The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 34

After Sweeping Memphis 8-7, 3- Sound yff a mm By TOM SQUIRES The Nashville Sounds not only sometimes clay like 0 Boxes on Page 9 a big league club, they sometimes celebratelike one, too. momemum to go ahead and win it all. 1 sure hope But, last night they had plenty to celebrate he said. Santo Domingo with three hits while Tommy "Sohns and Skeeter Barnes collected two apiece. All four players had two RBI's apiece.

Nashville exploded for seven runs in the third inning, which started when Sohns got the first inside-the-park homer by a Sound at Greer Stadium. But, that wasn't enough as Nashville made six errors, including three in the eighth when the Chicks (Turn to Page 13) RAFFY SANTO Domingo, trying to finish with a batting average, went on a tear for four hits in the opener as the Sounds' collected 13 off seven Memphis pitchers. Paul Householder supported aDOUI. 'J-H- The Sounds not only beat Memphis twice yesterday to win the Southern League's second-half Western Division pennant, but did it before 25,494 fans to became the first minor league club in modern day history to draw more than a half-million fans in one season. Saints 'Snapped In 40-34 OT Loss fin NASHVILLE posted a heart-stopping 8-7 win in 12-inning afternoon contest before 9,096 fans and returned a couple of hours later to down the Chicks 3-1 in a championship game witnessed by 16,398.

That brought the regular-season total to a record 504,401, many of whom spilled onto the field for a post-game victory celebration which saw Sounds players douse anyone in reach, including club president Larry Schmittou and several reporters, with champagne. Many even got tossed in the show mjw.uii.iui'wiwww''"M""wi'''iw''iu iim 1 'i niinii.ni mo'iurm-" I CO By LARRY WOODY Tennessean Sports Writer NEW ORLEANS Atlanta won a wild 40-34 sudden death victory over New Orleans here yesterday and, looking back, it was really all a snap. The snap that zonked the Saints was made by center John Watson. It sailed Summaries on Page 8 ers. And, it might not even be the last celebration at Greer Stadium this season.

The Sounds' wins shoved them into a best-of-three series with Memphis for the overall Western championship, beginning with a single game tonight at 7:30 at Greer. Righthander Bill Kelly (13-6) will pitch for Nash-ville in tonight's game, which will be followed by a second game in Memphis tomorrow night. "IT'S BEEN a helluva year," said Sounds manager George Scherger. "I said at the first of the season that if I couldn't be in the big leagues, I wanted to be in Nashville. I still mean it.

This is as close as you can get to the major leagues and not be there." Scherger, who made a brief but emotional appreciation statement to Sounds' fans over the public address system following the game, compared yesterday's contrasting wins to the times when they were played one in the day and one at night. "The first game was without a doubt the worst game a team of mine has ever played and still won," said Scherger, referring to Nashville blowing a 7-0 lead before finally winning on a one-out single by Skeeter Barnes in the bottom of the 12th. "We got caught in rundowns, got picked off bases, threw the ball where no one was, ran through signals to stop, and generally played terrible. I don't know what it was. Maybe we were tight, but at least we got out of there with a win.

"In the second game, we played like we have the entire second half It was a beautiful game. We beat a darn good ball club and maybe it has given us the high over the head of punter Russell Erxleben. Erxleben (pronounced Irk Slay-Ben) ran back and scooped up the loose ball on his own five yard line. Then he reared back and shades of Garo Yepremian threw the darn thing. Threw it right into the chest of Atlanta defender James Mayberry.

Mayberry blinked, then recovered from his astonishment and skipped six yards untouched into the end zone. Ball game. "It surprised me," said Mayberry, a .1.:. i Cnlnnnn ruuiue wnu was bum 111 un uie cutuns specialty team. i sure wasn't expect ing anything like Ditto for Erxleben.

"I saw the ball go over my head and I knew that was it, said the first-round draft choice out of Texas. "I don't remember exactly what happened after that. I just ran back, grabbed the ball and threw it." To whom? don't know," he said, standing in front of his locker wearing nothing out a towel and a frown. "I didn't see anybody. I just threw it.

"It was just a bad snap," added Erxleben. "Anybody could see that. But I don't blame John Watson; nobody does. When we win we win as a team and when we lose, we lose as a team." I Inside Pro Football Pages 4-6 Major Leagues Page 7 The Scoreboard Pages 8-9 U.S.Open 10 Slowpitch Tourney Poge 11 Vandy Football Page 14 TJ3 A Lairphoto NEW ORLEANS Atlanta's James Mdyberry scores the winning Saints coach Dick Nolan said he touchdown in overtime against the Saints. Moyberry's play followed idnt know if Erxleben had done the on attempted pass by punter Russell Erxleben after the snap sailed right thing or not Under normal circumstances, he over his AW.WAVA 2 Sfeelers, Patriots Col lide fact, only seven who dressed for Super Patriots still are smarting from blow-Bowl XIII last January are missing, ing a shot at Pittsburgh for the confer-With a 14-2 record last season and an -ence crown in a loss to Houston last should have fallen on the ball," he.

said. "But we were in sudden death so that wouldn't have done us much good this time. Atlanta would have still had the ball on our five yard line. I don't know what I would have told him (Erxleben) to do." Atlanta beat the Saints twice last season, winning one game with seconds left ana the other with five seconds left. Surely there wouldn't be any way to equal those two finishes.

But there was. Atlanta narrowly missed winning the game in regulation when a 52-yard field goal attempt by Tim Mazzetti fell short with three seconds left. It missed FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) The mighty Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl champions in three of the past five years, and the bowl-minded New England Patriots meet in a National Football League opener tonight in eigin-gauie winning Mica liitiuuing iear Erhardt. as outgoing as Fairbanks the playoffs, the Sfeelers are a slim IWO-poini lavonie 10 spou me neau was withdrawn, insists he is, not nervous although it's been seven years since he was a head coach at North Dakota State.

what could be a preview of the Ameri- coaching debut of Ron Erhardt, pro-can Conference title game in Jan- moted I from offensive coordinator arv after Chuck Fairbanks defected to Tm a little apprehensive, not about umim. vmurai Thp steelers. as usual, are loaaea vuiumuu. ine Bieeiers, as usual, are iuaucu vw.m-v. with experienced talent with 21 However, the AFC East champions the game but whether everything has plaVeVwrltom'-ttdfflslVWtlrq 1 i 4 I ft.