Page 16
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1981
Aggie softball team gears up for regional pla
Nancy Sullivan, senior co-captain
Astros
fall to
lose in 11,
Cubs 2-1
United Press International
CHICAGO — Ken Reitz’s two-
out single to left in the 11th inning
scored Steve Dillard from second
base Wednesday to give Chicago a
2-1 victory over the Houston
Astros, snapping the Cubs’ three-
game losing streak.
Dillard opened the 11th with a
walk off loser Frank LaCorte, 1-1.
Tim Blackwell sacrificed Dillard
to second and Jim Tracy struck out
as a pinch hitter for winning pitch
er Lee Smith, 1-2. Reitz followed
with his game-winning single.
The Cubs opened the scoring in
the fourth inning after Bill Buck
ner singled and moved to second
on Astro starter Nolan Ryan’s
errant pickoff attempt. Leon
Durham then knocked in Buckner
with a single to right.
The Astros tied it in the sixth
inning when Gary Wood walked,
stole second and scored on Terry
Puhl’s two-out single to right.
Ryan worked seven innings,
allowing six hits and the unearned
run. Chicago starter Bill Caudill
went 5 2-3 innings, yielding five
hits.
Dick Tidrow, the third Cubs’
pitcher, worked 2 1-3 perfect in
nings to run his string of consecu
tive batters retired to 20. He has
not allowed a hit in his last eight
innings of work.
By RITCHIE PRIDDY
Sports Editor
Head coach Bill Galloway takes his nationally
second-ranked softball team to Shawnee, Okla. this
weekend for the Southwest AIAW Regional tourna
ment where it is seeded as the number one team.
The 44-9 Aggies completed their regular spring
season last weekend by sweeping the Baylor Bears.
The second win in that series was the 200th victory
for Galloway.
The team also competes in a fall season and
together with the spring finished the year with a
record of 70-10.
It is the second consecutive 70-plus win season for
the Aggies, which is a record no other team has
matched.
Last year Galloway carried his team to 72 wins and
16 losses and finished as the number three team in
the country. The year before the team finished in the
number five spot nationally.
Going into the playofts with just one goal in mind
— to win the World Series — Galloway takes one of
his most talented teams into action.
“Overall this has been an outstanding season. We
have accomplished many goals over the year. We
won more regular season games than ever before (70)
and no other team in the AIAW has ever done that
two years in a row,” Galloway said, reflecting on the
season.
Galloway said that this year’s team is offensively
“right up on par” with those of years past but defen
sively is a superior team, having set several school
records by giving up fewer runs, hits, etc.
“Defensively, it’s the best team I’ve ever had, ” he
said. “We’ve made more big plays, more standout
individual plays this year than last year.”
“Position-by-position our infield matches up with
any in the country with Shannon Murray, Carrie
Austgen, Nancy Sullivan and Maria Resendez. All
four are having a good season.
“In the outfield, Mel Pritchard (leftfielder) has had
a good year. She’s our most consistent hitter. Mary
Lou Youngblood continues to play consistent for us
and Patty Holthaus and Karen Guerrero (rightfield)
both add a lot of speed to the lineup. They both cover
a lot of ground,” he said.
“Rhonda Reese (catcher) is a real experienced ball
player. She takes control of the game and does that as
well as anybody.”
Shan McDonald (21-5) and Lori Stoll (23-4) carry
the team with some of the strongest and certainly
some of the best pitching in the country.
With a pitching combination which has a com-
bined 44-9 record, there’s not much anybody can say
to about them.
“They both complement each other. Both have
different styles but they win. Lori overshadows Shan
with more strikeouts (224 to 109) but Shan has more
finesse,” Galloway said.
If the team wins the region and advances to the
World Series May 21-24 in Norman, Okla. it would
be the third year in a row. Only two other teams have
ever done that, UCLA and Northern Colorado.
Galloway couldn’t be prouder of his team, unless
of course, it wins the World Series, which doesn’t
seem too far out of reach for the women.
Asked what the secret was to his three-year phe-
nomenonal win-loss record Galloway replied: “A lot
of teams depend on raw talent for their success, but
the key to our success is that we are a team — we
perform as a team. We depend on everybody to do a
job and they do it whether they start or sit on the
bench. Everybody pulls for everybody else — that’s
a mark of success.
“We’ve been lucky so far. But, with luck we also
have to be good enough to get in the position we are
in. There’s been a lot of pressure on us and that’s a
compliment to the athletes we have. They are dedi
cated and have paid the price. They deserve a lot of
credit — Their record speaks for itself. ”
When one needs an example of the price to be paid
to be winners, he needn’t look any farther than the
Texas Aggie softball team.
Carrying the players through many grueling work
outs throughout the year, including a rigorous
weight training program, Galloway has earned the
reputation as one of the toughest coaches around,
and there’s not a player on the team that would
disagree.
“He makes it demanding, very challenging. If we
can win it all it will be worth it. We sacrifice a lot, but
it means more that way, ” senior co-captain and short
stop Nancy Sullivan said.
“There’s a lot of hard work and it has its ups and •
downs. He makes the players demand more of them
selves and thats good,” sophomore pitcher Shan
McDonald said.
Galloway is proud of his team and he has every
reason to be. The players are dedicated and their
win-loss record proves that. But, dedication alone
hasn’t got the team where it is now. Each player has
an abundance of talent and Galloway knows how to
bring that out and use it to the fullest.
The Aggies will play the winner of the McNeese
State and Louisiana Tech Friday in the first round.
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Focus, The Battalion
Thursday, May 7, 1981