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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Sports
Friday, April 16, 1999
Eagles cage Lobos, claim district title
By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, Apr. 16 -- What was the different between last and
first for the Pecos Eagles' softball team?
A hose and a bucket.
Last year, after closing out their first varsity season,
Pecos Eagles got sprayed down by her players with the hose
at Martinez Field even though Pecos ended up with an 0-10
record in District 4-4A.
Thursday, it was the more traditional Gatoraide victory
bucket that was dumped on top of Walls, after her team
defeated El Paso Mountain View, 10-0, to clinch the District
2-4A title.
After an error on the first play of the game, Pecos' defense
was perfect after that, while the Eagles took advantage of
some early mistakes by Mountain View to jump out to a 3-0
lead before getting the bats going in the third and fourth
innings.
"Our bats came alive after a while. I think we were nervous
and were taking too big a stride and popping the ball up,"
Walls said. "Then we started thinking about what we were
going to do and began hitting on top of the ball."
Pecos came into the Thursday's make-up contest with a
half-game lead on Clint for the district title, while
Mountain View needed a win to have a chance to tie San
Elizario for the third and final Class 4A playoff berth.
But after Monica Navarette reached on a dropped throw by
Jessica Rodriguez to open the game, the Lobos never got a
runner further than second base off pitcher Alexa Marquez,
who followed up Tuesday's two-hit victory over San Elizario
with a two-hit win over Mountain View, her 12th of the
season.
Alexa's change up was working real good," Walls said. "Her
change up kind of looked like a knuckleball. It kind of
floated."
Marquez would record two of her seven strikeouts after
Navarette reached base, and then in the bottom of the first
the Eagles would score three times off Heather Bustamante.
She walked Rodriguez and Kathy Maldonado to open the game,
and after Rodriguez was caught at home plate on a
double-steal, Katrina Quiroz singled to left, scoring
Maldonado. She would steal second and score when Rebecca
Wein's grounder went through Susy Alva's legs at shortstop
for an error. Courtesy runner Evelyn Galindo then stole
second and scored when Kristina Aguilar threw Valerie
Gonzales' grounder to third past Jennifer Marsorra at first
base for an error.
Aguilar would throw away two almost identical slow taps down
the third base line to open the third inning, when the
Eagles added two more runs. The plays allowed Gonzales to
score and Ashley Salcido to reach third, from where she came
in on Mireya Medrano's ground out.
The Eagles' hits were a little longer in their four-run
fourth. Rodriguez opened with a triple and scored when the
throw to third got past Aguilar and Bustamante. Maldonado
blooped a single to center and came around on a stolen base,
a passed ball and a wild pitch, and Quiroz followed with a
single, then stole second and went to third when catcher
Jennifer Barraza threw the ball into center field.
She scored on Wein's ground out, and Gonzales would add a
ninth run when she was hit by a pitch, got to third on a
steal and wild pitch and scored on Medrano's sacrifice fly.
Marquez then ended the game in the bottom of the fifth under
the 10-run rule, as she singled to center and then came
around on a stolen base, passed ball and wild pitch.
"We played all right. We still could have played better,"
said Walls, whose team will await the outcome of bi-district
play between the runner-up team in District 3-4A and the
third place team in District 4-4A before knowing who their
first-ever playoff opponent will be.
Walls said that game would probably be played next Saturday,
April 24, but before then she was hoping to get the Eagles a
practice game against another area school awaiting the start
of post-season.
Eagles' opponents unknown for district track
PECOS, Apr. 16 -- The District 2-4A track and field meet
will be a journey into the unknown for the Pecos Eagles
today and Friday at El Paso Mountain View High School.
That's because the Eagles have yet to face any of their
first-time district rivals in track and field before today,
with Pecos competing exclusively in the Permian Basin and
Concho Valley over the past six weeks, while Clint, Fabens,
Mountain View, Canutillo and San Elizario have spent that
same time at meets in the El Paso area or southern New
Mexico.
So girls coach Lily Talamantez and boys coach Vance
Washington can't be positive about what to expect, but both
are hoping to earn several regoinal berths over the next two
days.
The meet opens at 6 p.m. CDT today with field event finals
and the finals of the 3200 meter run. Other running
preliminaries are set for this evening, with finals starting
with the 400 meter relay at 11 a.m. CDT on Saturday.
