THE BATTALION
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1979
Page 11
here’s no tomorrow’
Ags battle
Raiders
By MARK PATTERSON
I Battalion Sports Staff
s a year ago Sunday that Mark
Jond took the mound for the
fcggies and pitched a no-hitter
inst he Texas Tech Red Raiders,
piroo id will try to repeat his his-
■at when lli<' senior left-hander
th< rubber against the Raiders
Jlbock Saturday.
With nine conference contests left
their schedule, the Aggies are
Ljng a game of catch-up. Texas
■ 10-4 in conference, trails
^|leading Texas, 14-1, by SVi
jgoing into SWC action this
Ind.
^■Longhorns will host the SMU
Kgs and the Aggies make the
rip west to face Tech. The
L 7-11 in conference play,
id three games to the Univer-
fHouston last weekend,
second-place Arkansas and
( j exas left on its schedule, Texas
cannot afford another loss in
loyedfcyl aeBaining nine conference games
ire ismti th&Aggies hope to have a chance at
Europe, e conference crown.
“We can’t lose another game if we
ope to win conference,” Coach Tom
handler said. “We have to play
eery game like we’re playing for the
ennant We’ve got to win; there’s
o tomorrow.
“With the pitching depth that
,}/ emhas, we can’t depend on some-
) £\[ ie to beat them. We have to win it
yourselves.’’
The Marks brothers, seniors Ross
o becais U Thurmond, will start the first
omefe b games of the Tech series for the
ggies. Ross, 6-3 on the year and 3-2
tiononi! [conference play, carries a 2.66
profits |RAinto Friday’s game. Ross will be
binguns pos< by Tech’s Jamie Miller,
id occmi 5‘fioss has been pitching as well as
s and 4 die last year (compiling a 10-3
1. icord and a 2.46 ERA),” Chandler
bill, b] 1 id.f The competition he’s gone up
Antonio [aiftst this year has been a lot
from beii pgirer than it was last year,
s, inclnd “He lost a tough game to the Uni-
whidnlpy of Miami earlier in the year
rm per id lest a 2-0 heartbreaker to Rice’s
Ilian Ramirez. His pitching hasn’t
that tnlerjall that bad.”
BMtros have
arly success
ortionil ^■United Press International
ng state: HOUSTON _ The Houston As-
ior to is early-season success may be
d preve: jbugl to make Bob Watson wish he
society, dkept his critical remarks to him-
rhas 1)11 last year.
ippress jPitching — four shutouts, seven
IBillKf hpkte games and a 1.89 staff
ited 0- R — is the primary reason for a
1580 dlepn the face of the veteran first
rburdeit leman who asked early in 1978
ncially heltraded to a contending ball-
ib.
includifi Intjin our clubhouse since 1972
earned 'enfcve were at the top for awhile, ”
onstituS wsoi said. “And our confidence is
iourtfa high now as it has ever been.”
ir guafl p? Astros, 9-4, returned home
dy|rhursday to begin a weekend
!r *es against Pittsburgh with a
re-game lead in the National
▼ Qf ; ®S Ue Western Division. J.R.
f du (3-0) and Ken Forsch (3-0)
ere scheduled to pitch the first two
4 against the Pirates today and
Jay-
hutouts over Los Angeles by
■i and Vern Ruble this week
Houston to its first winning
JIJrip since September, 1977.
e M ame home with a 4-3 record.
Hot of people probably thought
Hall apart after we lost our first
tjjames of this trip in San Fran-
but this team doesn’t quit,”
aseman Enos Cabell said.
|“ bight of their 13 games, Hous
es taken an early lead.
ats a big key,” Cabell said.
B^Peed puts so much pressure
°ther guys early. Then our
B rs shut them down.”
^Piston s record ties its best start
Recorded. It was not until June,
^at the Astros faded. They
ido 1 ’* 1 H 01 c h* a d en ged for a pennant
uit “ Hny losing seasons caused Wat-
■ 10-year veteran, to ask Astros
■rent Tal Smith early last season
■faded. He was highly critical of
Pam s attitude and he said he
e to play fo r a winner before
tiring.
B deal materialized despite
ls hard work to satisfy the dis-
^, e d slugger.
R 0r f this season Watsc** c?’d he
ff ffhje 100 percent to the Astros
T eless. However, he is hitting
and there is sentiment among
—. media members for Manager
11 'u° n to re pl ac e Watson with
i n ^ der ge i
ew "’I 111
thatk 1
lisease^
y infe®
Hattb*
ian and 1 '
hysiciflc,
3 3 S® 11 ;
,t profl
nkets.
knot
u.s. 11
,d
br
to ou tfielder Jeff Leonard
|he lineup regularly.
1 ■7, ar d- a rookie, is not the only
ff 1 ln g Astro. Leadoff batter
i rr( "hi ( 333) is 13-for-30 on a
esa U s ®y en ‘game hitting streak.
Ue p e deno is batting .375 and
a| JjV 2 /. 2 ** 2 ) shared the league
■ Wl th 14 r Bi
tson said the attitude of the As-
. s as Pleased him.
