Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 43

Reno Gazette-Journal GOLF 2F BASEBALL 3F TENNIS 4F 0 SPORTS AT A GLANCE 5F SATURDAY JUNE 15, 1991 SPORTS EDITOR: JAMIE TURNER, 788-6345 (Home team in CAPS) National League EXPOS 1.40 Braves Reds 1.35 PHILLIES METS 1.85 Astros PADRES 1.40 Cubs DODGERS 1.75 Cards Pirates 1.35 GIANTS III I Woman on the move: Terry Chase might not have the use of her legs, but this former Hug graduate is anything but handicapped in this weekend's regional wheelchair tennis tournament. Story, 4F. Special heroes: The Washoe County Special Olympic Area Games begin this morning. Opening ceremonies are at 9:30 a.m. at Wooster High School.

Track and field starts at 10 a.m. Swimming is held at Northwest Pool at 2 p.m. Olympic VOte today: Salt Lake City and Nagano, Japan are the frontrunners as the International Olympic Committee is set to announce the 1 998 Winter Olympic Games site. Story, 2F. American League Boston 9, California 4 Minnesota 7, Cleveland 0 Toronto 9, Baltimore 1 Chicago 9, Kansas City 4 Oakland at rain Texas 8, New York 4 Detroit 5, Seattle 1 National League Cincinnati 4, Philadelphia 2 Montreal 2, Atlanta 1 Houston 4, New York 1 Chicago 7, San Diego 3 Los Angeles 2, St.

Louis 1 San Francisco 3, Pittsburgh 2 Cal League Modesto 7, Reno 5 Get in the swim: The Reno Aquatic Club offers competitive swimming for ages 5 through 1 8. Year-round training for the novice to the nationally-ranked swimmer. Call 825-0938. Touching all the bases: Wolf Pack baseball school, for players 8 to 1 8, runs June 17-19 and July 8-10 at Peccole Field. Players 8 to 1 2 years old attend June 1 7-1 9, players 13 to 18 attend July 8-10.

Nevada coaching staff and players provide instruction. Cost $60. Call 784-41 81 or 883-6689. Associated Press THE. FASTEST MAN: Leroy Burrell (center) raises his hand in vidtory after setting a world record with a 9.9 time in.

the 100'frters at the Mobil national championships in New YorkParl Lewis (right) finished second. At left if Ipyd Heard.f Story, 4F fig If golfs your game, the weekend of the U.S. Open usually provides thrills. Channel 8, 1 0:30 a.m. GOLF American League Angels 1.20 RED SOX Twins 1.20 INDIANS BLUE JAYS 1.40 Orioles W.SOX 1.30 Royals A's 1.10 BREWERS RANGERS 1.40 Yankees MARINERS 1.45 Tigers Payne Associated Press BIRDIE TIME: Corey Pavin reacts for a birdie on the 10th hole.

Open leaderboard Payne Stewart 67-70137 Corey Pavin 71 -671 38 Nolan Henke 67-71138 Scott Simpson 70-68138 Scott Hoch 69-71140 Fred Couples 70-70140 Craig Stadler 71-69140 Ian Woosnam 73-68141 Other scores J.M.OIazabal 73-71144 Tom Watson 73-71 1 44 Fuzzy Zoeller 72-73145 Raymond Floyd 73-72145 Nick Faldo 72-74146 Hale Irwin 71-75146 Jack Nicklaus 70-76146 Missed the cut Seve Ballesteros 72-77149 Kirk Triplett 75-75150 Curtis Strange 77-74151 Greg Norman 78 WD 1 Wmmfi- mam Open Stewart leads by one: Iffy back doesn't prevent veteran from steady march up leaderboard. By Mike Lopresti GANNETT NEWS SERVICE CHASKA, Minn. As the third round dawns at a star-crossed Hazeltine Golf Club, the relevant question is this: Can you win a U.S. Open by boring the golf course into submission? Payne Stewart is trying. In an Open short on luck Thursday's lightning tragedy, Friday's bleacher steps collapse that caused minor injuries, the stubborn rain, a rash of withdrawals the weekend chase is at hand.

At the front is a man relentless in not making mistakes. At least not yet. Stewart has had one bogey in two days. He has cruise-controlled to a 7-under 137, one shot ahead of 1987 Open champion Scott Simpson, Corey Pavin and Nolan Henke. "Put the ball in the fairway off the tee, put the ball on the green from the fairway, and make as many putts as possible," Stewart said of his gameplan.

