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A&M softball team
goes 2-2 against USC
The Texas A&M softball team held
its own in a four-game weekend series
against No. 13 South Carolina, winning
the second game of a Saturday
doubleheader to split the four game
series with the Lady Gamecocks.
In the second game, Erin Field
outdueled Trinity Johnson, the nation’s
strikeout leader, as the Lady Aggies
took the 6-5 decision with a run in the
top of the eighth inning. A&M lost the
first game on Saturday 4-2.
Field put on one of the greatest
athletic performances of the season,
starting and pitching all four of the
games in a two-day span. Field,
going 2-2 over the weekend, moved
her record to 13-12 on the year.
On Friday, Field faced Johnson for
the first time and the two matched
zeroes until South Carolina broke
through to score two runs in the bottom
| of the sixth season. The Lady Aggies
could not come back and lost the
game 2-0.
In the second game, the Lady
Aggies’ bats finally came alive as
they pounded out three runs in the
third inning and four more in th fourth
to take a 7-3 decision over the Lady
Gamecocks. Mya Truelove led the
offensive attack by going 2-for-4 with
a three-run triple in the fourth.
A&M pair take first in
SWC championship
Two Texas A&M freshman golfers
showed the rest of the Southwest
Conference a glimpse of the future at
the women’s 1995 SWC Golf
Championship in Dallas this weekend.
Isabelle Rosberg and Jamie
Hullett each finished the 54-hole,
three-day course with a score of 230,
good for a first-place tie.
The University of Texas won the
overall tournament with a team score
of 951. The Lady Aggies finished
second, just four strokes behind the
Lady Longhorns with a score of 955.
No other team came within 40 shots
of the top spot.
The Lady Aggies had the
tournament lead after the first day of
competition, shooting a 312 to take a
four-stroke lead over Texas. On the
second day, Texas outshot A&M by
six strokes to take a two-stroke lead,
and held the Lady Aggies off Sunday,
outshooting them 320-322.
Hullett shot a 74 on Sunday to tie
her teammate for the individual
championship. She shot a pair of 78s
I in the first two rounds.
Rosberg opened up the competition
with a round of 75, leading the pack
along with Texas junior Kori Johns.
The men's SWC Championship
begins today.
Color commentator
Cosell dies at 77
NEW YORK (AP) — Howard
Cosell, whose caustic “tell it like it is”
personality made him the world’s most
I celebrated sportscaster and turned
"Monday Night Football” into a national
| institution, died Sunday. He was 77.
Cosell, who underwent cancer
surgery in 1991, died of a heart
l embolism at New York University’s
Hospital for Joint Diseases, grandson
Justin Cohane said.
He was the strident, colorful voice of
ABC radio and television from 1953 to
1992. It was a period of phenomenal
growth and change in America’s
pastimes, spurred by television’s
cascading millions and increased
greed among athletes and promoters.
Cosell chronicled it that way,
revolutionizing a broadcasting industry
more used to parroting the party line.
“Howard Cosell was one of the
most original people ever to appear on
American television,” said ABC News
President Roone Arledge, who was
head of ABC Sports during Cosell’s
heyday. “He became a giant by the
simple act of telling the truth in an
industry that was not used to hearing it
and considered it revolutionary.”
□ A five-run 10th in
ning gives the Aggies a
split with Texas Tech.
By Tom Day
The Battalion
For every baseball player,
there is one common dream. At
Olsen Field on Sunday, that
dream came true for A&M first
baseman Jeff Bailey.
With the Aggies trailing
Texas Tech 8-5 with two outs
and the bases loaded in the bot
tom of the 10th inning, Bailey
smashed a grand slam, pro
pelling the team to a dramatic 9-
8 victory. The blast was Bailey’s
second home run of the game
and seventh
of the season.
“It was the
biggest mo
ment of my
life,” Bailey
said. “You
dream about
being in a sit
uation like
that all of
your life and
to be in one
is just great.
“I was just gliding around the
bases. I don’t even think I
touched them.”
Through the game’s first 4 and
1/2 innings, it did not look like
Tech would allow A&M the
chance for any late-inning hero
ics. The Red Raiders jumped out
to a quick 4-0 lead on the
strength of shortstop Dion Rueck-
er’s second inning two-run homer.
