St. Cloud Times from Saint Cloud, Minnesota • Page 17

SECTION Prep football stalistics2C Cubs pull off huge win3C Scoreboard2C IIFL4C Sept. 19, 1989 St. Cloud (Minn.) Times Puckett's Tom Elliott Area notebook jr XL- iVHfvV. i 200th hit in vain Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS If Kirby Puckett had his way, his 200th hit of the season would not have been belted in vain. "It's quite an accomplishment, but still the team didn't win," said Puckett after a California offense sparked by Chili Davis' three-run homer in the first topped the Minnesota Twins 6-3 Monday night.

The Angels won for the eighth time in 11 games and stayed 2'A games behind first-place Oakland in the American League West. The Twins were mathematically eliminated from the race. The three-game series continues at 7:05 p.m. today. The Twins' Kevin Tapani faces the Angels' Chuck Finley.

This year, the games still mean something," said Davis. "Every at-bat means a lot. It keeps you interested. If we're not in it, you think and play as an individual. When you're in the race, all you want to do is win." Bert Blyleven, 16-4, went eight innings and gave up one run on seven hits, including Kent Hrbek's 200th career homer, and beat his former teammates for the second time this season.

The Angels are 22-9 in games Blyleven has started. "Chili had a great home run," Blyleven said. "It just set the tone. It's very important to a starting pitcher (to get an early lead)." Said Angels manager Doug Rader: "When Bert Blyleven 's pitching with a Twins4C Soccer on hold for Tech kicker After registering for classes a few days before school, Yorg Salewski saw a bunch of St. Cloud Tech football players heading to practice.

He immediately got an idea. "At first, I just wanted to go out for the soccer team," said Salewski, a foreign exchange student from Munich, West Germany. "Then I saw all the guys with their football equipment on. "I talked to Coach (Bruce) Hentges to see if it was possible for me to play and he said: Salewski's soccer career has been put on hold. Now, on as nearly a spur of the moment decision as it was to try out, Salewski is the placekicker for Tech.

He likely will handle the kick-offs and extra-point and field-goal attempts Friday when the Tigers host Monticello at Clark Field. "I wanted to try something different," said Salewski with a thick German accent. "I had played soccer for so long, I wanted to try something else." Salewski has played organized soccer for 11 years, playing on minor level teams in recent years. He said he played on a West Germany AP photo Catcher Brian Harper (right) of the Minnesota Twins lunges to tag California's Lance Parrish at the plate in the second inning of Monday's game. Parrish tried to score on Chili Davis' single, but was called out.

Twins have abundance of young hurlers A minor league local update By RICK PREISS Times Sports Writer April 1988 Twins on TV. Camera zooms into the dugout. Three pitchers sitting together. Holdovers from the old-timers' game? No, the starters for the Yankee series. September 1989 Twins on TV.

Camera zooms into the dugout. Three kids sitting together. The bat boys? No, the starting pitchers for the Toronto series. In barely more than a year, the Minnesota Twins' pitching staff has gone from social security, to insecurity, to futurity. Being out of the division race by the All-Star break probably was better for the future of the organization than winning 91 games in 1988 and creating false hope.

The Twins unlocked the door to the minor-league system and brought up Mike Dyer and Mark Guthrie. The Frank Viola trade brought in youngsters such as David West and Kevin next season. The starting rotation should include right-handers Willie Banks, Johnny Ard and Scott Erick-son. Banks, 20, is the Twins' top prospect and perhaps their only one with "superstar" potential. The No.

3 overall pick in the 1987 draft, Banks blossomed at Class A Visalia, this season, going 12-9 with a 2.59 earned run average. In 174 innings, he allowed 122 hits, struck out 173, and cut his walks to 85. Banks' fastball, which reaches the mid-903 mph, is one of the fastest in baseball. He was the California League's top pitching prospect, based on a poll of league managers by Baseball America. The 6-foot-5 Ard, the Twins' No.

1 pick in 1988, recovered from a slow start to finish 13-7 with a 3.29 ERA at Visalia. Erickson, a fourth-round pick last June, was 3-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 12 Minors4C Twins' minor league leaders4C For the first time in years, the Twins have an abundance of young pitching prospects. How many succeed in the majors and whether any become stars is another question, but at least the odds are better than a few years ago. "The last few years we've felt we had some strong, young arms coming along," said Jim Rantz, Twins minor league director. Suddenly, pitching has become the Twins' strength at the minor-league level.