"Pretty basic, huh?" And effective. Steady-as-he-goes, Stewart has hit 33 of 36 greens in regulation. He finished a 2-under par 70 Friday with 10 straight pars, each one seemingly like the last. Hit to about 20 feet from the pin, then two-putt. in a position to move if they wanted to.

With Idaho and Idaho State in the Big Sky, they would have some political obstacles to overcome. I'm not sure the Idaho legislature would even let them accept a Big West invitation." Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier told the Idaho Statesman he would hope to receive the blessings of in-state rivals Idaho and Idaho State should it be offered and accept an invitation to join the Big West. BOXING Associated Press MAGIC ACT: No, Payne Stewart isn't levitating his putter, but he's finding plenty of mystical shots to lead the U.S. Open's second round. MODESTO 7, RENO 5 A's trio of homers dump Sox Late threat falls short: Reno must win twice to tie for third in Cal League's first half.

By Joe Santoro GAZETTE-JOURNAL The Junior Bash Brothers? Well, for one night at least. Forget Canseco, McGwire and Henderson. How about Cooley, Fletcher and Messerly down on the farm? The A's, Modesto version, used the two-run home run to perfection Friday night, overcoming four hits by Reno's Mark Krumback, and beating the Silver Sox 7-5 at Moana Stadium. Fred Cooley hit a two-run shot in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2, Rob Fletcher put the A's up 4-2 in the seventh and Mike Messerly's pinch-hit homer wiped out a 5-4 Sox lead in the eighth. Junior Bash Brothers indeed.

tu u.j lilt. 11 IU lltlU lUlUUIUCU 1U1 JUM four home runs (all by Messerly) in 406 at-bats. "He (Fletcher) didn't get the bunt down and then he hits one out," said Sox manager Mai Fichman. "It happens." Always at the wrong time. Fletcher, the A's ninth-place hitter, had no homers on a .223 average before the home run.

"Yeah, but he's been swinging the bat real well," said Fichman. "He hit it good. And that Cooley led the Midwest League in home runs last year and was at Double-A this year." So move over Canseco, McGwire and Henderson. And say hello to third place. The victory assured the A's a third-place tie in the Northern Division of the California League.

They are two games ahead of the Sox with two to play. "Third place is very important to us," said Fichman. "We've been playing very well the last four weeks." The Sox, who finished 33-35 in the first half last year, are now 31-35 and 18-12 since May 17. "No matter what happens the next two days, we will be happy not very happy because you can never be very happy if you finish below .500 but happy with the first half." The Sox had a chance to be very happy with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth. ti i 1 ne AS lnieniionauy wameu the potential winning run in Cliff Gonzalez to load the bases and get to righty-swinging Dodd Johnson with righthander Todd Smith pitching.

Johnson worked the count full before missing a high fastball. "It didn't surprise me that they put the winning run on base," said Fichman. "Their thinking was that it took an extra-base hit to score Gonzalez from first." The loss went to reliever Francisco Alcantara, who allowed Messerly's blast to left with one out in the eighth. The first two home runs were off starter Darin Kracl, making his second Sox start. Kracl left with one out in the seventh and the Sox down 4-2.

Fichman, whose club was coming off a three-game road sweep of first-place San Jose, didn't let the loss cloud his perspective on an otherwise successful first half. "We still have a chance to win our last two, get a tie for third place and equal last year's record in the first half," said Fichman. "That's important." feeing "He keeps playing like that, he's going to be tough to catch," said Fred Couples, who is three strokes behind, tied with Craig Stadler and Scott Hoch. Masters champion Ian Woosnam is four back. Pavin birdied six of the first 10 holes to catch the early-starting Stewart.

So did Simpson. Both both bogeyed No. 1 7 to fall back, Pavin finishing with a 67, Simpson a 68. Defanged by no wind and rain-softened greens and fairways, Hazeltine is to be had. The skies cleared Friday afternoon, but there is a 50 percent chance of more rain Saturday.

The subpar rounds are mounting, 33 on Friday, the second-highest in the history of the Open's second-round. "Pretty tame," Stewart called it. "I felt when the week started, anybody under par would have a great chance to win," Pavin said. "It's a shame to see it rain. I was looking forward to playing a true U.S.

Open." Pavin said the difference was this: A 6-iron shot that rolled 25 feet on the green in dry conditions Monday was now rolling 1 0 feet. Other signs of this U.S. Open: More storm warning sirens were up on the course Friday, response-to charges not enough warning was given before Thursday's fatal lightning. And the last victims of that strike were released from the hospital. See OPEN on page 2F I Troubled tourney: But Hazeltine officials refuse to believe in a "hex" against their golf course.

