E
Tuesday, February 24, 1987TThe Battalion/Page 7
Sports
Aggie softball team
set to shoot for title
A&M boasts No. 2 ranking
By Hal L. Hammons
S/hh Is Writer
February nears its close, and
lor Texas A&M Softball Coach
Bob Brock and the Aggie softball
team, that means the beginning
of a new season.
The team, which is ranked No.
2 in the nation, will find it dilii-
cult to !>eat last year’s results.
A&M finished the season with a
loss to Cal State Fullerton in the
NCAA championship game.
But Brock and his players seem
to think a win in this year’s
championship is well within their
reach.
fhe Aggies started their sea
son off strongly in the Houston
Independent Team College
Round-Robin Sunday, sweeping
three exhibition games.
A&M blanked the Alvin Silver
Streaks 22-0, the Alvin (Challeng
ers 9-0, and the Pasadena Illu
sions 6-0.
Shawn Andaya pitched a 14-
strikeout no-hitter to l>eat the
(Challengers and teamed with Ju
lie (Carpenter to no-hit the Illu
sions.
“We were just really glad to get
the chance to play and get some
games behind us before we really
start the season,” Brock said.
Shortstop Liz Mi/.era led the
Aggies on the offensive side with
a pair of singles, (wo doubles and
a triple.
Brock said this year’s team is
stronger than (he previous team.
The main difference Itetween the
two teams is a distinctly faster
lineup this year.
Andaya said the extra speed
will help A&M stretch a lot of
ground balls into infield hits. She
said that will help tremendously,
as the Aggies do not have a lot of
power in the lineup.
Mizera is expected to provide
what power the Aggies need. She
led the team with seven home
runs last year, and has 25 in the
past two seasons.
Mizera agreed that the Aggies
were going to lx’ a better team
this year, and said they were, hop-
Shawn Andaya
ing to contend for the national
championship again.
“We’re going to be good,” Mi
zera said. “This is one of the best
teams I’ve played on since I’ve
lx;en here.”
Bnx k said he was a little wor
ried about his team’s lack of expe
rience. The team only has two se
niors and has four freshmen and
four sophomores.
“We’ll have to work around
that at times,” he said.
However, Brock said that
probably would not lx? a real fac
tor in the team’s success or failure
this year.
“If we can make the playoffs,
we won’t be that young,” Brock
said.
Brock classified this year’s
group as a “good practice team.”
He said the players always work
hard, and he expects that to pay
off in the end.
“As the old saying goes, ‘prac
tice makes perfect,’ ” he said. “If
practice is any indication, we are
on our way to a good season.”
One big change from last sea
son is the mound. Although the
same pitchers will be back for the
Aggies, they will be standing on a
bigger mound. Andaya said they
have adjusted to the change and
it will not be a problem.
The Aggies open up the season
Wednesday at the University of
Texas at Arlington at 4 p.m.
Aggies, Bearkats tie after 10 innings
By Homer Jacobs
Sports Editor
The Texas A&M baseball team
traveled to HunstviUe Monday for a
game with Sam Houston State Uni
versity and failed to come away with
a win.
The Aggies didn’t come away with
a loss either as A&M tied the Bear
kats 14-14 in a game that was called
after the 10th inning f or darkness.
The contest was a wiltl one, fea
turing lead changes, 10-run rallies,
home runs, multiple pitching
changes, as well as a diving game
saving catch by A&M right fielder
Don Wren.
Wren’s catch came in a dramatic
bottom of the ninth inning, in which
the Bearkats’ Kerry Brandi un
loaded on a pitch from A&M’s Russ
Greene that backed up Wren to the
right-field wall.
With the score tied, a home run
would have given the Bearcats the
win; but Wren held on to the ball de
spite crashing into the wall, thus pre
serving the tie.
The Aggies (8-1-1) looked as if
they were going to breeze to their
ninth win of the year, opening up a
13-4 lead in the top of the sixth.
But a tiring Darryl Fry then gave
up five runs on four hits to the Bear
kats in the bottom of the sixth to cut
the A&M lead to 13-9.
A&M Coach Mark Johnson pulled
Fry and replaced him with sopho
more right-hander David Jones, who
pitched the next 1% innings.
Jones gave up one hit and two
runs in the bottom of the sixth anti
one run in the seventh making the
score 13-12.
And after A&M failed to score in
its half of the eighth, the bottom half
of the inning featured a pitching
change of Jones that proved disas
trous for the Aggies.
Jones was removed from the
mound with two outs and a walked
Bearkat on first base; Johnson
brought in senior Ed Perez, who
then gave up four consecutive runs,
comprised of a double followed by
two singles and another double.
The last double, hit by SHSU’s
Bryan McDonald, scored the tying
and go-ahead runs to put the Bear
kats on top at 14-13.
