Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 20

4C The Clarion-Ledger Tuesday, June 6, 1989 BASEBALL Big 3rd inning propels LSU past Long Beach Hinds' Woods makes Juco Ail-America team Lonahorns stamDede Hurricanes' freshman ace Fernandez. Sutcliffe gets extension: Rick Sutcliffe signed a two-year extension with the Chicago Cubs worth about $4 million. "I'm a little surprised, but it's great," Sutcliffe said. "When we couldn't agree in spring training, we decided to wait until the end of the year. But Barry (agent Barry Axelrod) called me and said the Cubs had had a change of heart." Davis wins NL honor: Eric Davis of Cincinnati, who hit .545 with two homers and 10 RBIs, was named the National League's Player of the Week.

Backman still sidelined: Minnesota Twins second baseman and former Jackson Met Wally Backman won't play during three games in Oakland, because of his ailing left shoulder. Both moved up when catcher Perry Sanchez's pickoff throw to second went into center, and they scored on Scott Schneidewind's one-out double to right-center. In the third, Bianco singled in a run, and two runners came home on walks before Johnson's double. Texas 12, Miami 2: Unbeaten Texas knocked out Miami's star freshman right-hander Alex Fernandez for the second time this season. Fernandez, 15-2, was charged with a season-high eight runs on eight hits, leaving the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the eighth inning, trailing 6-0.

Texas third baseman Craig Newkirk went 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs off Fernandez. Texas, 53-17, is one victory away from a spot in the title game. From Wire Service Reports twice gained All-State and All-Region 23 honors, first a year ago for Utica Junior College, then this year for the Eagles after the Utica athletic program was combined with Hinds'. "Terre is a very deserving choice," Hinds coach Rick Clarke said. "When he puts the suit on, I've never had a better athlete or competitor." This season Woods had a .420 average in 50 games with a school-record 84 hits as well as 12 home runs, 70 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.

The catcher from Gary, is named to the third team. From Wire Service Reports The Hinds Community College baseball team, which reached the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series for the first time this year, now has its first Ail-American. Terre Woods, a sophomore catcher from Gary, was an NJCAA third-team selection. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Woods He was the ninth pick overall by California in Monday's major league free-agent draft. The loss sent Long Beach State home with a 50-15 record after two CWS defeats.

LSU, 54-16, advances to tonight's elimination game against Miami, a 12-2 loser to Texas. The Tigers jumped to an 8-0 lead after three innings, taking advantage of Abbott's control problems. Mike Bianco walked and Phil Espinosa reached first on catcher interference to open the second. OMAHA, Neb. Tookie Johnson's three-run double in a six-run third inning powered Lou- isiana State to an 8-5 victory over 1 Long Beach State in a College Series elimination game Monday night.

Long Beach Ail-American pitcher Kyle Abbott, 15-3, lasted only 2 1 3 innings, giving up seven runs, all but one earned. mm i AMERICAN JaxHets at home Today: Shreveport (McClellan 6-3) at Jackson (Rauth 4-2), 7 p.m., WJDX-AM, 620, Leaf Candy Kids Night and Major League All-Star Voting Night. 0 ij YMn -A si Green well, Red Sox spoil Sparky's return II Boston wins 5-2 in Anderson's first game in Detroit's dugout in 17 days. Captains blank last-place Mets Shreveport keeps Jackson in Texas League Eastern Division basement. From Wire Service Reports By Jo Powell Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer C- i jvs I 1 I iffj-' 1 1 i The Associated Press LSU's Pete Bush (27) receives a high five from run third inning.

The Tigers won 8-5 to eliminate teammates Monday after scoring from first in a six- Long Beach State from the College World Series. Mike Greenwell hit a 440-foot home run and drove in three runs as the Boston Red Sox spoiled the return of Detroit Tigers manager Sparky Anderson 5-2 Monday night in Detroit. Anderson was managing the Tigers after a 17-day stay in California, where he was resting from exhaustion. The Tigers were 9-8 without Anderson. Boston's Roger Clemens, 6-4, went the distance for his first victory since he two-hit Seattle on June 12.

