lewis, Mendoza 2, J. Abila. DP - Pecos
2. LOB - Pecos 6, Andrews 10. 2B - A. Lewis. HR - Williams. S -
Gutierrez, Emiliano. SB - Luna, E. Abila, Rodriguez.
...................IP H R ER BB KO
Pecos
Martinez L, 4-2.... 3¶ 4 6 1 6 3
R.Gutierrez.........2_ 2 2 2 2 2
Andrews
Klein W, 5-0........ 7 2 2 0 4 8
Balk - Klein.
WP - Martinez, Klein 2. PB - M. Abila 3, Emiliano.
T - 1:59.
Most high school stars don't want to play for Minnesota. Haskins
doesn't like to use freshmen. He substitutes so often that even his
standouts rarely play 30 minutes in a game. He doesn't let his players
wear earrings.
``My dad had a third-grade education. He raised 11 kids on $3,500 a
year. That's where I got my values,'' said Haskins, whose Golden Gophers
meet Kentucky in Saturday's national semifinals.
``I don't believe in earrings, long (shorts) ... tattoos. A few more
years, I'm going to be forced out of coaching because young people don't
(agree). And I think coaches give in to that. But I can't. To get the
blue-chip player, I guess you probably have to, and that's probably why
I don't get that many.''
That might explain one of the big reasons why, in 17 seasons as a head
coach (including six at Western Kentucky before coming to Minnesota),
Haskins is just now making his first Final Four appearance.
Meanwhile, Dean Smith has guided North Carolina into the Final Four for
the 11th time. Smith's coaching opponent in Saturday's other semifinal,
Lute Olson, has Arizona in the national semifinals for the third time in
10 years. And Kentucky coach Rick Pitino is in his third Final Four in
five seasons; he's also bidding for his second consecutive championship.
Pitino respects Haskins' methods - and his results.
``At every phase of the game, his kids play well. They execute, and
they're well disciplined,'' Pitino said. ``It's great to see it happen
for Clem, because he's paid his dues and should be recognized as one of
the premier coaches in our game.''
Pitino, like Haskins, likes to use a lot of players. But Pitino doesn't
have as many to use. Because of injuries, Kentucky (34-4) is using only
eight players. Nonetheless, expect the Wildcats to try to force tempo by
pressing Minnesota (31-3).
(Copyright 1997 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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