Drafts and trades the last few years have focused on building pitching depth. Conversely, the Twins' system is less deep in other areas: power hitting, speed, and defense. Here's a look at how some of the Twins' prospects did in 1989, starting with the pitchers. Starting pitchers: The Twins will be watching their Class AA team in Orlando, closely By RICK PREISS Times Sports Writer Here's how some former area players did in minor league baseball this summer: Troy Hoerner, a 1988 Milaca High School graduate, hit .206 for the Minnesota Twins' Rookie League team at Sarasota, Fla. In 36 games as an outfielder-designated hitter, Hoerner was 21-for-102 with one home run and 16 runs batted in.

Rob Schiel, St. Cloud State's starting shorstop the last three springs, hit .195 as an infielder at Sarasota. In 42 games, Schiel was 26-for-133 with two homers and 14 RBI. Ex-St. Cloud State pitcher Chad Swanson finished the summer with the Twins' Class A team in Visalia, where he was 4-1 with a 2.92 earned run average.

Swanson was in 30 games, 26 in relief. He started the season at Class A Kenosha, where he was 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 11 games. Dana Kiecker, another former St. Cloud State pitcher, was 8-9 with a 3.67 ERA for Boston's Class AAA team at Pawtucket, R.I. Kiecker threw 147 innings in 28 games, 19 as a starter.

By completing his seventh minor-league season, Kiecker becomes a free agent if not put on Boston's 40-player major league roster after the season. Gary Borg hit .266 with five homers and 65 RBI as an outfielder for Milwaukee's Class A team in Stockton, Calif. Borg attended Brainerd High School and his parents, Jean and Al Mahling, live near Camp Ripley. Big Lake forfeit leaves Pioneers scrambling national team when he was 11 and 12 years old. He was exposed to the National Football League two years ago on cable television.

NFL games are regularly broadcast in West Germany, he said. Football is gaining popularity in Europe. There are a number of amateur teams forming, many with coaches and a few skill position players from the United States. "It's all very new," Salewski said. So is Salewski's role as placekicker.

He actually kicked his first football three days before Friday's St. Cloud Apollo game, a 26-6 Tech win. Against the Eagles, he was 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts and averaged 44.2 yards on kickoffs. Saturday, he kicked in a junior varsity game at Brainerd and was 2-for-2 on extra-point attempts and had a 25-yard field goal in Tech's 25-24 overtime win. "My first few were not so good," Salewski said.

"I was kind of nervous. It's so different." He might not have had the opportunity to kick on the varsity had Andy Rydland been 100 percent healthy. Rydland is Tech's starting fullback and linebacker. And, he had handled all the kicking until the Apollo game. Also an outstanding cross-country skier in the winter, Rydland has a recurring hip problem that flared up after the Tigers' varsity win over Brainerd.

"It's a hip flexer and it's actually both hips," Rydland said. "But the left one is the most annoying." To give Rydland a little more rest, the coaching staff decided to give Salewski a chance. So far, it's working. "I like being active, playing as much as I can," Rydland said. "But I thought it actually helped a lot to take a break on Friday.

"He (Salewski) has a good shoe. And, if he helps the team, all the better." In the meantime, Rydland has talked Salewski into taking a football home with him. Home in Minnesota means the Thomas Walker residence. The football is for practice. "After I had made the kicks, I had more confidence," Salewski said.

"But I must improve. I think it's possible." He also says he enjoys learning about the game. He also works out at Elliott6C A --r- 4 A i i College hockey Wingate, Hedican may switch roles By MIKE KILLEEN Times Assistant Sports Editor There's something wrong with this picture. Jordy Wingate is pushing the puck up ice, leading a 3-on-2 charge. Backpedaling furiously to cover the play is Bret Hedican.

Wait a minute. Didn't Wingate play defense for the St. Cloud State hockey team last season? Wasn't Hedican a wing for the Huskies? That was then. Now, both are taking part in an experiment, an experiment that could see the two sophomores switch roles. Wingate is attempting to switch to right wing.

Hedican is trying to earn a spot on defense. "Right now it's strictly an experiment," St. Cloud State coach Craig Dahl said. Both roles aren't new to either player, however. "If it was new, I wouldn't do it," Wingate said.

"You can't switch gears this late in the game." Wingate occasionally played wing while playing junior hockey for the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League two seasons ago. He finished that season with 15 goals and 51 assists in 60 games for the Broncos. "Definitely, I like to handle the puck. I kind of lost that last year, because the coaches want the defensemen to be more stay at home. The coaches didn't want me to rush the puck," Wingate said.