He allowed five hits and struck out seven in 7 13 innings. Brewers 5, Blue Jays 3: The Blue Jays lost their debut in the SkyDome as Glenn Braggs hit a two-run homer, leading visiting Milwaukee past Toronto. When the Blue Jays took the field, they were given a standing ovation by a sellout crowd of 48,378 and several players tipped their caps. The first pitch at the Sky-Dome was a strike by Jimmy Key to Paul Molitor at 6:46 p.m. CDT.

The ball was taken out of play and will be sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. But Key's performance was hardly Hall of Fame caliber thereafter. Molitor doubled, moved to third on a sacrifice and scored on Gary Sheffield's grounder to shortstop. With the score 2-2 in the fourth, Rob Deer led off with a single against Key, 6-4, and Braggs followed with his 10th home run. The SkyDome cost about $375 million to build and includes a glass-enclosed restaurant in center field, a 370-room hotel, a health club, saunas, a 25-meter swimming pool, squash courts and an indoor track.

Orioles 1 6, Yankees 3: Baltimore extended its winning streak to eight games, taking advantage of six errors by host New York. Steve Finley's grand slam capped an eight-run third inning and Mickey Tettleton and Jim Traber hit two-run homers. The Orioles were outhit 12-9, but it didn't matter, Baltimore's first 13 runs were unearned. Royals 5, Mariners 3: Matt Winters singled in the 13th inning, scoring Danny Tartabull and leading Kansas City past host Seattle. Winters, who doubled in his first major league at-bat last Tuesday, went 0-for-5 before his game-winning hit off reliever Steve Trout.

Indians 7, Angels 3: Cory Snyder's three-run homer in the third inning snapped a 2-2 tie, sparking Cleveland past California in Anaheim, Calif. Twins 2, Athletics 1: Minnesota's Al Newman singled home both runs and Jeff Reardon held off host Oakland. Francisco Oliveras allowed six hits before needing Reardon's relief in the eighth. Rangers 4, White Sox 2: Bobby Witt struck out five and walked only one in seven innings to lift Texas past Chicago in Arlington, Texas. Jeff Russell worked the final 1 13 innings for his 11th save.

White Sox starter and former Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College star Greg Hibbard, 0-1, went 5 13 innings in only his second major league appearance. Three Shreveport pitchers combined to shut out Jackson 3-0 Monday night and keep the Mets in last place in the Texas League's Eastern Division. The Mets dropped IV2 games behind the third-place Captains'and fell three games below .500. The Smith-Wills Stadium game and a pitching duel between the Captains' Mike Remlinger and the Mets' Kevin Brown was interrupted in the top of the sixth inning by a 1-hour, 46-minute rain delay. Neither pitcher could continue.

Remlinger left with a 1-0 lead and thus improved his record to 3-5. He allowed one hit, walked two and struck out seven. Brown, the victim of a fifth-inning unearned run, moved to 5-1. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out six. The fifth inning, when the rain began to pelt down, was all -important.

John Skurla, who led off with a single against Brown, scored on a two-out error by right fielder Zoilo Sanchez. Sanchez reached Erik Johnson's fly near the foul line but slipped down at the last second, causing the ball to deflect off his glove. In the bottom of the inning, Mets first baseman Howie Freiling led off with a walk. Catcher Dave Liddell followed the Mets' first hit, a single that sent Freiling to third base. Remlinger, a Dartmouth College graduate who was San Francisco's first-round pick in the 1987 draft, reached back to strike out third baseman Craig Repoz.

Brown grounded into a double play, diving into first jbase in a futile attempt to beat the rap. The two left-handed pitchers should meet again Saturday night in the finale of the six-game series. The Captains' Mark Leonard, who was robbed of a "home run in the first inning on a superb catch by center Chuck Carr, hit a two-run homer off reliever Dale in the sixth. Plummer inherited a 3-0 count on leadoff batter Gregg Ritchie, who walked. Ritchie's walk and subsequent run were charged to Brown.

