Great Falls Tribune from Great Falls, Montana • Page 23

US. Olympic 20 Major league roundups. 30 Offley Jr. out Indefinitely 30 Sports briefs 40 Great Falls Tribune Wednesday. July 26, 1989 3 Women's State Amateur Helena's Judi Schneider tops field of 1 81 lit It- 1 A' 4.

f. By GEORGE GEISE Tribune Sports Editor Judi Schneider has fond memories of her first visit to Meadow Lark Country Club, and she would like to make some new memories this week at the Montana Women's State Amateur tournament. "This is where I broke 80 for the first time," the Helena left-hander recalled Tuesday before playing a practice round at Meadow Lark. "I also would like to make this the first place where I break 70." Schneider was a 15-year-old Helena Capital high school player when she broke 80 in 1982, but she's a mature 22-year-old now, with four years of golf at the University of Alabama behind her. Considering that she placed 27th at the NCAA women's tournament at Stanford in May, and considering that she's the only ex-champion in the field of 181 golfers, Schneider ranks as the pre-toumament favorite to win the tournament, which runs Wednesday through Friday at Meadow Lark.

Schneider won the State Am title in 1986 at her home Green Meadow Country Club course, and has finished second three times, in 1983-84 and 1988. She fired rounds of 79-75-83 for a 237 total last summer at Laurel Golf Course, finishing a whopping 20 strokes behind record-setting CeCe Stilder of Billings. With Studer having turned pro, the mantle of pre-tournament favorite falls easily around Schneider's for at least top-10 status include: perennial MLCC club champion Susie Knight; State Seniors champ Helen McMeel of MLCC; Kari Loberg of Hamilton; Jamie McKethen of Poison; Lynn Bruin of Bozeman and young Billings players Brittany Schaff and Michelle Cars-tens. Spalding, a teammate of Schneider's at Alabama, took third last year at Laurel, while University of Washington players Eliason and Burns were 4-5. Laurel Prill of Billings finished sixth, followed by Roberts and Loberg.

Schneider, who hasn't played Meadow Lark for four years, she predicted the winning score probably won't be too low. "I don't think anybody will have to shoot real low to win. I think 230 would be a great score, and 240 might not be too bad," she said. "It's pretty tight and there are some hard par-3s." Sally Sisk of Whitefish shot a 10-over-par score of 238 for 54 holes to win the State Am at Meadow Lark in 1982. Sisk, like many top Montana amateurs, later turned pro but found the going tough on the mini-tour.

Schneider also has aspirations of turning professional, but they can wait until she finishes college this winter. "I'll see in December how it looks, and maybe I'll turn pro," she said. "Maybe I'll play the mini-tour for a year and then try the (LPGA) qualifying school. Wednesday's pairings 2D shoulders. She's confident, yet modest, about her chances.

"I feel like I'm ready, but I haven't played tournament golf since the NCAAs in May," she said. She took three weeks off after school to tour Europe, missing one of her favorite events, the Whitefish Lake Fourth of July tournament. Several of the players who competed at Whitefish rank as her primary challengers, including champion Jill Johnson of Butte, who played collegiately at Washington State. "All the girls who played in college Jill, Leslie (Spalding), Lisette (Carter), Heidi (Bums) and Carrie (Eliason) all should be in there," Schneider predicted. To that list, she easily could have added the names of Vanderbilt golfer Tina Jovanovich and Florida-bound Joanne Roberts of Helena, considered among the top juniors Montana has produced the past few years.

Another player who is getting a lot of attention at the par-76 Meadow Lark course is Terri Benson, who has worked in the pro shop at MLCC the past two years after playing college golf in Florida. Benson hasn't played many tournaments while in Montana, but knows the nuances of Meadow Lark and has previous state-toumament experience in Iowa. Other players who should contend Tribune Photo by Stuart S. White Women lined up on the practice range Tuesday at Meadow Lark Country Club to hone their games for the State Amateur that runs Wednesday through Friday, with 181 players entered. Hitting the range are (from left) Meghan Rydell of Great Falls, Marnie Prigge of Butte and Lisette Fey Carter of Great Falls.

Dodgers rally past Mustangs Goodwin's single sparks three-run eighth inning la4 I long double to the right field power ally by Mark Cerny. After Cemy's hit, Vavra brought in Mark Potthoff. Catcher Brian Nicholls greeted the reliever with a shot over the bag at first. Deutsch got a piece of the ball, but it bounced past him for a run-scoring single. Billings tied the game 4-4 in the eighth with two out.

