Page 16 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 1981 TANK AFNAMAKA by Jeff Millar & Bill Hinds Softball team competing in Indiana Baseball team completes series sweep of USA, 10-4 By FRANK L. CHRISTLIEB Battalion Staff Putting on their second display of fine overall ofiense and defense in two days, the Texas A&M baseball team beat the University of South Alabama 10-4 Wednesday afternoon in front of a tiny Olsen Field gathering of 150 people to sweep the two-game series. Instead of scoring all of their runs in the last three innings like in their 9-3 Tuesday night win, the Aggies scored them all in the first four innings Wednesday and picked up seven of their nine hits in those innings as well. Once again the Aggies, who have won seven of their last nine, played well defensively. A&M is now making fine defensive plays in important situations, and has made only two errors in the last seven games. Aggie starting pitcher Gerry Salinas, 1-0, making his first start of the year, gave US A one run and four hits in seven innings before being relieved by Lane Taylor in the eighth. In his first pitching appearance of the year, Taylor gave up three runs in the ninth when he couldn’t throw strikes, walking four men. However, the Jaguars were too far behind to have any hopes of catching the Aggies, as B.B. Schott came in to insure the win for Salinas. Billy Cannon, playing shortstop for the first time in several games, started the Aggie scoring in the first inning when he hit a two-run homer with J.P. Bramhall on first base. Joey Szekely duplicated Can non’s hit in the second, hitting a two-run homer with Terry Lawrence on second base. Leading 4-0, A&M scored three runs in the third inning, two of which were unearned as a result of two USA errors. The only hits in the inning were singles by Rodney Hodde and Mark Magee, and the only RBI came on Terry Lawrence’ sacrifice fly. Aggies scored three more runs in the fourth on a walk to Tim Boyes, a single by Hodde, a walk to Lawrence and a two-run double by Kevin Smith. The third run of the inning scored on a sacrifice fly by Clint Heard, giving A&M a 10-0 lead after four in nings. The Jaguars didn’t score off Salinas until the seventh, when they did so on a single, a stolen base and another single. Then in the ninth, they scored the three runs to make the final score 10-4. The Aggies, 27-15-1 and 5-9-1 in the SWC, now return to conference play in a three-game series with the Baylor Bears Friday and Saturday in Olsen Field. Friday’s single game starts at 7:30 p.m. and Satur day’s double header starts at 1:00 p.m. Valenzuela leads Dodgers over Astros, again, 1-0 United Press International HOUSTON — The Los Angeles Dodgers might be the de fending West Division champion if at the end of last season Fernan do Valenzuela had been asked to pitch the Dodgers’ one-game divi sion playoff against the Houston Astros. Nothing the barrel-chested, 20-year-old Mexico native has done before or after that Oct. 6 playoff indicates he could not have come back from two days rest then and beaten the Astros. As it was, Houston won 7-2 and played for the National League pennant. In 21 innings pitched against Houston since the Dodgers brought Valenzuela to the major leagues on Sept. 15, 1980 — in cluding a 1-0 seven-hit victory Wednesday night in the Astro dome — Valenzuela has allowed the Astros no runs. Houston manager Bill Virdon has seen enough to form an opinion. “He’s probably a little bit amaz ing. I don’t know what word to use, but it’s awful damned good,” he said. anybody I’ve seen. You’ve got to get to him early, just like with Phil Niekro,” Puhl said. Strike outs by Jose Cruz and Mike Ivie in the Astros first inning stranded runners on third and second bases. A strikeout by Ivie, and Art Howe’s ground out in the fifth inning left runners on third and first. And Ivie’s ground out in the eighth wasted a runner at third. For the game, Valenzuela struck out 11 and lowered his earned run average to 0.25. And he can hit. Valenzuela got two of the Dodger’s six hits off Astros starter Don Sutton, 0-3, in cluding a game-winning two-out single in the fifth after Pedro Guerrero had doubled. Afterward, an interpreter re laying reporters questions came back from Valenzuela and said, “He said he appreciates what Bill Virdon said and he is a little sur prised at what is going on.” Rangers take Bosox, 16-8 Astros batters tried to move even with the plate or in front of it Wednesday to hit Valenzuela’s screwball early in its break. “That’s one approach,” Virdon said, “But it didn’t help us.” Astros lead off hitter Terry Puhl explained why he thought Valen zuela has been effective enough to have pitched four complete games in his four starts this season, three of them shutouts. “We had our chances to get him early, but we didn’t. By the fifth inning, he hits his groove, finding the right speed on his screwball and mixing his pitches as well as United Press International BOSTON — Nothing that hap pens in Fenway Park, the home of the strange, surprises Don Zim mer. But the Texas Rangers’ skip per couldn’t help but be a bit baf fled by his team’s 16-8 win over his old Boston Red Sox. “I’ve seen lots of 16-8 games in here but I can’t remember none with the wind blowing in,” Zim mer said after his team had jumped to an 11-0 lead after two innings en route to the Wednes day win. “When you play in Fen way