Hr, T 5 ,? a big positive charge on
1 tit iaf ’ sa * < d- And it’s impor-
Tfll |efs K^ We Iriaintain ft, win or lose.
ev eryone thinks positive,
club for a change”
Thurmond will pitch the opening
game of Saturday’s twin bill. Thur
mond, 8-1 on the year, pitched the
first no-hitter for the Aggies' since
Bobby Wittkamp performed the feat
in 1974.
“Realistically, when I go out to
pitch Saturday, I don’t think I’ll
throw another one, ” Thurmond said.
“No-hitters are few and far between.
You never expect to throw a no
hitter, much less two of them.
There’s a lot of luck involved.
It was two years ago, against Tech
in Lubbock, that Thurmond began to
make a name for himself in the Texas
Mark
Thurmond
A&M record books. In the first game
of the series, after Mark Ross de
veloped a blister on his finger,
Thurmond came on in relief, pitched
seven innings and gave up one
earned run. Following the Tech se
ries Thurmond was inserted into the
starting rotation and has been a
member ever since.
Since that win in Lubbock two
years ago, Thurmond has compiled a
20-1 conference record, his only loss
coming this season to the Baylor Be
ars. It’s a loss he says he hasn’t forgot
ten.
“I couldn’t wait to pitch after I lost
to Baylor,” Thurmond said. “I don’t
like that losing taste in my mouth. I
needed to win again.
“I pitch better in hot weather and
it’s about my time of year. I’m start
ing to throw the ball better. The last
two years I’ve finished strong. I pitch
my best ball at the end of the sea
son.”
Coach Chandler hasn’t decided on
his starting pitcher for the third
game of the series this weekend.
What happens in the first two games
will dictate who will start in the se
ries finale.
“I won’t know who the third
starter will be until I see how Ross
and Thurmond pitch,” Chandler
said. “If they can pitch complete
games, then Johnny Pockrus will
probably start the third game.
After having their problems at the
plate earlier in the season, lately the
Aggies have been picking up the
clutch hit when they need it. Shelton
Me Math enters the Tech series as
the leading hitter on the Texas A&M
club, carrying a .341 average with 21
RBIs and five home runs on the year.
Randy Woodruff is close behind with
a .330 average.
“The team’s shown some signs of
snapping out of their slump, ” Chan
dler said. “Shelly’s having a great
year for us. He’s really hitting the
ball well.
“And I’m really impressed with his
play in the field. He’s made some
great catches for us and he’s got that
great right-fielder’s arm. I’m vey
happy with what he’s done.”
The Red Raiders counter with
adequate hitters as well. Outfielder
Larry Selby ranks second in the
SWC in batting with a .415 average.
“Down through the years the
Raiders have always had a tough ball
club,” Chandler said. “Before the
season they were picked to finish in
the first division. But their pitching
hasn’t measured up like it should
have. They just haven’t been getting
consistently good pitching.”
Junior Mark Johnston will oppose
Thurmond in Saturday’s first game.
Johnston leads the Tech staff in
victories this season. Posting a 4-4
season record, he is 4-2 in confer
ence play with a 3.09 ERA. Robert
Bryant, 3-2 and 1-2, will pitch the
series’ final game for Tech.
“This is a must series for us,”
Thurmond said. “We need a sweep
to keep the pressure on Texas. They
have to lose or we don’t have a
chance.
“We just have to keep battling for
everything we can get.”
/upTnamb*
m
MSC Committee for Awareness of
CAMAC
Eddie Dominguez ’66
Joe Arciniega ’74
ARE YOU ONE OF THE THOUSANDS
OF NATIONWIDE WHO
WILL LEAVE COLLEGE THIS YEAR?
Today’s Army may be able to help.
Everyday, men and women are earning
college credits part-time while being
soldiers full-time. And the Army is
paying up to 75% of their tuition for ap
proved courses.
Also, many are contributing to a sav
ings plan that will provide financial
assistance for college following their
first enlistment. Sound like the answer
to your problems?
Call Army Opportunities at
SSG JAMES DODSON
120 Washington Ave
Bryan 822-5713 or 822-1569
Join the people who've joined the Army.
An Equal Opportunity Employer
CINEMA I
Tickets for this exclusive and special engagement
are $2. Regular rates will resume with our next
midnight feature.
PLITT Southern 'TZeoJuu
UNIVERSITY SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER
CORNER OF UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE
ROYAL
FLASH
846-6714 & 846-1151
COLLEGE STATION
JHC HIM MAT S AS
AS TODAYS NT A Dim S'
Malcolm McDowell, Alan
Bates, Florinda Bolkan,
Oliver Reed, Britt Ekland,
Lionel Jeffries
PG
“Lester's elegant slapstick style is
entertaining to watch . . . witty and
intelligent dialogue . . . flashes of real
comic inspiration ..."
— Sylvia Miller
British Film Institute
“As in all Richard Lester's films, he
gives us quite an eyeful. The gorgeous
Bavarian locations are enhanced by
Geoffrey Unsworth's lush photogra
phy, and Ken Thorne's background
score perfectly sets the mood of an
an ti-roman tic, roman tic -ad ven ture,
satirical parody. Even with his hu
morous anachronisms, Lester gives
us some of the most beautiful and
accurate period work available to
film audiences today—rivaled only
by Barry Lyndon." — Millimeter
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MIDNIGHTS
Tickets go on sale at 6:30
$1.25