However, A&M struck back
in the middle innings with Bai
ley's first home run of the game,
a two-run shot in the fifth. Ju
nior reserve David Minor's sixth
inning pinch-hit single knocked
in two more runs to knot the
game at four.
The Aggies would rely on the
sharp pitching arm of Dean
Mitchell to carry them to the
10th. After taking over in the
third inning, the junior hurler
silenced the powerful Tech bats
until leaving the game with the
bases loaded in the final inning.
“Dean came in and did an
amazing job,” Bailey said. “Tech
has some incredible hitters who
are going to get their ten hits
and score six or seven runs and
Dean shut then down.”
“My first inning, we got a 1-
2-3 inning and that got some
momentum going,” Mitchell
said. “After that, I kind of
struggled, but seemed to work
my way through.”
In the bottom of the ninth,
the Aggies had a golden oppor
tunity to
win the
game af
ter a lead
off double
by Chad
A 1 e x a n -
der. But
the Aggies
failed to
capitalize,
ending
the inning
with three
straight outs.
Unfortunately for A&M, the
floodgates opened in the top of
the 10th inning, as Tech scored
four runs on two bases loaded
walks and a two-run single by
Ruecker.
“The emotions go so high and
so low,” A&M head coach Mark
Johnson said. “Chad leads off
(the bottom of the ninth) with a
double and you think things Eire
going to work out and then it
doesn’t. But, momentum is still
on our side and we felt like if we
got out of (the 10th), we were go
ing to win the ball game.
“(But then) we have trouble,
and you think it's all over.”
Then came the bottom of
It was the biggest moment
of my life. I was just gliding
around the bases. I don't
even think I touched them."
-Jeff Bailey,
Aggie first baseman
Roger Hsieh/THE Battalion
The Aggie baseball team celebrates their 6-4 win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders Friday afternoon at
Olsen Field. A&M split the series with Tech 2-2 and stayed in first place in the SWC with a 12-6 mark.
the 10th.
Following one-out singles by
Robert Harris and Paul Barber,
Ryan Huffman lined a base hit,
driving in Harris and bringing
the Aggies within three runs. A
two-out walk by Alexander
loaded the bases and set the
stage for Bailey’s miracle hit.
“I called (Bailey) over and
said look for something you can
turn on,” Johnson said. “You
have to set the table as best you
can, and with him being the
winning run, you have to go
ahead and let him hack and see
what happens.
"Dean Mitchell gave us a
chance to get back in the game
and Minor came off the bench
and got a key single,” Johnson
said. “There were a lot of
heroes, but obviously Jeff was
the kingpin.”
Sunday’s dramatic victory
capped a bittersweet weekend
that saw the Aggies split
the four-game series with the
Red Raiders.
Friday, A&M opened the se
ries on a strong note, riding the
arm of pitcher Justin Atchley
to a 6-4 victory. The senior
hurler threw eight strong in
nings, allowing only three
earned runs and striking out
four. Sophomore third base-
man Jason Stephens paced the
Aggies, driving in three runs on
4 for 4 hitting.
Lady Aggies’ run ends against No. 3 Texas
Robyn Calloway/THE Battalion
Junior Lonna Logan returns the ball to her
Longhorn opponent Sunday afternoon.
□ The women's tennis team falls
to UT 5-0 in the Southwest
Conference Championship.
By Kristina Buffin
The Battalion
The Texas A&M women’s tennis team
may have had the homecourt advantage but
the third-ranked University of Texas Long
horns could not be stopped. Texas defeated
the Lady Aggies 5-0 at the Southwest Con
ference Championship final this weekend at
Omar Smith Center to win their eighth con
secutive title.
“This was the second time we played
Texas this season,” head coach Bobby Klei-
necke said. “We competed well and were
right there but we didn’t catch the breaks.”
The Lady Aggies had an easy first round
matchup against the University of Hous
ton, winning 6-0. Houston had only five
healthy players and had to default at the
number six singles and the number three
doubles matches.
The second round was a little more diffi
cult for A&M. The Lady Aggies defeated
the Rice Owls 5-3. Rice had health prob
lems as well. Two of their top six players
were injured.
“There’s no question that this was a tough
fight, and that’s exactly what we expected,”
Kleinecke said. “That’s with Rice playing
without two of their top six players. It was a
battle all the way down the lineup.”