Park, you don’t know what you might see. Today was one of those crazy games.” The Rangers pounded out 18 hits with everyone but Mickey Rivers collecting at least two hits. Pat Putnam drove in four runs, including three in a seven-run first inning, while Buddy Bell and Bill Sample each collected three RBI. The win avoided a three-game Red Sox sweep. Indicative of the craziness was the first play of the game. Bump Wills grounded one down the first base line which the Red Sox ball- boy cleanly fielded, giving Wills a Formals ctnaZs J\\caj Z Complete tux’s or individual shirts & ties rentals-sales Last minute assistance iQrder early for best selection 334 Jersey 2 Blks off Wellborn Rd. Southgate 693-0768 Now Open M —F 10-6 Sat io-4 The Texas A&M softball team left Aggieland for Yankeeland to test their skills against nine teams in the first annual Indiana Univer sity Invitational Softball Tourna ment. Tournament competition in cludes Ball State University, In diana State University, Illinois State University, St. Louis Uni versity, Western Michigan Uni versity, Northern Illinois Univer sity, Kent State University, Southern Illinois Universtiy and host Indiana University. The Aggies play Indiana Uni versity in Winslow Field in a regu lar game today. The tournament begins Friday with pool play eliminations. The Aggies will be in the same pool as Ball State, Indiana State, Western Michigan University and Southern Illinois. The top teams from the two pools will compete for the cham pionship and the runners-up will have a consolation game on Saturday. Major League Baseball American League National League it East East Cleveland 6 3 .667 Montreal 8 2 .800 New York 7 4 .636 — St. Louis 7 2 .778 w Boston 6 4 .600 Vi Philadelphia 7 5 .583 l Detroit 7 5 .583 V* New York 4 4 .500 3 Milwaukee 5 4 .556 1 Pittsburgh 4 4 .500 3 Baltimore 3 4 .429 2 Chicago 1 10 .091 W Toronto 3 9 .250 4Vi West West Los Angeles 10 2 .833 - Atlanta 6 5 .545 3!i Oakland 14 1 .932 Cincinnati 5 6 .455 W Chicago 5 3 .625 5Vk San Francisco 5 8 .385 5!i California 6 7 .462 7 San Diego 5 8 .385 Si Texas 5 6 .455 7 Houston 3 9 .250 Seattle 4 9 .308 9 Kansas City 2 7 .222 9 Minnesota 2 9 .182 10 Wednesday’s Results Thursday’s Carol Wednesday's Results Thursday’s Games St. Louis 3, Chicago 0 New York at Pittsbimli Los Angeles 1, Houston 0 Atlanta at San Fran®- Texas 16, Boston 8 Baltimore at Chicago Atlanta 7, Cincinnati 3 San Diceo at Los Milwaukee 8, Toronto I Toronto at New York San Diego 4, San Francisco 0 Cincinnati at Houstot New York 7, Detroit 2 New York at Pittsburgh ppd. Cleveland 4, Kansas City 0 rain Chicago 2, Baltimore 1 Oakland 2, Minnesota 1 l i I I Battalion Classified 845-2611 ground-rule double. “That was the key play of the game,” deadpanned Red Sox man ager Ralph Houk. “That cost us the game. Maybe they would only have gotten six runs instead of seven. “We just couldn’t keep them from scoring and there’s nothing you can do, you’re going to have games like this. You just try to hope you don’t have too many,” Houk said. Al Oliver drove in Wills with a single and then ineffective Dennis Eckersley, 1-1, who hasn’t beaten Texas since July 28, 1979, loaded the bases on a Bell single and a walk. Putnam promptly cleared them with a double to center. The Rangers added three more in the first, thanks in part to the first of two Glenn Hoffman errors (six in 10 games). They added four in the second, including a pair on a Sample double, two in the fourth and three in the seventh when Bell belted a three-run homer off Mark Clear. Clear has given up four homers in eight innings. He surrendered two all last year in 106 innings. dyer electronic Look for the Red Sale Tags all ovei the stores for extra savings of name-brand home and car stereos! SALE ENDS SATURDAY APRIL 3 IS Clarion Corporation of Atorica 40-chnl. CB Radio with Pushbutton AM-FM ROADSTAIt AM-FM Cassette _ Car Stereo Get stereo radio plus a 40-channel CB with the in-dash Clarion PE-367/202. Sold origi- A nally for over $3001 Limited quantities! Pul famous Roadster quality in your car at an equally famous Dyer low price! Model RS-2030 is a real win ner. Installation also available. BU> TAG DYtB DIAL Call Jotter — a phone-answeringj system everyone can afford! Booster-Equalizer _ Clarion 30- watt *CD 5-band TAG DYER DEAL Clarion 100-EQB delivers 30 clean watts of power plus gives 5- bands of total tone control. d Jab NEW TITLES! Master Recordings "The Doors " — THE DOORS 'Magical Mystery Tour" — BEA TIES "Greatest Hits" — KENNY ROGERS "Abbey Road" — BEATLES Stereo Headphones Lightweight Model HD- 414’s from West Ger many give hours of comfortable listening. RED TAG DYER DEAL <7>SEfMI\iHEISER <54 Audio 25-wpc 0 e c* Stereo Receiver New 1981 model NR-300 fea tures LED tuning, two tape moni tors, and Nikko's exclusive 3-year transferable warranty. Come hear the finest! c REDn DYE DEM *221 RED TAG DYER DEAL Nikko Audio Metd Cassette Deck $299 If you’re looking for a ft* 1 carder, you’ll be hard-pressf: 1 find a better one than 3 ND-790 Nikko. Compare»' others costing much more! * FISHER 3-way Speaker with 12-inch Woofer Fisher FS- 240 sounds good even at low volume. Clarloi AM. FM Auto-Reverse Cassette TM Oo4by Labo.. Inc. *49 dyer electronics Clarion model PE-560 UDM has convenient automat- BtltDUl ic reverse. Now it's a Red Tag Dyer Deal Spe cial! yiuuiAi *89 Purchase Card 3601 E. 29th St. 846-1768 dyer