Clint will be favored on the girls' side, but the Eagles
will have just about a full team out for the first time this
weekend.
"We'll have everybody except for Nicole (Payne) said
Talamantez. Payne hurt her knee in Tuesday's softball win
over San Elizario, but several other softball team members
will participate at Mountain View, including freshmen
Jessica Rodriguez and Kathy Maldonado in the triple jump and
100 meter dashes.
Pecos advanced to regionals last year in the 800 meter
relay, and Talamantez said, "I feel like now that we've got
all four girls on the mile relay and the 800 we'll be
strong. I hope we can get one out and possibly both."
Shaye Lara and Cristina Arenivas and Yvette Barreno will
run on both relays, with Crystal Garcia in the 800 and
Rodriguez in the 1600.
The Eagles' best finishes so far this year have been second
place efforts by Brandi Harrison in the 3200 and Julie Lujan
in the shot put.
The boys' best finish was a gold by Jacob Esparza in the
triple jump, and going into the district meet, Washington
said, "He's got the best effort there."
Both Eagle coaches were in El Paso last week, and
Washington said, "I saw some of Clint's sprint relay, and
right now we have the two fastest times. " He said the
Eagles also are among the leaders in the 1600 meter relay
going into the meet.
Esparza, Jason Payne and Daniel Terrazas will run in the
sprints, where Clint's D.J. Sheppard and Fabens' Vince
Culbreth will be the main competition, while Orlando Matta
and Lucio Florez will compete in the hurdles and Len Carson
and Lee Lyles in the 800 meters.
Reports say test snares Lett again
IRVING, Texas, Apr. 16 (AP) -- Star defensive tackle Leon
Lett faces the prospect of lifetime suspension from the NFL
after failing a drug test for the third time, according to
published reports today that also raised the possibility of
a Michael Irvin trade.
An official with the National Football League told the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram that Lett's future in the
league is in limbo after the eight-year veteran failed a
recent drug test. It is unclear which drug was detected by
the test.
An unidentified Cowboys official and a team player also
told The New York Times that NFL commissioner
Paul Tagliabue is reviewing an appeal filed by Lett on the
test.
Lett, who was suspended for parts of the 1995-1997 seasons
because of failed drug tests, might be challenging validity
of the test collection and processing arrangements, which he
also did before imposition of his second ban, according to
The Times.
The newspaper said Lett faces a ban of at least one year
under the NFL's drug policies.
``We thought Leon was straightening out his life,'' the
Cowboys official who declined to be identified told The
Times, adding that his emotions concerning Lett ranged from
``sadness to anger.''
``This is terrible news,'' he said.
If Lett's appeal is denied, the Cowboys would be forced to
look for a defensive tackle. The draft starts Saturday.
League sources also told the Star-Telegram that the Cowboys
would entertain trade offers for all-time leading receiver
Michael Irvin.
The 12-year veteran, who is in the final year of his
contract, responded to the report by telling the newspaper
``that's fine.''
But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that Irvin has been
part of any trade talk.
``That's just not right,'' he told the newspaper.
Dallas area telephone numbers for Lett and Irvin are
unpublished and they could not be reached early today by The
Associated Press for comment.
``The entire program is based on confidentiality,'' Jones
told The Dallas Morning News. ``We're not in a position to
make any comment nor would we want to. No one from The New
York Times has called and asked me or anyone in the
organization questions about this.''
Lett's agents told The News and the Star-Telegram they were
either unaware of or could not comment about the report.
``I haven't heard anything about it, and I would have heard
about it unless it was moving so quickly,'' agent Jim
Steiner said Thursday. ``I'm going to have to get a copy of
the report and go to work on this tomorrow.''
Lett, who has been in the NFL substance abuse program since
1995, was suspended by the league for four games during th.
Michael Claiborne, Lett's other agent, said he spoke to the
defensive lineman Monday and would be shocked if the Pro
Bowler failed another drug test under the NFL program.
Lett recorded 51 tackles, four sacks, 20 quarterback
pressures and a team-high seven tackles for losses last
season. His presence was considered a big reason the Cowboys
run defense improved from 24th in 1997 to 12th in 1998.
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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