V
mas deei
HI, I'M
&P WKLitr/
Gom
yf zzcem
1 to TM6
’T'o rteiifi),
e.cws:
I>tR£cr
mes
Wednesday, AprtH, 1992
Sports
The Battalion _ " ~ /' ■ ; . , ■ Page 7J
ANTHONY
ANDRO
Sportswriter
Fab 5 too much
for Final Four
N ow that the field of 64 basket
ball teams has been narrowed
down to four teams, predic
tions become a little easier. Or do
they?
Duke is the odds-on favorite to
win the tournament. They have been
the best team in the nation all year
and have made it to the Final Four
for the sixth time in seven years. But
a back-to-back champion? Let's hope
not.
Sure the game last Saturday night
against Kentucky was one of the best
games in years, but the game also
showed that Duke has some faults.
They can be beat and the Wildcats al
most proved that.
If it wasn't for a Grant Hill pass to
Christian Laettner, it would be the
Wildcats in the Final Four and not
the Blue Devils. Laettner hit the
turnaround fadeaway jumper from
the free throw line and Duke escaped
with a one-point victory.
And what about Laettner?
Whether or not you think Laettner
will be the next Danny Ferry or Jay
Bilas and flop in the NBA, you have
to give him some credit. He has been
a great college basketball player for
four years and being named a two-
time All-American has proved that.
But will he be enough to carry
Duke to their second straight national
title. Maybe not? Duke still has to
get by Indiana before it makes it to
the title game. This could be a title
game in itself. There is a lot being
made of the fact that this will be a
coaching dual between the mentor,
Indiana coach Bobby Knight, and the
pupil, Duke coach Mike K.
But the only factor that will de
cide who wins Saturday's game is the
See Andro/Page 9
Aggies handcuff Mavericks
KARL STOLLEIS/The Battalion
A&M’s Eric Gonzalez attempts to turn a double play Tuesday night in the Aggies
8-2 victory over UT-Arlington at Olsen Field. Gonzalez, who normally plays left
field, got the out at second base before UTA's Brad Dodge could reach the base.
A&M pitcher
Clemons puts
away UTA
By Doug Foster
The Battalion
As Texas A&M starting pitcher Chris
Clemons breezed through the batting or
der of the University of Texas-Arlington
on Tuesday, all he asked of his offense
was a few runs to put the game away.
After four innings of silence from the
Aggie bats, Clemons got more than he
needed from his teammates. A&M ex
ploded for two runs in the fifth and six
runs in the sixth to turn a pitching duel
into an 8-2 Aggie victory at Olsen Field.
The freshman from McGregor pitched
seven innings and gave up only three hits
in helping the Aggies move to 24-11 on
the season. The Mavericks fall to 23-9.
Clemons, who is 5-1 on the season,
said all he had to do was keep his control
and his defense would be behind him.
"I just felt like I needed to throw
strikes and go right after them," Clemons
said. "When I did, my defense was there
to come through for me on the hard hit
balls. It's a lot easier when you have a de
fense like that behind you. Our infield is
second to none."
The Mavericks never sent more than
four batters to the plate in a single inning
against Clemons. Freshman Trey Moore
relieved Clemons in the eighth, and Jason
Hutchins pitched the ninth for the Aggies.
A&M head coach Mark Johnson said
Clemons has been improving in each per
formance. He said Clemons could start to
challenge for the final starting position in
Southwest Conference games.
"Chris is really moving up," Johnson
said. "That third spot is not solidified yet,
and we need someone who can get out
there and last. He's starting to move up
the ladder, and he's for sure in as a long
relief man right now. *
"He's throwing strikes and keeping
the ball down real well, so he could start
to compete for that final spot," Johnson
added.
The win was also highlighted by the re
turn of the Aggies leading hitter, right
fielder Scott Smith. Smith, who had
missed 17 games with a broken bone in
his right foot, made his return a pleasant
one by going l-for-3 with a two RBI'S,
both of which came on a two-run homer
to left. That homerun scored the third
and fourth runs, which proved to be the
game winners before UTA came back to
score two in the final inning.
The Aggies broke open a scoreless tie in
the fifth when Brian Thomas reached on a
fielder's choice. Second baseman Eric
Gonzalez then singled to right, moving
Thomas to third, and Thomas scored after
Maverick right fielder Charley
Llewellyn's errant throw past third base.
Gonzales later scored on a wild pitch.
The game was put out of reach in the
sixth when A&M rallied for six runs.
Catcher Rob Trimble led off the inning
with a single to right. Smith then took an
0-1 pitch from UTA starter Eric Kunz
See Aggies/Page 9
Smith's return
boosts team
By Doug Foster
The Battalion
Texas A&M right fielder Scott Smith
gave his teammates a taste of what they
had been missing during the last 17 games
on Tuesday - his
clutch hitting and
RBI capabilities.
Smith, who had
been out of the Ag
gie lineup since Mar.
2 with a broken bone
in his right foot,
made his tri
umphant return to
Olsen Field Tuesday
against the Universi
ty of Texas-Arling
ton. His reentry into
the lineup provided an instant impact as
Smith went l-for-3 with two RBIs, both of
which came on a sixth-inning home run.
That home run proved to be the game
winning hit as it scored the third and
fourth runs for the Aggies. Smith's per
formance also moved his team-leading
batting average to .366.
Smith said he was not looking for the
home run, but that he just made good con
tact with the pitch, and it worked out for
the best.
"I was waiting for a pitch I could hit
well, and he just hung one," he said. "I
wasn't trying to hit it out, I just turned on
it. I knew it was out, I was just hoping
that it would stay fair."
In Smith's first at bat of the evening,
A&M head coach Mark Johnson called on
him to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Smith
said that helped him to get comfortable
and get rid of the butterflies of returning.
"My first at bat, I think coach just
wanted to get me involved in the game by
having me bunt," he said. "That relaxed
me a little bit, so I'm glad I got into that
See Smith/Page 9
Smith
tors
enator:
ed Senator
ions issue!
dorms
it allowed
owed
into the
Building
permissio:
'eas
osk/ cover
Building
in Kruegej
ipaigning)
dent Ser
BtudentSrr
*vices Bui 11,
ggs
>n comfltf
; dorm ^
ine
sostatei*
campa'g^.
he
h'sbox.
t elaborate 1
to
it,
make <
" he s JI '
:ed."
WEDNESDAY l^IPRIL 1,1992
8:00 RM. RUDDER AUDITORIUM
Ticket Prices: Student $4, $6, $8
Non-Student $6, $8, $10
EUROPE.
A discussion of the roles of the United States,
NATO, the European Community, and Eastern
Europe in European Security since the demise of
Communism and the disintegration of the Soviet
Union.
The Panelists are:
Admiral William Crowe, Former Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States.
Tamas Katona, Under-Secretary of State of the
Hungarian Foreign Ministry.
Vitaly Shlykov, Deputy Chairman of the State
Committee on Defense of the Russian Federation
Jean-Rene Gehan, Counselor for Political and
Military Affairs, French Embassy.
Dr. Antoni Kaminski, Director of the Polish Institute
of International Affairs.
Catherine Crier - Moderator- Anchor of CNN News
and "Crier & Company."