Hoffman was hit in the foot by a Potthoff pitch to lead off the inning. He was bunted to second by Scott Pose, and scored on a single by Chris Humber relieved Potthoff, and got Cemy to fly to Rod Harvell in left for the third out. DODGER NOTES: The crowd of 3,504 was the largest of the season at Legion Dodgers and Mustangs will play a twi-night double-header tonight beginning at 6 p.m. Kiki Jones and Rich Crane will draw the starting assignments for the first-place Angeles Dodgers' head of scouting Ben Wade and farm director Charlie Blaney were in attendance at Tuesday's game. reliever Bobby Fletcher, who pitched just two innings for Great Falls, has been transferred to Salem (Ore.) Dodgers in the Northwest League.

AP Photo San Francisco defensive end Daniel Stubbs puts a good rush on quarterback Joe Montana during Tuesday morning's practice in Rocklin, Calif. El way given OK to call own plays By CHAD ROBERTS Tribune Sports Writer The Great Falls Dodgers put the bat on the ball at the right times Tuesday night. Tom Goodwin and John Deutsch keyed big innings with two-run singles, as the Dodgers rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to defeat the Billings Mustangs 7-4 before 3,504 at Legion Park. Frank Humber, the third Dodger hurler, pitched llj innings of hitless relief to get the win. Humber is now 2-0.

Brian Fry, 1-1, took the loss in relief for the Mustangs. Goodwin, who had extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a third-inning single, bounced a hit through a drawn-in infield, scoring pinch-runner Craig White and Matt Howard with the tie-breaking runs. It was a nice piece of hitting by Goodwin, as he fought off an 0-2 pitch to get the ball through the infield. "Goodwin and Anthony Collier both hit the same ball, except they were playing Goodwin in the hole," Dodgers' manager Joe Vavra said. "Goodwin and Collier just have to put the ball in play.

If you put the ball in play, you put pressure on the defense." The Dodgers put pressure on the Mustangs' defense in the eighth. Billings' fielders committed three errors in the frame. Great Falls fell behind 1-0 in the first inning before breaking loose for four runs after two were out in the fifth. Mark Borcherding, the starting pitcher for Billings, should have been out of the frame without a run scoring. However, a key error by shortstop Trevor Hoffman opened the door for Collier and Deutsch, who produced three runs with a pair of singles.

Deutsch, a 6-5, 225-pound first baseman, plated Tom Goodwin and Tim Barker with his check-swing liner over third baseman Steve Vondran's head. Deutsch hit three balls to the opposite side during the contest, including a long fly ball which was hauled in on the warning track in the first inning. NFL camps Good win BILLINGS (4) ob bl 3 110 4 0 10 4 0 11 4 12 0 4 111 3 0 11 Tribune Photo by Sherlyn Biorkgren Pose If Perozo Gill dh Vondron 3b Cernv rf Nichols Henderson lb Cox oh GREAT FALLS (7) ob bi Goodwin cf 4 2 2 2 Barker ss 3 10 1 Collier rf 5 0 2 1 Deutsch lb 4 0 12 O'Oonnell 3b 5 0 0 0 Seals dh 3 0 0 0 Baar 4 0 10 White pr 0 10 0 Teel 0 0 0 0 Howard 2b 4 2 2 0 Harvell If 2 110 Fowler If 0 0 0 0 34 7 3 0 0 0 10 0 0 Great Falls Dodger Anthony Collier takes a big cut during early-inning action against the Billings Mustangs Tuesday night at Legion Park. Dombrowski 2b 4 0 0 0 Hoffman ss 2 10 0 Totals Totals By The Associated Press Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway will get to call his own plays this season. Elway and coach Dan Reeves came to an agreement this week at training camp that will allow the quarterback to help design the weekly game plan and have more freedom in calling plays.

"Dan has, told me that I can have as much influence as I want," Elway said Tuesday. "I plan to get more involved in it and put more of my thoughts into it. I want to let him know what I'm thinking so we can be working together instead of against each other." The two said the new system will eliminate some of the mis-communications they had last season. "It should cut down any problems we might have (had)," Reeves said. One of Ehvay's first decisions may be to put running back Tony Dorsett in the game plan more often.

"I don't think we did a good job of utilizing Tony and what he can do," Elway said. "We've got to try to get him in the open field where he can beat some people. We didn't do that. If we give him the chance to make the big play, I think he wilL" Washington Redskins 't hasn't taken the Redskins long to find out that running back Earnest Byner brought more with him from Cleveland than simply a good pair of hands and the ability to run over a would-be tackier. "He has a great work ethic, can play a number of positions Billings 100 (M0 2104 Helena 000 040 03x 7 Barker, Hoffman, Perozo, Vandron, Rodriguez.

DP Great Falls 1. DP Billings 4, Great Falls 10. 2B Pose, Cernv. Pose. IP ER BB SO Billings Borcherding 5 5 4 0 2 4 Galloway 1 0 0 0 3 0 Fry L.l-l 1 1-3 3 2 2 0 1 Rodriguez 2-3 110 2 1 Great Falls Helmick i 4 3 2 1 3 Potthoff 12-331101 Humber W.2-0 1-3 0 0 0 0 1 HBP Hoffman by Potthoff.