The Lady Aggies split the singles matches
with Nancy Dingwall, Wilson Pate and Julie
Draft picks give hope to long-suffering Oilers’ fans
Nick
Georgandis
Sports Editor
F loyd Reese,
I love you.
The Hous
ton Oilers’ gen
eral manager,
whose claim-to-
fame used to be
his striking re
semblance to
former Astros’
manager Art Howe, has become
a popular man in Houston by do
ing the unheard of:
He’s trying to make the Oil
ers a better team.
...Sorry, I passed out again. I
just can’t fathom a Bud Adams’
owned football team addressing
player needs during the off-sea
son; it just doesn’t seem right.
But there the Oilers were be
fore the draft, picking up All-
Pro center Mark Stepnoski from
the Dallas Cowboys and snatch
ing super return man Mel Gray
from the Detroit Lions.
I asked myself what was go
ing on: Were the Oilers plan
ning to package these two free
agents in a deal for the Carolina
Panthers’ seventh round draft
pick? Was Bud trying to over
compensate for the loss of War
ren Moon by
signing a team
of stars and
trading them
all for Moon? I
was confused
and scared.
As April 22
neared, I tried
to keep my
mind off the impending draft.
But thoughts kept nagging at
me: Would the Oilers have the
guts to draft Steve McNair? Or
would they go with a safe pick
like Kerry Collins or Michael
Westbrook?
I had to go to Houston on
Saturday and targeted my de
parture time for 11:40 a.m. I
had to know the Oilers’ decision
before I hit the road.
It seemed to take an eternity
for Cincinnati to move up and
snatch Ki-Jana Carter and then
for the Jacksonville Jaguars to
take Tony Boselli. Finally, the
commissioner walked slowly to
the podium with the Oilers’
draft pick on a slip of paper in
his hand.
What name would Tagliabue
speak? McNair? Westbrook?
Drugfensive end Warren Sapp?
Stormy Case? Brian Bosworth?
Yinka Dare?
I was nervous, borderline
crazy, but suddenly jubilant
when the phrase, “Quarterback,
from Alcorn State” tumbled out
of Tagliabue’s mouth.
I jumped around in my apart
ment and said “Oh, yeah!” 325
times. That’s once for every
time the Oilers have blown a
fourth quarter lead since 1980.
Driving the 93 miles to Hous
ton, I would spontaneously sing
‘Houston Oilers #1’ and ‘Luv Ya
Blue’ at the top of my lungs,
scaring passing motorists and
defying the laws of rhythm.
It wasn’t until 10 hours later
did I realize what else the Oil
ers had done Saturday. Watch
ing the local news, I was com
pletely unaware of the Oilers’
other three picks of the day.
Imagine my surprise when Rod
ney Thomas’ mug appeared on
the screen.
Jubilation again. The Oilers’
had picked up one of the classi
est guys of all time and a hell of
a bruising back too.
It had been rumored that the
San Francisco 49ers would nab
Thomas with the 30th pick in
the first round, but that fell
through when the Niners made
their move and traded up to
10th to grab J.J. Stokes, the
new heir apparent to John Tay
lor as Jerry Rice’s opposite re
ceiver. Somehow, no one else
picked up on Thomas, and the
Oilers, after drafting defensive
end Anthony Cook and wide re
ceiver Chris Sanders(not that
one,) took Thomas with the 89th
pick overall.
Was Thomas only the 89th
best player in the draft? Not
likely, considering he’s A&M’s
third all-time leading scorer and
just as adept at running Eiround
defenders as over them.
Thomas could very likely be
the Oilers’ starting running
back in September. Especially
with Lorenzo White testing the
free agent waters and the Oil
ers’ braintrust extremely disen
chanted with Gary Brown’s
weight problem last year.
Cook looks like another poten
tial starter, which seems strange
since McNeot, the savior himself,
probably won’t see much action
during the season to come. The
management seems adamant on
teaching McNair the Oilers’ of
fense, what that might be is still
unclear, before throwing him to
the wolves.
That’s why the Oilers shelled
out the bucks to Chris Chan
dler. While McNair learns the
system, the Oilers need some
one who can be consistent while
taking the team through the
regular season.