Huskies6C By TOM ELLIOTT Times Sports Writer Pierz athletic director Leroy Miller had a busy morning on the telephone Monday. First, Miller found out that Big Lake was forfeiting its home football game with Pierz Friday because of a lack of players. Because of injuries, Big Lake is down to 11 varsity players and athletic director Glenn Evans decided to forfeit rather than risk hurting more athletes. Then, Miller made a call to the Minnesota State High School League office in Anoka and found out that West Concord High School was looking for someone to play this week. After a few more phone calls, it was determined that the Pioneers will play West Concord at 7 p.m.

Friday in Pierz. And, Big Lake gets the week off to rest its injured players. "It wasn't just a frivolous decision," said Hornets head coach John Haskell, who talked with school officials and the school board before making the decision to forfeit. "We felt the safety of our players was more important than a football game." Four players were lost to injury in last Friday's 31-16 loss to Holdingford, John Haskell Tough decision for Big Lake including starting quarterback Matt Juhl (slight concussion), tackle Jon Mussehl (torn shoulder muscle), tight end Jason Skoog (pulled groin muscle) and fullback Marty Juhl (badly bruised shoulder). "We were in a position where we might have had to forfeit our game with Holdingford if someone else had gone Forfeit'6C Times photo by Jason Wachter Sophomore Bret Hedican is attempting a positional switch with the St.

Cloud State hockey team. vTjT 2 minute YA drill Dougherty, Dave Olsen, Dave Melby and John Lieser. They shot a 12-under par 60 to win by one stroke. THOME WINS HOMER DERBY: Scott Thome hit six home runs to win the third annual 101 Ultimate Home Run Derby Saturday at Waite Park's Burlington Fields. Thome won $101, plus a $25 bonus for hitting four in a row.

Jeff Anderson, Chaun DeMars and Scott Fisher tied for second, with Anderson winning a playoff and $50. DeMars won $25 for third, plus a $25 bonus for hitting four in a row. MILLEN OUT FOR EIGHT WEEKS: Corey Millen the top scorer for the U.S. Olympic team who signed with the New York Rangers last month, will miss at least eight weeks of the NHL season after suffering a knee injury in Monday night's exhibition game against the New York Islanders. Millen's injury was diagnosed as a sprained medial collateral ligament of the left knee.

NCC NAMES TOP PLAYERS: Quarterback V.J. Lechman of Northern Colorado and running back Jamie Grosdidier of South Dakota State were named Monday as North Central Conference offensive players of the week. Larry Sibley a linebacker from Nebraska-Omaha, won defensive honors. Lechman, a freshman from Greeley, ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns in leading his team to a 34-31 come-from-behind victory over Morningside on Saturday. He accounted for 322 yards of total offense in his first conference start.

Grosdidier, a sophomore tailback from Mitchell, S.D., rushed for 156 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown in helping SDSU to a 23-13 win over North Dakota on Saturday. Sibley, a sophomore from Omaha, spearheaded a UNO defense that limited South Dakota to three field goals in his team's 23-9 victory Saturday. SCRAMBLE WINNERS: Four St. Cloud golfers won the second annual Big Lake Legion Scramble Sunday at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker. They were Mike ST.

THOMAS PLAYERS HONORED: Running back Gary Trettel and linebacker Rick Schwoch, both of St. Thomas, have been named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive and defensive players of the week. In St. Thomas' 41-20 conference win over Hamline on Saturday, Trettel, a junior from Mounds View, rushed 21 times for 132 yards and one touchdown and had two receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown. Schwoch, a junior from Park Center, made four solo tackles, two assists and had two interceptions, returning one 21 yards for a touchdown in St Thomas' conference opener.

TODAY'S TEASER: Who was the last linebacker the Pittsburgh Steelers had play in the Pro Bowl? MONDAY'S ANSWER: University of Minnesota lineman Carl Eller was the Buffalo Bills' first draft pick in 1964. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings instead. Compiled from staff and wire reports. COUNTRY CLUB RECORD: Bill Israelson shot a 14-under par 202 for 54 holes to win the KCLDSt. Cloud Country Pro-Am last weekend.

Israelson, the assistant pro at Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids, had rounds of 69, 70 and 63. His Sunday score was a course record. He shot 32 on the front nine, 31 on the back, and had seven birdies and an eagle. He won $1,200. Pat Fleming, St.

Cloud, won the amateur title with a 224..