2:45. A 3,504. the ball out of the ballpark." The Mustangs bounced back with two runs in the top of the seventh against starter Tony Helmick, who struggled early before finding his groove in the middle innings, setting down 13 straight Billings' batters at one point. Vondran opened the inning with a single, and promptly scored on a "They were pitching me outside, and he took some off his fastball," Deutsch said of his fifth-inning single. Vavra said his big first sacker was just hitting what was pitched to him.

"John has the ability to hit the ball to either field," Vavra said. "He always has the capability of hitting See NFL CAMPS, 2D Griz, Idaho to play Sept. 28 before national television audience inHpod the Grizzlies have solid oerformers if not nlace for any pessimism. QJ1N VAt FY IHahn Ratines are immrtant to Bie Scott Mansch Mansch is Tribune assistant sports editor "We're going to be better," was the common-denominating phrase of every coach who spoke Tuesday. And though it is doubtful that everyone will indeed be talking so proudly about November 1, it seems that Read, at least, can back up such talk.

With talent. The Grizzlies have four returning All-Americans, including offensive lineman Kirk Scrafford and punter Jody Fanner. Scrafford is a pro prospect, and in Read's words "one of the best linemen around." Farmer is simply as versatile as they come in the college game. The running back-kick returner-special teams star also happens to be a fantastic punter. He teams with UM placements specialist Kirk Duce to give Read a solid kicking game.

This is no surprise. Since Read came to Missoula three years ago Grizzly teams have more than held their own in the kicking game. They've done pretty well on the scoreboard, too, winning 20 of 33 games. Thus Sun Valley, with its delicious menu of recreation and scenery (and food, too), and the Montana football program, with its high hopes for the fall of 1989, seem a fine match this summer. Crisp Saturday afternoons in November seem a long way off when compared with summertime temperatures and a resort setting.

But if the Grizzlies can retain the optimism apparent at Sun Valley this week, their fans should be in for a fun fall. abundant depth at most positions, ine aeiense, icu uy returning Ail-Americans Tim Hauck and Mike Rankin, could be among the nation's best. And the offense, with a heralded young group of linemen and a veteran situation at both running back and quarterback, looks promising. While Read doesn't promise a Big Sky championship, he does think his team could well be better than last year's 8-4 club that qualified for the NCAA I-AA national playoffs. He looks no further than the quarterback slot for reinforcement.

There, junior Grady Bennett holds a slight edge over redshirt freshman Brad Lebo in the battle for No. 1. "We feel like we have a very solid quarterback in Grady Bennett, who is vastly improved over a year ago," Read said. "He is much more confident now over a year ago: He just feels like he can do it." Read said Bennett, who started nine games last year and threw for 1,682 yards and 11 TDs, displayed a better passing touch this spring. "John Friesz has really good rhythm when he throws the ball.

Grady got into that this spring with his receivers, a better rhythm." It has yet to be proven that improved rhythm translates into football victories, but such is the rhetoric on display at the Big Sky Conference Kickoff. And why not? Sun Valley is a glorious locale, and certainly no Sky Conference coaches and officials during their annual conventionretreatvacation at this scenic resort. You know: How does the food rate, how does the golf course rate, and, oh yes, how does our football team rate when compared with the competition? Tuesday morning at the ninth annual Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff, Montana and Idaho officials were interested in yet another kind of rating, the one named after Nielsen. Big Sky commissioner Ron Stephenson announced Tuesday that the Montana-Idaho game, scheduled for Sept. 30 in the Kibbie Dome, has been switched to Thursday, Sept.

28, and will be televised nationally by cable station ESPN. The telecast, ESPN's second in as many years involving Big Sky teams (Northern Arizona defeated Northern Iowa 25-12 on ESPN last fall) will originate from the Kibbie Dome with a 6 p.m. MDT kickoff. "It will be good for the kids and the university," said UM head coach Don Read. "With the national exposure there will be a lot of eyes watching the ballgame and seeing how the program operates.

I would say it has implications for future recruiting, too." The Idaho Vandals, two-time defending Big Sky champions, expect to contend again in 1989 as Ail-American quarterback John Friesz returns for his final t7 season. Six of the league's nine coaches took turns chatting with media types Tuesday and none dismissed the Vandals' hopes this year, head coach John L. Smith's first on the job. But the Montana Grizzlies, too, have earned the respect of league followers. His peers acknowledged as much Tuesday and Read confirmed the notion.

"Potentially, it could be a real good season," he said. "We have the right kinds of kids and things there that you need: good size and speed up front offensively) and a defense that has won and is mostly back. "I think this potentially could be the best team I've had (at UM). They should be the best team able to handle the challenge. They're older, more experienced and they've won some.".