Tuesday, June 7, 1988/The Battalion/Page 9
Sports
> Titans eliminate Ags in playoffs
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By Hal L. Hammons
Assistant Sports Editor
Editor’s note: This story ap
peared in the June 1 edition of The
attalion.
STARKVILLE, Miss. — Before
he bottom of the ninth inning May
egislaturett 30, Cal State-Fullerton pitcher Paul
wall there si fohnson asked his teammates if they
. wanted to play another half-inning
1 Agency ft,; or nine me that evening.
The Titans trailed Texas A&M 3-
and a loss would have meant a
ame that night for the NCAA
outh Regional championship. A
in that afternoon, however, would
ive Fullerton the crown early.
Five runs and 20 incredible min-
tes later, Johnson’s question got a
ronvincing answer, as the Aggies fell
)-3, eliminating A&M from post-sea-
on play one step shy of the College
World Series.
The Aggie outfielders didn’t even
urn around to watch Mike Ross’
hree-run game-winning home run
loar over Dudy Noble Field’s left-
renter field fence.
A&M looked like it had the game
away, and with it a trip to
ng two ait [)maha. Not only were there two out
n the ninth, the Aggies had a well-
ested pitching staff waiting, which
iigured on giving them a big advan-
age in the second game.
A&M Coach Mark Johnson said,
‘With momentum gathered, I
Bhought we’d win. I had a strong
leeling we’d go to Omaha.”
I But it was a classic case of putting
cart before the horse.
Walter K: . Ralph Ramirez walked to start the
I highly pti Inning. But Scott Centala, 5-1, struck
who have,: M, u t the next two batters.
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Aggies end recruiting
by signing 10 players
The Texas A&M baseball team
wrapped up its recruiting season
Monday by announcing the sign
ing of 10 prospects — eight high
school players and two junior col
lege athletes.
The Aggies signed pitchers
Ronnie Allen from Kirkland,
Wash. , Brent Gilbert from
Blinn Junior College, Rod Huf
fman from Dallas, and Sean Law
rence Oak Park, Ill. Lawrence is
the only left-hander in the group.
Gilbert and Harvey will be enter
ing their junior years, while the
others will be freshmen.
A&M also added four infield
ers to its roster. The Aggies
signed Kenny Kendrena from
West Covina, Calif. , Jason Mar
shall from Abilene, Travis Wil
liams from Austin, and Frey
Witte from Houston. Witte is also
an outfielder.
Outfielder Chris Finley from
Houston’s Lamar High School
also signed with A&M.
“If we don’t get hurt by the
June (professional) draft, we feel
good about this recruiting class,”
A&M Head Coach Mark Johnson
said. “All of these players are
good athletes and should be able
to help our program.”
A&M has lost one pitcher who
signed a scholarship to a profes
sional contract. After being
drafted in the fourth round by
the Kansas City Royals, Greg
Harvey of Seminole Junior Col
lege signed with the Royals.
Then the wheels came off. Greg
Mannion walked, and Rex Peters
and Shane Flores singled to tie the
game at 3. Ross’ homer put the game
away.
The Titans were scoreless until
Keith Kaub’s solo shot in the eighth.
The run seemed to give them a boost
going into the ninth.
However, Cal State Fullerton
didn’t look like it was in it early. The
Titans left runners on base in five in
nings, including three on third.
A&M starter Fred Riscen, who
was removed from the rotation early
in the tournament becausee of
shoulder trouble, surprised every
one by going longer than he had all
season.
Riscen game up six hits and
walked four, but he allowed no runs
through seven innings before yield
ing the mound to Centala in the
eighth.
Two baserunning errors cost
A&M runs in the middle innings.
John Byington, on base with a single,
ran halfway through a “hold” sign at
third after Tom Carcione doubled in
the top of the fourth. Byington was
tagged out between home and third.
Terry Taylor put A&M ahead 2-0
with a single that scored Carcione
and would have scored Byington.
Mike Easley led off the fifth with a
single, and Kirk Thompson’s bunt
single and a wild pitch put runners
on second and third with no outs.
Easley was caught off base and
tagged out when Chuck Knoblauch
grounded hard to third. Tim McWil-
liam singled to score Thompson, but
the score was 3-0 and not 5-0 like it
easily could have been.
Knoblauch, voted the All-South
Regional Tournament Most Valu
able Player, said, “When you lose,
everybody looks to find what went
wrong. We had a big lead, and we
shouldn’t have lost it.”
Knoblauch went 7-for-17 in the
tournament with a home run and
two steals. He also made several ster
ling defensive plays.