Regardless, Stephenson is confident the Big Sky is not falling. "We began in 1963 as a five-team conference so I guess we know we can survive with as few as five member schools," he said. "I don't think it will come to that. "I don't think that Nevada's leaving is automatic," he said. "Right now, though.

I'd be surprised if they don't move." That's been the view offered by UNR athletic director Chris Ault. For more than a year, Ault has nization junior welterweight champion Hector Camacho, who took a 1 2-round decision over Rosario in 1986. Rosario, of Santurce, Puerto Rico, decked Sacramento's Garza, a 6-1 favorite, twice in the third round. The final time Rosario unloaded a devastating combination as Garza, bleeding from the nose, was draped on the ropes and fell forward on his hands and knees. Referee Larry Rozadilla stopped the bout 1:09 in the third.

Earlier in the round, Rosario rocked Garza with a straight right, followed with two left hooks and put him down with a right to the jaw. "In the first round, I knew I was going to knock him out," Rosario said. "When he threw the jab, I knew I could hit him with the right hand or left hook." The 28-year-old Rosario, who won versions of the lightweight title three times, raised his record to 37-4 with his 32nd knockout. The 28-year-old Garza's record dropped to 28-2-1 as he suffered his first loss in eight years. Rosario knocked down Garza ith a right to the jaw in the first 15 seconds of the bout.

Rosario all but concedes Nevada shift to Big West COLLEGE SPORTS Sky boss By Larry Baden GAZETTE-JOURNAL Big Sky Conference Commissioner Ron Stephenson said Friday he expects the University of Nevada to move to the Big West Conference before the start of the 1992 football season but doubts that his nine-team league will also face the loss of Boise State. Stephenson's remarks came after a phone conversation with his Big West counterpart Jim Haney. On Thursday, Haney had said the Big West was considering extending invitations to UNR andor Boise State. "Jimmy Haney very clearly indicated to me the he did not anticipate the Big West would go past 10 teams," Stephenson said. "He said that obviously Nevada made more sense to them based upon geography and the fact that their sister school, UNLV, already was a conference member.

"I'm not sure that Boise's even Rosario surprises Garza said Wolf Pack athletics would gain better visibility locally and regionally by aligning with California schools. His goal has been to get the athletic department in a position to make a sound choice when a new conference opportunity presented itself. That opportunity appears to be forthcoming. The Big West would have to offer UNR an invitation by summer's end to bring the Wolf Pack into the league by September of 1992. for IBF title knocked down Garza a second time with a straight right and appeared to have another knockdown in the opening round on a left hook, but Rozadilla ruled it was a slip.

"This is part of the game," Garza said. "You win some, you lose some. I got nailed early. I never had a chance to use my good jab and move. I never recovered.

"Don't count me out. I lost before and I came back. I'll come back again." Also on the card, former International Boxing Federation featherweight champion Jorge Paez stunned No. 1 IBF lightweight contender Tracy Spann with a 10-round major decision victory. Paez, of Mexicali, Mexico, the IBF's No.

3 ranked lightweight, raised his record to 39-4-3 and Spann, of Plainfield, N.J., suffered his first loss in 27 fights. "Tracy Spann is a great, great fighter," Paez said. "I had to be smart to fight him because he's a dangerous fighter." "I dominated the fight," Spann said. "I won the fight. I'm the best lightweight out there.

I'm going to protest this fight. I boxed the hell out of him." Wins junior welterweight belt: Veteran knocks down champ four times before fight ends in third round. By Steve Sneddon GAZETTE-JOURNAL SACRAMENTO Edwin Rosario hasn't lost his flair for drama or the power in his right hand. Rosario knocked down World Boxing Association junior welterweight champion Loreto Garza four times on the way to a fourth world title before 5,300 fans at Arco Arena and a national pay-per-view audience Friday night. "I knew Edwin had it in him to win the title," said Rosario's manager Bill Cayton.

"He's a great fighter. I believe he'll go on to unify the title." Rosario and Cayton said they want to fight World Boxing Orga tiby) I Via SL Associated Press DOESN'T COUNT: It's a nice relay by Milwaukee's Jim Gantner (17) as Dave Henderson slides past, but thunderstorms washed out the A's and Brewers Friday night. Baseball roundup, 3F..