The last homer off Mets pitching was struck 1 1 games ago. Steve Connolly picked up where Remlinger leff off with three scoreless innings. Doug Robertson worked the ninth for his league-high 12th save. Mets infielder Manny Salinas has been promoted to Class AAA Tidewater (Va.) of the International League. Mets pitcher Toby Nivens was named Texas League pitcher of the week for the period ending Sunday.

He was 2-0, allowing one run in 16 innings. Cincinnati can blame it on Rijo NATIONAL Giants rock the Reds' right-hander and capture first place in NL West. From Wire Service Reports Jose Uribe homered and Kevin Mitchell singled with the bases loaded as the San Francisco Giants pounded Jose Rijo with six early runs and beat the Cincinnati Reds 11-8 Monday night in Cincinnati. Every Giants starter had at least one hit in a 15-hit attack that gave San Francisco sole possession of first place in the National League West and snapped the Reds' four-game winning streak. Former Mississippi State star Jeff Brantley worked the ninth, allowing Chris Sabo's fifth homer and sixth as Chicago pounded visiting New York.

The 15 runs were the most by the Cubs since June 3, 1987, when they scored 22 against Houston. Padres 10, Astros 2: Ed Whit-son allowed five hits in eight innings for his seventh straight win and Tony Gwynn had four singles as visiting San Diego snapped Houston's 10-game winning streak. Pirates 3, Phillies 3: The game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies was called by rain with the teams tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning in Philadelphia. The game was called after a delay of 1 hour, 44 minutes. All the statistics count.

The game will be replayed in its entirety as part of a July 28 doubleheader. Jeff Youngblood's second, a three-run shot. Dodgers 7-5, Braves 0-2: Ramon Martinez threw a six-hitter to spark Los Angeles past host Atlanta in the opener of a doubleheader, and two-run homers by Kirk Gibson and John Shelby sparked the Dodgers in the second game. Cardinals 5, Expos 4: Milt Thompson hit a three-run homer as St. Louis scored five runs in the third inning and beat host Montreal for its second victory in eight games.

Cubs 15, Mets 3: Dwight Smith hit a three-run homer in the first inning and a bases-loaded triple by Vance Law highlighted a six-run Brantley Lott From 1C From 1C no negotiation problems. "He has indicated, and so has his mother, that he will pursue professional baseball," Campbell said. Campbell said he would like to have Lott signed by Friday so Lott can attend a week-long rookie mini-camp beginning this weekend. Lott had expected to be drafted in the first round, but he said it was "not that big of a deal." "I was a little surprised to go to the Dodgers, because I had heard so much stuff from other teams," Lott said. "But I'm not disappointed by any means.

They're a class organization and I know they'll treat me fairly." Campbell saw Lott play "seven or eight times" in high school. "The thing I really like about Bill is his makeup," Campbell said.1 "He's the right kind of person to become a big-league player. "He can run, throw. Who knows how good a hitter a high school player will be? No scout is that smart. But we believe Bill Lott is good enough to play in the big leagues some day.

The only player with a Mississippi connection taken in the first round was left-handed hitting outfielder Greg Blosser from Sarasota (Fla.) High School. Blosser, who has committed to State, was taken 16th overall by the Boston Red Sox. Winford expects to sign today, and will report soon to Butte, of the Pioneer League. 15 earned runs, 18 walks and struck out 21. Through Sunday's games, opponents have a .248 batting average against him.

"I've put him under a lot of pressure," Craig said. "He's probably pitched out of more jams than anybody we've got. He's gotten guys like (Mike) Marshall and Eric Davis in crucial situations. He'll come in with the bases loaded and get a guy to hit into a double play." "Used to, I never got double plays," said Brantley, who lives in Jackson during the off-season with his wife, Cindy, and their one-year-old daughter, Emily. "If I come into a game now and there is a runner at first, first thing I tell myself is 'ground ball, double If I get into a jam now, they're gonna have to hit my split-finger.