Signing McNair will proba
bly be difficult unless the Oil
ers dump someone with a big
contract. With Chandler start
ing and Bucky Richardson as
back-up, that leaves a certain
ex-Baylor Bear out in the
proverbial cold.
That’s right, Cody Carlson,
you oft-injured, non-producing
punk, your days in the Colum
bia Blue are ending. Granted
the Oilers will have to eat most
of Cody’s salary, but they need
the space under the salary cap
for McNair’s contract.
Air McNair, Rodney, Gray
and Stepnoski, for the first time
in years, the Oilers’ future is
shining bright.
On Saturday, A&M’s 15-game
winning streak was snapped as
the Raiders swept a doubleheader
from the Aggies by the scores of
13-6 and 4-0. The victories
marked the first regular season
wins ever for Tech at Olsen Field.
However, after Sunday’s
comeback triumph, a series split
never felt sweeter for the Aggies.
“(Saturday), we didn’t play
well and we were kind of
down,” Bailey said. "We start
ed out the series well, but then
we got in a lull.
"We ciame out today and had
to make a stand. We picked
it back up and we have a
little momentum going for the
Texas series."
Beahm winning their matches. In doubles
play, Dingwall and Pate defeated Myslivecek
and Veloso 6-3,6-2.
Lonna Logan and Anna Strakosova de
feated Rice’s Ivanova and Talton 7-5, 6-4 to
win the doubles point.
“Individually, Dingwall did a fantastic job
putting us in a position to win,” Kleinecke
said. “Lonna, Wilson and Christine put us
in the same position as well. Rice was a
tough match in the tournament.”
Dingwall and Pate finished the season as
the number one doubles team in the SWC
while Beahm and Monica Rebolledo finished
third. Beahm also finished as the sixth best
singles player in the conference.
By defeating Rice, the Lady Aggies ad
vanced to their third straight SWC final to
face the Lady Longhorns. While the score,
5-0, indicates a blowout, the match was
quite close.
“It was a good match,” Dingwall said. “We
played a little better at the one, two and
three positions today. We played and com
peted well, but we were a little tired and
running out of energy.”
Texas won all the singles matches with
the closest match involved number one seed
Dingwall. Dingwall was beaten by Texas’
Kelly Pace 7-5,7-5.
“What was different about the match
tonight was that they came up with the
shots at the key times,” Kleinecke said. “But
Texas is losing key players next year and
our team will be all upperclassmen. I’m look
ing forward to next year.”
The Lady Aggies finish the season at
12-12.
ICU too
strong for
A&M tennis
By Kristina Buffin
The Battalion
In a field of several na
tionally ranked teams, the
defending Southwest Con
ference champion Texas
A&M men’s tennis team fin
ished third in the SWC
Championships held at
Omar Smith Tennis Center
this weekend.
“We had a good week
end,” head coach David
Kent said. “We were two of
three and this will help us
in the regional® two weeks
from now. We will be ready
and confident.”
The third-seeded Aggies
defeated Texas Tech 4-0 on
Friday. Leading the Aggies
were freshman Carlos Tori
who defeated Tech’s Erick
Guzman 6-4, 6-3, and Robbie
Krause who defeated Marco
Borrelli 6-2, 6-2.
“(Carlos) Tori has aii un
limited future,” Kent said.
“He is only a freshman and
is already an outstanding
tennis player. He is the star
of the future.”
Despite their resounding
defeat of the Red Raiders,
the Aggies had problems
with I3th-ranked Texas
Christian University. The
Aggies lost 4-1.
“I’m disappointed,” junior
Eduardo Martinez. “It
should have been closer to
TCU. We didn’t win the key
points when they counted.”
The Aggies sole point in
the match came from dou
bles play. The team of Blake
Arrant and Bernardo Mar
tinez defeated Paul Robin
son and David Roditi, the
No. 1 doubles team in the
nation,8-4.
"We had played them be
fore, so we had a good strat
egy and a good frame
of mind,” Bernardo Mar
tinez said. “I just wanted to
get the doubles point for
the team. It was a huge
win, too bad we didn’t win
in the singles.”
The weather was a factor
in the tournament on Satur
day. Several rain delays and
postponements forced play
ers off the court.
“The weather hurt us
a little bit,” Kent said.
“They (TCU) has some big
strong guys and the wind
favored them.”
See Aggie tennis. Page 9