Johnson again went to the bullpen
and replaced Perez in the bottom of
the eighth with Greene, who got the
final out of the inning for the Ag-
gies.
Fhe top of the ninth was A&M’s
turn at coming from behind as
shortstop Ever Magallanes drove in
the tying run, scoring pinch runner
Andy Duke.
With the score 14-14, the Aggies
Don Wren
managed to get runners on first and
second with one out, but left fielder
Tim Me William grounded out, and
second baseman Terry Taylor hit a
line drive that was snared for the fi
nal out.
And the drama continued into the
bottom of the ninth, as (ireene got
two easy outs on the Bearkats to
force the pressure situation with
Brandi and Wren.
The bottom of the l()th inning
was just as tense as the ninth, with
Greene and the Aggies on the brink
of defeat.
Greene loaded tbe bases with two
outs, forcing Johnson to make his
fifth pitching change. He brought in
Gary Geiger to get the final out, and
the senior did just that against a full-
count situation.
The final batter drilled the ball
back to (ieiger, who threw to first for
the final out of the game.
Aggie batters were once again
red-hot as they amassed 21 hits, in
cluding seven doubles and two home
runs.
Third baseman Scott Livingstone
went 4-for-4 and had his third
homer of the year in the third in
ning, and designated hitter John
Byington recorded his fourth
round-tripper of the year in the
fifth.
Byington also had three RBI and
went 3-for-6 on the day.
Magallanes went 3-for-b, and cen
ter fielder Chuck Knoblauch racked
up four hits (three doubles) and had
four RBI.
Johnson said the Aggies’ pitching
was not up to par.
“We’re really hitting the ball well,”
Johnson said, “but I was disap
pointed in our pitching.
“One nice thing was our players
being put under pressure on the
road, and we responded.”
The Aggies return to Olsen Field
today for a double-header with
Southwest Texas State University
beginning at 1 p.m.
K.C.’s Howser says he’s not ready to manage
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Al
though he had stoically maintained
the helm of the Kansas City Royals
after surgery for a malignant brain
tumor. Manager Dick Howser de
cided Monday he just wasn’t up to
the task.
“Well, I found out yesterday I
couldn’t do it,” Howser said during a
noon news conference at Terry
Park, site of the Royals’ spring train
ing camp. “I’m just not going to try
to do it, that’s ali.”
As he announced his decision to
step down, Howser was Hanked by
his wife, Nancy, successor Billy
Gardner and other Royals officials.
“I’ve been pushing and pushing
since the first operation in Kansas
City and the second operation in Los
Angeles,” he said, later adding, “It’s
just that I need more time to rest. I
can’t do it like this.”
Howser donned his Royals uni
form Saturday. for :the fi,rst, time
since managing the American
League team in the All-Star Game
last year. It was the first day of
spring training, and Howser ap
peared tired, his uniform loose on
his 18-pound lighter frame.
In interviews, he insisted he was
capable of managing the team but
conceded he would step down if it
became too much.
With temperatures in the low 80s
Sunday, Howser missed a substan
tial part of the day’s workout.
“I think that’s what got me was the
heat,” he said later.
Howser said he already had de
cided to bow out when he went back
to the park Monday. After sitting for
an hour on a bullpen bench, he left
the field for good.
Royals officials said Gardner, the
former Minnesota Twins manager
hired last fall as third-base coach,
would take over.
“If he’s ever better to come back
and manage, he can have it and step
back in. That’s how much I respect
the guy,” said Gardner.
“I’d like to thank (President) J<x?
Burke and (General Manager) John
Schuerholz and everybody con
nected with the organization,” How
ser said. “I’d like to thank my wife.
She’s been behind me like you peo
ple wouldn’t know.”
Howser, 50, isn’t leaving the Roy
als completely and plans to serve in
some capacity. Burke said he and
Howser will determine those duties
later.
Howser led the Royals to the
World Series title in 1985, coming
from behind to beat the Toronto
Blue Jays in the playoffs and the St.
Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
In both, Kansas City rallied from 0-2
and 1-3 to win in seven games.
With the Series victory came the
honor of managing the AL team in
the 1986 All-Star Game. Players and
reporters noticed at the time that
Howser seemed withdrawn and sub
dued as he led the league to a 3-2
victory.
Only days later, Howser was diag
nosed as having a malignant brain
tumor. He underwent surgery twice,
in Kansas City on July 22 and in Los
Angeles on Dec. 5. Scars from the
surgery remained visible when he
traveled to Florida, and he wore a
cap as his hair continued to grow
back from radiation treatments.
Howser, a Miami native, joined
the Royals in 1981 after being fired
as manager of the New York Yan
kees. The Yankees won 103 games
under his leadership in 1980 but lost
three straight to Kansas City in the
playoffs.
Howser lx?gan his professional
playing career in 1958 at Winona,
Minn.
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