The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 15

i M'Hi i ii.ii,,. ii.rm inmi, (,.) y-jj- tii yitf mr (ZD i THE COURIER-JOURNAL LOUISVILLE, KY. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1987 Sheridan comes to the rescue as Tigers rally to beat Twins the skinny, bespectacled outfielder from nearby Ann Arbor who carried a 6-for-60 slump to the bench during the September pennant drive. Yes, it was that Pat Sheridan, the guy who has hit just 30 home runs in 1,678 at-bats over six years. Sheridan's blow, which followed a clutch leadoff single by Larry Herndon and preceded a strong relief pitching effort by Mike Henneman, eased Detroit See TIGERS PAGE 2, col.

this section By GEORGE RORRER Staff Writer DETROIT Just when it seemed that the favored Detroit Tigers were going to roll over and die yesterday, there emerged another of those unlikely heroes that post-season baseball series always seem to produce. Detroit trailed Minnesota 6-5 in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, and Mike Reardon, the ace of a Twins bullpen that had been virtually perfect, had just five outs to go. But then Pat Sheridan ripped a two-run rocket through the Twins' hearts and into the second deck of the right-field stands. It gave the Eastern Division champions a 7-6 victory and put them back in the hunt, trailing just 2-1 in the best-of-seven series instead of 3-0. A less-than-full-house Tiger Stadium crowd had been stilled when the Twins came from behind for a third straight game to take the lead.

But when Sheridan's blow nestled into the upper deck, they delayed the game for several minutes by showering the field with "Go Tigers" placards. Yes, the instant hero was Pat Sheridan, BASEBALL PLAYOFFS AT A GLANCE American League National League TONIGHT TODAY Minnesota (Viola 17-10 or Niekro 7- Louis (Mathews '11-11) at San 13) at Detroit (Tanana 15-10), 8:25 Francisco (Reuschel 13-9), 4:35 p.m. p.m. TOMORROW TOMORROW Minnesota at Detroit, 3:07 p.m. No game scheduled.

TUESDAY TUESDAY NIGHT No game scheduled. San Francisco at St. Louis, 8:25 p.m., If necessary. Higgs, Reese help vengeful Kentucky bury Ole Miss 35-6 no" i Kb By DAVE KOERNER Staff Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. With tailback Mark Higgs turning heads and defensive tackle Jerry Reese removing them, the University of Kentucky opened its Southeastern Conference football season last night with the subtlety of a thunderbolt.

Higgs ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, and Reese sacked Mississippi quarterback Mark Young four times for losses of 25 yards as an aroused UK team paid a year-old debt by tattooing the Rebels 35-6 before a capacity Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 57,832. Ole Miss returned 18 starters from the squad that leveled Kentucky 33-13 last season in Jackson, but on this night the avenging Wildcats dominated things practically from start to finish. UK launched its first salvo with a 16-point second quarter, then tacked on 19 more in the second half to raise its record to 4-1 heading into successive road dates against SEC rivals Louisiana State and Georgia. For the mystifying Rebels, 8-3-1 last year, the loss dropped their worksheet to 1-5 overall and 0-2 in the league. UK padded its lead to 22-0 at 2:05 in the third quarter when defensive end Tony Massey got his second interception of the game and returned it 38 yards after the ball was tipped by end Carwell Gardner.

Then Joey Worley, who ended a string of 64 collegiate consecutive point-after kicks in the first half, extended the lead to 25-0 at 11:03 in the fourth quarter with a 49-yard field goal. At 10:43, Higgs broke loose for a 40-yard See HIGGS PAGE 6, col. 1, this section i Tr nwi unfii SWF PHOTO BY BILL KIGHT Mississippi's Ed Thigpen could see little daylight as he was smothered by Kentucky defenders during first-quarter action last night at Lexington. The Wildcats romped 35-6. Eastern crunches Murray with leg work to get leg up Marshall stuns Louisville 34-31 with final-play TD A DAY OF UPSETS By BRUCE W.

