St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 99

St. Charles Post SPORTS THURSDAY, JULY 5, 1990 5SC mi The RJeofld Sarah Stevens Shines In NorthSouth Game Mike Potthoff Hopes To Climb The Ladder With LA "I I really didn't know what to expect. But I just tried to do the best I could ff SARAH STEVENS at It's a great organization. But they also have a lot off pitching. If you're looking to move up quickly, it might be easier with another team.

9f MIKE POTTHOFF, on the Dodger organization jl ments he's had to make is keeping runners close. "There's a lot of speed and I've had trouble with that," he said, adding that he would like to develop a quicker delivery to the plate. Being in the Dodger organization has prompted a mixed reaction from Potthoff. "It's a great organization," he said. "They treat everybody fair.

They take care of you. But they also have a lot of pitching. If you're looking to move up quickly, it might be easier with another team." Even if Potthoff, a bachelor, never pitches in Dodger Stadium, he'll have something on which to fall back. He already has received two degrees from Missouri in marketing and logistics. Potthoff considers St.

Charles his true home even though his parents now live in Overland Park, Kan. Potthoff grew up in St. Charles but attended the first three years of high school in suburban Minneapolis before coming to Howell for his senior year. "I'm probably going to live in St. Charles this winter," he said.

"I know I can work out at Flo Valley with Bill Bell." Bell is the Florissant Valley Community College baseball coach who was Potthoff's American Legion coach at C-H. Potthoff also has several friends in St. Charles, inclduing Dale Banze and Jerry Beckermann, both former pitchers for Howell and C-H. Banze still is throwing for Cottleville-Har-vester of the East Missouri Baseball Association. Ironically, both were married on June 2.

"Dale is my best friend. I was supposed to be in his wedding," Potthoff said. "But I couldn't get the time off." ERA and two saves. He worked in the Instructional League last fall in Phoenix, Ariz. Charlie Blaney, the Dodgers director of minor league operations, said Potthoff "has a good makeup and a good arm.

He really has played more basketball than baseball. We like his potential." Basketball was the first love of Potthoff, who stands 6 feet 8 and weighs 225 pounds. As a senior at Francis Howell in 1983-84, Potthoff was a Class 4A All-State selection averaging 20.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game. He also was an All-GAC pitcher, posting a 7-1 record and a 1.43 ERA. Potthoff had received a basketball scholarship to the University of Missouri and was about ready to give up baseball in the summer of 1984.

"I had been asked to play in some All-Star high school basketball games, but all my friends were playing Legion ball, so I dropped out of the All-Star games," he said. By Joe Lyons Post-Dispatch Special Correspondent Sarah Stevens was disappointed, but she isn't bitter. Despite enjoying a solid senior soccer season at Duchesne that included Gateway Athletic Conference and district championships, Stevens was named as the second-team All-GAC goalkeeper behind Dena Hecht of Fort Zumwalt South. "Dena and I are friends and I know she's an excellent goalie," Stevens said. "But I felt like I had a good season, too.

I would've liked to be All-GAC, but it wasn't up to me." And it wasn't up to Duchesne coach Duane Haddox, either. "If we'd voted for a most valuable player, it would've been Sarah Stevens hands down," Haddox said. "I think a lot of Dena she's an excellent player, But in my opinion, Sarah's the best goalie in the area." Stevens proved herself Saturday, playing 55 scoreless minutes in the NorthSouth High School All-Star Game at St. Louis Soccer Park. For her efforts, Stevens was named as the North MVP.

"I'd have to say it was one of the highlights of my career," said Stevens, 18. "Going in, I really didn't know what to expect. But I just tried to do the best I could." With her squad trailing 3-0 at halftime, Stevens came on and shut down the South at the outset of the second half as the North eventually worked its way back into the ballgame. The North pulled even late in regulation, but lost 5-3 in overtime. "Just being a part of a game like this is a real honor," Stevens said.

"I would've liked to have seen the North win, but I was happy with the way I played." Stevens started playing soccer as a sixth-grader at Sts. Joachim and Ann. She started as a striker, but moved to goalkeeper in eighth grade. "Our goalie moved and I figured I'd give it a try," she said. "And I've been there ever since.

I really enjoy playing goal. I know there are people who think I'm crazy, but I really like the pressure." One of Stevens' favorite drills while at Duchesne was called "Bull in the "The goalie gets in the middle Lowers The Boom On St. Peters The last two innings were all St. Charles. David Garza, Rufkhar and Cory Evrard started the fifth with consecutive singles.

Rupp then sliced a single to right to bring home Garza and Rufkhar. Evrard then scored on a suicide sqeeze by Shane Hollander. Jenkins got into quick trouble in the sixth by walking the first three batters. Garza followed with a two-run single to right. Evrard brought home another run on a fielder's choice.

Hollander added another run-scoring single and Towers ended the game with a two-run single to right. By Alan Fredman Of the St. Charles Post Mike Potthoff has yet to reach the major leagues, but he certainly can't say he's receiving minor-league care. The former Francis Howell High and University of Missouri pitcher is competing this summer for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Class A team in Ba-kersfield, Calif. He had been hampered by scar tissue and bone chips in his throwing (right) elbow.

Arthroscopic surgery was performed about six weeks ago by Dr. Frank Jobe, the highly respected surgeon who has operated on numerous major-league players. Until now, Potthoff, 24, never had a serious injury. The fact that Jobe performed the surgery makes Potthoff even more confident he can rebound quickly. "I've been playing catch for about two weeks," Potthoff said in a telephone interview Monday.

