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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Friday, March 19, 1999
Eagles struggle in Midland losses
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
MIDLAND, Mar. 19 -- Good pitchers allow opposing teams very
little margin for error. But errors have been the most
consistant thing about the Pecos Eagles this year, and in
Thursday's matchup agaist Abilene Wylie, that meant trouble.
Wylie's Scott Bull allowed only three Pecos hits Thursday,
in the opening round of the West Texas March Classic at
Christensen Stadium, while the Eagles committed five errors
that led to five unearned runs, as the Bulldogs came away
with an 8-4 victory in the opening round of the tournament.
The loss dropped Pecos into an 10 a.m. consolation
quarterfinal game today against Colorado City, and the
Eagles ran into the same problems, allowing six unearned
runs in the first five innings, while managing just two hits
of pitcher Abel Bonilla, as the Wolves routed the Eagles by
a 12-0 final score.
"I hope they now see what I'm talking about," said Eagles'
coach Bubba Williams after Thursday's loss. "You can't make
that many mistakes against a good team."
...or even an average team, as Pecos found out this morning.
Colorado City was beaten in their tournament opener by Fort
Stockton, 14-9, but had little problem against the Eagles at
Greenwood High School.
The Wolves got their first two run after a two-out error by
Luis Salgado at shortstop, on a throwing error by catcher
Mark Abila and an RBI single by Chris Ferris. Then in the
third with two outs starter Pifi Montoya, 1-1, allowed two
hits and two walks to make it 3-0, before an error by Louis
Valencia at second base allowed two more runs to score.
Two more errors and two more unearned runs followed in the
fifth inning, and Colorad City added their final four runs
-- two unearned -- in the sixth, giving the Eagles a total
of 60 unearned runs allowed in just 13 games this season.
While giving up all those unearned runs the past two days,
the Eagles did take advantage of a couple of Wylie errors to
score a pair of unearned runs on Thursday. both of which got
Pecos to within a run of the Bulldogs, at 2-1 and 5-4. But a
baserunner error by Ricky Herrera got Bull out of trouble in
the fourth inning, and then a throwing error by catcher Mark
Abila on a third strike opened the way for Wylie to score
three runs in the fifth inning.
The mistakes helped hand Joshua Casillas his first loss in
five decisions. "Josh wasn't as on as last time (a
13-strikeout victory over El Paso Ysleta), bu we should have
made the plays behind him," Williams said.
Wyile took a 2-0 lead when Rocky Hussman's shot went off
Herrera's glove at third base for an error to open the third
inning. One out later Hussman stole second and scored on a
single by Bull, who then came in when R.D. Hussman tripled
to right-center field.
Pecos got one run back when Herrera walked, went to third on
a bad pickoff throw by Bull, and scored on Oscar Luna's
sacrifice fly. But in the fourth the Eagles blew coverage on
a Danny Ruth sacrifice bunt after an infield hit by Jerod
Medhila. Chad Chambers followed with a double to left-center
field, and after Ruth came in on a passed ball by Abila,
Chambers scored on Rocky Hussman's sacrifice fly.
Pecos got those runs back in their next at bat, when Jeffrey
Martinez and John Gutierrez walked with one out and scored
on Luis Salgado's two-out bloop single to center. He scored
when Medhila bobbled then threw away Herrera's grounder to
second base, but then inning ended on Mason Abila's single
to left, when Herrera ran through coach Elias Payan's stop
sign at third base and was caught in a rundown.
But after cutting the lead to one, the Eagles gave it right
back. Abila threw low to first base after Brett Unger struck
out for an error, and he scored when Medhila doubled down
the line in right. Louis Valencia then booted Ruth's
grounder to second, and after another passed ball by Abila
let Medhila score, Ruth got Wylie's final run on a Rocky
Hussman sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, Bull settled down after Abila's single and
retired the final six batters he faced in order, before the
game was called at then end of the sixth inning under the
two-hour time limit.
This morning's loss sends Pecos back to Greenwood at 10 a.m.
on Saturday for a guaranteed game against either Clint or
Muleshoe. The Lions lost their opener Thursday to Kermit by
a 4-2 score, while Muleshoe was beaten by Monahans in their
opener, 9-1.
Pecos resumes 2-4A play against Lions
PECOS, Mar. 19 -- The Pecos Eagles' softball team has a
chance to open some space between themselves and the second
place Clint Lions this afternoon, when the Eagles host the
Lions in a 4 p.m. game at Martinez Field.
Pecos took over sole possession of first place in the
District 2-4A standings on Tuesday, even while they were
dropping an 11-6 non-district game to Monahans. That's
because Clint was in the process of losing their first 2-4A
game, by a 14-7 score to El Paso Mountain View, leaving the
Lions with a 3-1 district mark, 6-5 overall.
Pecos is 3-0 and 6-5 after their loss to the Loboes. The
Eagles took an early 3-1 lead in the game, fell behind 5-3
then lost in the seventh inning after tying the score at
5-all. Monahans collected eight straight hits off pitcher
Alexa Marquez, who had allowed just one run and two hits in
the Eagles' three district games.
The Eagles close out the first half of district play next
week, with the first of two straight Tuesday trips to El
Paso. The Eagles will face San Elizario, currently tied with
Clint for second with a 3-1 record. San Elizario faces
Mountain View and Fabens meets Canutillo in today's other
2-4A games.
Girls run in Andrews, boys in Odessa
PECOS, Mar. 19 -- If the Pecos Eagles were in the other El
Paso Class 4A district, the West Texas Relays in Odessa
today and Saturday would be a good preview of next month's
District 2-4A track meet.
But they're not, and so the Eagle boys will have to wait
until April to see any of their district foes, while they
run against El Paso High, El Paso Burges, El Paso Parkland
and El Paso Ysleta today and Saturday.
Lubbock Estacado, Hereford and two New Mexico schools,
Artesia and Ruidoso, make up the rest of the Class 4A field
at Ratliff Stadium, where action begins at 2:30 p.m. today
with field event finals, along with running preliminaries in
the other events. The remaining field event finals start at
10:30 a.m. Saturday, with running finals set for 11:45 a.m.
with the 3,200 meter race.
While the boys run in Odessa, Pecos' girls will be up in
Andrews on Saturday for the Mustang Relays, starting at 9
a.m. with the 3200 meter run. Along with the Eagles and
Mustangs, Monahans, Big Spring, Seminole, Hobbs, N.M. and
Lovington, N.M. round out the field.
Both Eagle teams figure to be in better shape as far as
personnel goes than at their first two meets of the year, in
Fort Stockton and Kermit. The Eagles were unable to field
1600 meter relay teams two weeks ago at the Permian Basin
Relays, and were short several sprinters as well at the
Kermit meet.
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
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Copyright 1999 by Pecos Enterprise
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