BRANCH Staff Writer RICHMOND, Ky. Eastern Kentucky used a relentless ground attack and an opportunistic defense to overpower Murray State 29-21 yesterday in the Ohio Valley Conference football opener for both teams. Eastern, ranked No. 5 in NCAA Division I-AA, used the running of tailbacks James Crawford and Elroy Harris to get a leg up in the league race on the Racers, who were expected to be the Colonels' top challengers. Last year, Murray upset Eastern 17-15 to earn a share of the OVC title with its intrastate rival.

But yesterday, Eastern notched its fourth straight victory following a season-opening loss to Tennessee-Chattanooga. "Their offensive line whipped our defensive line," said Murray coach Mike Ma-honey, whose team lost its third straight to fall to 2-3. "I'm disappointed because we got beat at the line of scrimmage and we didn't tackle anybody. It's no secret what they are going to do. You look at the films from 1983 and 1984 and they are doing the same thing.

"We can't afford another loss. If we lose again, we can't win or tie for the title unless something unusual happens." A Hanger Field crowd of 7,200 watched as Harris and Crawford combined for 213 yards and two touchdowns to lead a ground See EASTERN PAGE 10, col. 1, this section By JIM TERHUNE Staff Writer Just when it seemed the University of Louisville football team had pulled itself out of a bottomless pit, Marshall kicked its clinging fingers off the edge last night. A last-play desperation pass from scrambling Marshall quarterback Tony Petersen miraculously found the hands of Keith Baxter hidden in the heart of the of secondary. The catch on the 28-yard pass gave NCAA Division I-AA Marshall a 34-31 victory over Division I-A and favored Louisville as the clock read 0:00.

Baxter snatched the ball from Gary Warren, pinned to his left, and Terry Lantz on his right in the deep center of the Cardinal Stadium end zone. "They more or less called an audible and sent everybody deep," said of coach Howard Schnellenberger. "Their quarterback had pressure on him and threw it up for grabs." It was grabbed. "They surely made some spectacular plays," added the coach of a 2-3-1 of team, "but we did not lose it on the last play of the football game." Outgunned, outfought and down 28-10 at the half to Marshall (3-3), of rose up to handcuff the visitors in the second half and take a 31-28 lead on the driving legs of Deon Booker. Swirling and curling for a career-high 196 See MARSHALL i PAGE 8, col.

1, this section; Indiana 31 No. 9 Ohio State 10 Page 5 Pittsburgh 30 No. 4 Notre Dame 22 Page 11 Memphis State 13 No. 15 Alabama 10 Page 6 Michigan State 17 No. 12 Michigan 11 Page 5 Good Command blazes to track-record victory in Fayette Handicap rzii at.

a 1' nii'n VJ.t. -t wi By JENNIE REES Staff Writer LEXINGTON, Ky. West Coast trainer Gary Jones said he's been promising Keeneland chairman Ted Bassett for five years that he'd bring a horse this way. "I finally got it done," he said yesterday. And how.

The 4-year-old colt Good Command, the first horse Jones has ever raced at Keeneland, powered to victory in yesterday's $113,725 Fayette Handicap by 2 lengths over Minneapple. He did it in track-record time and before a crowd of 27,053, a fall opening-day record and the track's third-largest ever. The victory was the second of the day for Don Brumfield, the track's all-time winning-est rider who kept intact his record of riding a winner at every Keeneland meet since 1969. It also gave Prestonwood Farm two graded stakes in one afternoon, as Groovy captured Belmont Park's Grade I Vosburgh. After breaking from the No.

10 post and racing wide around both turns, favored Good Command passed pacesetting French Legionaire and grabbed command at the See GOOD COMMAND PAGE 19, col. 1, this section STAFF PHOTO BY PAT McOONOGH Nearing the wire, winner Good Command (9) maintained a healthy lead as Minneaple, far left, moved up quickly and took second, a nose ahead of Savings (4), on the rail. INSIDE Scorecard 4 Harness racing 4 College football 6, 8-11 Pro football 16 Outdoors 18 Thoroughbred racing results 19, 21 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ONE-SIDED WINS Florida 65, Fullerton State 0 Nebraska 54, Kansas 2 Florida State 61, Southern Miss 10 Oklahoma 44, Texas 9 Auburn 48, Vanderbllt 15 2 eagles help Palmer Creme Fraiche near end of drought iaT i upsets Java Gold See Page 13 See Page 20 i i I 1 0k siT iiflUrt rTi 1.