"Hopefully, I'll be back pitching in a game in about three weeks, but maybe that's pushing it a little." Before the surgery, Potthoff had thrown only 15 innings. He had no record and a 3.00 earned-run'average. "I was throwing pretty well, but I couldn't go more than two or three he said. "My arm got all Inflamed and it would take three or four days for the swelling to go down." Potthoff said his elbow began hurting shortly after he started pitching last summer for the Dodgers' Rookie League team in Great Falls, Mont. He was sent to Great Falls after he was selected by the Dodgers in the 16th round of last summer's amateur draft.

Despite not being at full strength, Potthoff had a successful season at Great Falls. He was 2-2 with a 2.86 St. Charles The St. Peters American Legion baseball team was a tired club after 10 consecutive days of playing, but overall fatigue seemed to hit everyone at once Tuesday against St. Charles.

St. Charles turned a fine pitcher's duel into an 11-1 blowout in a 9th District game at Blanchette Park. St. Charles Improved Its fourth-place league record to 9-3 and 15-7 overall. St.

Peters fell to 9-7 and 19-11. The 10-run rule took effect in the seventh inning after St. Charles scored six runs in the inning to take an 11-1 lead. St. Peters was coming off a first-place performance in the Elsberry Tournament.

Although St. Peters played strong for six innings, the team seemed to run out of gas. "I think we had a little letdown from the weekend," St. Peters manager Mel Venneman said. "We've played a lot of baseball and we have a couple of Injuries." There was little to indicate that a 10-run game was on the horizon.

In Vrtlnoc from rtiir Ml mi TOENJOYOUR and rest of the players try to make her dive for their shots," she said. "And we always seemed to do it on the days when the field was muddy. I'd end up coated with mud, but it was really a lot of fun." Stevens, who took over in goal midway through her sophomore season at Duchesne, has come a long way since those early days. "When I played those first few games, there were times I really didn't know what I was doing," Stevens confessed. "But now I'm a lot more confident in myself.

I know what I'm doing, I'm good at it and it's a lot of fun." But Stevens' success hasn't come easily. She's worked at the game -and she's received some excellent Instruction. She attended Steve Fuchs' goalkeeping camp at De-Smet last summer and also benefitted from working with ex-Fort Zumwalt North standout Brad Marshall this season. "I'm a lot better on the finer points of playing goalie now," she said. Stevens also gained some great experience while playing with the Pioneers Soccer Club.

"For some reason, we just couldn't get enough players to show up," she said. "There was one game when I stopped 42 shots. But it was fun and I really think it helped make me a better goalie." Stevens, who stands 5 feet 10, has developed into a solid all-around goalkeeper. "Sarah's very quick, she has good size and she's very good at distributing the ball," Haddox said. "And she's going to get better." Stevens will attend Quincy (111.) College on a soccer scholarship.

She chose Quincy over Northeast Missouri State University. "It's a good school and I'm really excited about the soccer program," she said. "I don't know if I'll get a chance to play right away, but I'm sure going to give it my best shot." itH. aerobics 1990 tally's Health Tennis Corporation 1023B3 i ill GRAND RE-OPENINQ Potthoff was happy he did. He played a major role in Cottleville-Har-vester's (now Harvester Memorial) drive to the 1984 state American Legion title, the team's second in succession.

As it turned out, Potthoff saw only limited playing time in basketball at Mizzou and decided to concentrate on baseball. As a fifth-year senior in 1989, he was 5-3 with an 4.59 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 35 walks in 86l3 innings. The previous spring, he was 8-4 with a 5.50 ERA with 76 strikeouts and 25 walks in 90 innings. Although he's enjoyed more success in baseball, Potthoff said he misses basketball. "I lived in Columbia over the winter and I played in the Missouri alumni game.

It was a lot of fun," he said. But Potthoff thinks shooting a basketball might have contributed to his elbow injury. Potthoff said his fastball had been clocked in the high 80s mph in the minor leagues. He also throws a slider and changeup. One of toughest adjust second and stayed in the rundown long enough for Towers to score.

Jason Raines led off the fifth with a single, then advanced on another Jenkins balk. Raines advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Brandon Rufkhar's double to left field. St. Peters had two excellent scoring chances in the fifth and sixth, but came away with nothing. They loaded the bases in fifth when pinch-hitter Mark Arens hit a long fly ball that sent St.

Charles right fielder Scott Rupp back to the fence. Rupp made the catch in foul territory to end the threat. "I just wanted to throw strikes after we had the lead, French said. I didn't want to get myself in trouble by walking people. We have a pretty big park, so I just tried to put the ball in play." St.

Peters also had runners on first and third in the sixth, but Freeh struck out Chad Vickrey to close the door. French struck out the side in the sixth 1 Ofi 000 wrlc Yf dl. LUUId 11 I'l" FOLLOW THESE EASY INSTRUCTIONS. fact, St. Peters trailed 2-1 in the top of the sixth and had two men on base, yet couldn't score.

St. Charles broke it open with three runs in the sixth and six more in the seventh to end the game early. Jason French (5-1) turned in an excellent performance, striking out nin-ein seven innings. He didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning. When St.

Peters started putting men on base, French got even tougher. "I can't say enough about how Jason pitched tonight," St. Charles coach Ron Snider said. "He's done the job as a starter and a relief pitcher." Losing pitcher Jim Jenkins was just as tough on the St. Charles hitters for the first five innings.

St. Charles held a 2-0 lead after five innings with two manufactured runs. In the first, Chad Towers got a one-out single, stole second and advanced to third on a balk by Jenkins. Jenkins then scored as he and Scott Love executed a double-steal. Love took off for IMVFKITOPY nuar ON SALE NOW! IJL 3.CHECKTHE PLACE OUT.

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