The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 31

C5 ml! Friday, April 28, 1989 The News Journal Confidence, control turns Hens' Brakeley into staff stopper Mohawk PREMIUM All-Season Steel Radial WW 15580R13 33.95 16580R13. 35.95 17580R13 37.95 18580R13. 38.95 GT 4 All-Season Steel Radial WW 15580R13 38.95 16580R13 41.95 17580R13 42.95 18580R13. 43.95 18575R14. 46.95 19575R14 48.95 20575R14 52.95 21575R14 53.95 5 18575R14.

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4 9.9 5 40,000 MILE RATING r.HlM.III'HI.'l-fli;Uf.W..l:Ml.i:HI,Fimffl7JVIfilOK; 1 By Tom Tomashek Staff reporter Bill Brakeley always had promise. It was just that sometimes he lacked direction. The University of Delaware left-hander worked the strike zone on a part-time basis. But this season Brakeley gained confidence, and with it came the control to elevate him from a second-level starter to stopper. "Last year, he'd fall behind the hitters and would just be throwing the ball," Delaware Coach Bob Hannah said referring to Brakeley's 3-4 season.

"This season his breaking ball is consistently in the strike zone, he changes speed pretty well and he's consistently on top of the hitters. "Fortunately for us, he's made that kind of progress because it's made a difference for us in the league." Delaware is 9-3 in the East Coast Conference, where they share a tie for first with Lafayette. The two will play a double-header Saturday at Delaware Diamond. Brakeley has won three of four ECC starts, striking out 49 batters and allowing only eight earned runs. The 6-foot-5 junior is 5-2 overall with a 2.68 ERA, 71 strikeouts, and only 29 walks 47 innings.

That's a welcome turnaround DISC BRAKES OIL CHANGE FILTER SPECIAL gg COMPLETE kfli; COMPLETE $39 $19 Most cars: Includes up to 5 urum Branaa $49.05 gained some confidence in the first couple games. From there it's just continued to build. I'm also stronger because of a weight program that Dr. Michael Ax developed for us." Brakeley been been overwhelming in his last two starts. He struck out 15 batters in a 15-2 victory over Rider and last week had 13 strikeouts in a 16-2 romp over Lehigh.

"He's been taking the bats out of their hands," Hannah said of a pitcher averaging 1.5 strikeouts per inning. "All those strikeouts mean a lot of defensive plays you don't have to make." Brakeley is having fun. "There's nothing better than throwing it by them and saying, 'Grab some Brakeley said with a mischievous grin." The scouts have begun to gather behind the backstop: His fastball clocked consistently in the mid-80s and sometimes approaching 90 miles per hour. Brakeley is flattered, but not distracted. "Whatever they scouts think, they think; I pitch for Coach Hannah and the guys on the team," he said.

"I really like the guys on this club. This is defintely a team of character." It is a Delaware team that recovered from a 6-12 start, worst by any Blue Hen team since 1953. Brakeley won three of the games including the conference opener against Towson. "We lost four of our first five games, but Coach Hannah told us to look at it bad start as our spring training," Brakeley said. "It took us time to get to know one another.

We played Towson right after the spring game, and winning the first game just turned the whose season around." Qts Premium un i-mer Front or Rear Most Cart RON'S DISCOUNT TIRES Rle 141 a Jay Dr. 4122 Concord Pk. Del New Caatle, Del. 328-1661 478-6666 THE WHOLESALE TIRE STORES 341 Elkton Road Newark 738-9890 3925 Klrkwood Hwy. at Getty Station 004-8800 40th a Waih.

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798-3333 at Ron's Location! Only Static Balancing Available Hen's left-hander Bill Brakeley is 5-2 with a 2.68 ERA. for the Wooster College oi Ohio transfer, who last year was win-less against Division I opposition. "I set some goals last January to work harder and to be in better shape," Brakeley said. "In the fall I had good control and the fastball was there. I had a feeling that if I kept it up, things would change.

"I threw pretty well early and Maryland slams Blue Hens (4-2) allowed one run and three hits in six innings. Smoot also had a pair of hits and three RBI for the Terps. Delaware (18-17) was led by Heath Chasanov and Tim Sipes, who each had two hits. J.C. Leverage added a RBI double for the Hens in the fifth.

Delaware's Mike Gomez had a 15-game hitting streak snapped as he went 0-for-4. FACTORY CASH BUCK COLLEGE PARK, Md. -Maryland slammed 18 hits off three Delaware pitchers to rout the Blue Hens 13-3 in nonconfer-ence baseball Thursday. Chris Burdick led the Maryland (14-18) hit parade with a three-run home run in the seventh inning. Ken Trusky added four hits and Pete Laake, a transfer from Delaware, had three hits, including a solo homer.

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