And it's good enough to where if you're behind in the count and you take a good hack at it, you ain't gonna hit it." Brantley, 25, would like to be a stopper some day. "But right now I'm just trying to get around the league because you can face a guy once and get him out and it's really not that big a deal," he said. "But when you do it the third, fourth and fifth time, with a different pitch than you got him out on the last time, then you can start to feel a little more confident." contacted by clubs. Raffo is reported to have been drafted by the Expos and Hildreth by the Cubs, though neither was officially notified. Winford and Hildreth have exhausted their collegiate eligibility.

Young, Hurst and Raffo have one year left. Lott, the jewel of this year's Mississippi draftees, was telephoned late Monday afternoon by Joe Campbell, the Dodgers' scout for the Southeast. "He told me I was a Dodger and said I needed to report to Vero Beach (Fla.) as soon as I could," Lott said. One thing Campbell couldn't tell Lott was the round in which he was selected. A Hattiesburg television station reported that Lott was chosen in the second round, but Campbell said from his home in Leeds, "I would say that Hattiesburg station is guessing, because I don't even know what round he was drafted in." Campbell is scheduled to begin contract negotiations with Lott in a day or two.

"He told me he was coming with a contract figure," said Lott, who signed a football letter of intent with Ole Miss in February. "Well see what that figure is and go from there." Campbell said he could foresee inning to them. They were on the way to losing 100-plus games, and here I was a rookie and thinking 'If I can't get the Braves out Since last September, Brantley has readjusted his total pitching philosophy. One thing that helped was watching veteran teammate Rick Reus-chel. "The man is unbelievable," Brantley said, pointing to the 40-year-old Reuschel, whose locker was next to his.

"I'll give you an example: I saw him strike out Dale Murphy on three pitches last year and made him look like an idiot. "First pitch was an 80-mile-an-hour sinker that Murphy swung through. Next pitch was a 58-, 59-mile-an-hour curve that was out of the zone about a foot, and Murphy wrapped the bat around his back swinging at it. Next pitch was a 91-mile-an-hour fastball about belt high that he missed. "Watching that at-bat got me to thinking." Brantley's other great learning experience came last year while playing winter ball in Puerto Rico.

He went there to primarily work on a split-finger fastball, but to also learn to change speeds and keep the ball down. "I had fooled around with the split-finger ever since I was at State," he said, "but I never threw it in a game that much because I didn't have much confidence in it. It never really had a big drop to it." His winter pitching coach was Mark Riggins, the St. Louis Cardinals' roving instructor. He suggested that Brantley ditch his overhand motion and throw more three-quarters.

Immediately, his split-finger dipped as it never had before. His fastball moved more than ever. Brantley said Riggins' suggestion "made the difference in my career." "You've got to understand, I wasn't on the (big-league) roster," Brantley said. "They invited me to spring training as a favor to me. I really don't think they felt like I'd make the team.

But I was determined." Three left-handers Dennis Cook, Trevor Wilson and Terry Mulholland were considered the prime candidates to win the final two spots on the staff. Mulholland took one. Brantley took the other. Craig is using Brantley as a middle-reliever. "Some day, I think Jeff will be a good stopper," Craig said.

"But we're gradually bringing him along." In 23 appearances, Brantley has a 3.90 ERA and no decisions over 32 13 innings. He has allowed 33 hits, Draft From 1C Seattle then chose Roger Salkeld, a right-hander from Saugus (Calif.) High. He was 13-1 this season with an 0.51 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 109 13 innings. He struck out 404 in 264 innings during his high school career. Outfielder Jeff Jackson of Simeon High in Chicago went to Philadelphia on the fourth pick.

He hit .504 in 35 games this year with 16 homers, 72 RBIs and 52 stolen bases. Hillsborough High in Tampa, Fla. Only the first round is made public, preventing colleges from using the draft lists to recruit high school players. The entire list will be released in about two weeks, after teams have had a chance to sign their players. Atlanta used the second pick to take Tyler Houston, a left-handed hitting catcher from Valley High in Las Vegas..