Teammate Scott Livingstone, who
broke the Southwest Conference re
cord for career hits during the tour
nament, was voted to the All-Re
gional team. He went 7-for-16 with a
homer and a steal, but was hitless in
four at-bats in the final game.
The Aggies ended their season at
52-15 — a team record for wins.
Fitch fired after
late season dive
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston
coach Bill Fitch, under fire from
some Rockets fans and All-Pro
center Akeem Olajuwon, was
fired Monday with three years re
maining on his contract.
Fitch, who led the Rockets to
the NBA finals in 1986, drew crit
icism from Olajuwon for his iron-
fisted approach during the 1988
season as the Rockets slumped at
the end of the season.
The Rockets announced they
would begin a search immediately
for a new head coach and person
nel director. Fitch held both posi
tions.
The Rockets lost in the first
round of the NBA playoffs to
Dallas this season. Olajuwon crit
icized both Fitch and Houston
point guard Sleepy Floyd during
the late-season tailspin.
“We just felt that we didn’t
make progress at the end of the
year,” Ray Patterson said. “We
were playing under .500 ball with
pretty good personnel. So we felt
it was time for a change.”
Fitch could not be reached for
comment.
“Bill Fitch, who has three years
remaining on his contract, will
take a month’s vacation, after
which some decision will be
reached as to his future duties
with the Rockets or a position
with another organization,” Pat
terson said.
The Rockets were on the brink
of becoming an NBA power after
the 1986 seaon with the “Twin
Tower” lineup of Olajuwon and
all-star power forward Ralph
Sampson. But Sampson was
traded to the Golden State War
riors this season, breaking up the
tandem, and the Rockets never
were able to gain consistency the
rest of the season.
Patterson said the Rockets will
divide the positions of head coach
and personnel director and men
tioned assistant coach and former
Houston player Rudy Tomjano-
vich as a candidate for the per
sonnel position.
The Rockets will try to name a
coaching replacement before the
June 28 NBA draft, Patterson
said.
Speculation about a new Rock
ets coach has focused on Kansas
coach Larry Brown.
Fitch compiled a 216-184 re
cord with the Rockets in five sea
sons. Besides the 1986 finals,
where Houston lost to Boston in
six games, Fitch led the Rockets
to the playoffs the past four sea
sons.
Fitch ranks fifth on the all-time
NBA coaching list with a lifetime
record of 762-714 in 18 seasons.
Fitch had a 242-86 record at
Boston from 1979 to 1983. His
Celtic team beat the Rockets in
the 1981 NBA finals. Fitch com-
f >iled a 304-434 record at Cleve-
and.
is a much
bug addle: 1 '
Dorset! ready to rumble for Broncs in familiar No. 33
DENVER (AP) — Tony Dorsett on Mon
day made the transition from Dallas to
leaver official, accepting an orange Bron
cos jersey with his No. 33 on it as reporters
quizzed him about his age and playing abil-
i ty ’
“My style ot play will fit in with this of-
tense extremely well,” Dorsett said at a
tews conference Monday. “I don’t feel it’s
going to be a problem adjusting.
“This is going to make it fun again.”
Dorsett, who played 11 seasons with the
Cowboys, said little about the contract he
signed with the Broncos Friday, but he said
he was happy with it.
“I was both happy and sad (about the tra
de),” Dorsett said. “Dallas was a place where
I had a great 11 years. It’s a great franchise
and has a great coach.
“I thought my career would end in Dal
las. Unfortunately, it didn’t. But this is a
new beginning. It’s refreshing.”
The 34-year-old running back, who
wanted out of Dallas after he lost his start
ing job to Herschel Walker last season, was
acquired by Denver in exchange for a con
ditional fifth-round draft choice in 1989.
The Broncos could end up paying as high
as a first-round pick, depending on Dor-
sett’s performance in Denver this fall.
Reporters asked Dorsett whether at 34
he still had the speed and running ability
that made him one of the NFL’s premier
running backs.
“I’ll let you make the call,” he said. “The
old flame is burning and it’s burning pretty
hot.”
The trade reunites Dorsett with his for
mer offensive coordinator, Denver Coach
Dan Reeves. Reeves was an assistant coach
with the Cowboys until he took the Denver
job in 1981.
Reeves has said he believes Dorsett, the
fourth-leading rusher in NFL history, has
two good years left in him and anything be
yond that would “be a plus.”
With Dallas, the 5-foot-11, 189-pound
Dorsett gained 15,468 yards rushing and
receiving, second only to Walter Payton on
the NFL’s all-time list.
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