Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page 82

THE HARTFORD COURANT: Sunday, Augutt 18, 1991 C7 Patience pays off as WaUin finally gets shot with Britsox -ST contact more consistently," Britsox manager Gary Allenson said. "Last year, he hit .230 and hit 15 homers. Now if he can hit .250, he'd hit 20 homers." At Winter Haven, Wallin hit .244 with three home runs. But he cut down his strikeouts 52 in 279 at-bats and looks, so far, like a much better hitter than his statistics "Down there in the Florida State League, it's much tougher," Wallin said. "You hit the ball, and it just goes nowhere.

I've been laying off bad pitches, hitting better pitches." Wallin, 6 foot 4, 210 pounds, was UNH's career RBI leader with 159. Undrafted, he signed with the Red Sox as a free agent in 1987. "I know there are no guarantees in this game," Wallin said. "I've seen a lot of players come and go. I feel like, if I do well here I can move up.

But I would like to be at least here next year." 'One thing in Wallin's favor is his defensive ability like most left-handed throwers, he is smooth and sure around the bag. "He can make some plays over there, can't he?" Allenson said. Some can miss Familiar names continue to resurface in the Eastern League. Andres Thomas, once a "can't-miss" young shortstop for the Braves, joined Canton-Akron last week. Max Patkin, the Clown Prince of Baseball, is amazed by the resurgence of interest in the minor leagues.

"I can't believe the attendances I've seen everywhere I've been this year," he said. Patkin, 71, wants to do his bit four more years to reach an even 50. But he has cut his schedule from 80 dates to 50. "Next year, I might cut back to 40," he said. But, considering Pat-kin's long friendship with owner Joe Buzas, New Britain probably will remain on his itinerary.

The 29 homers by Williamsport's Jeromy Burnitz are the most by an Eastern League player since Willie Darkis hit 31 for Reading in 1983 Pete Estrada's 11-game losing streak, broken with Friday night's victory 1 over Williamsport, is a Britsox franchise record. Militello: So far, so good Although he hasn't quite matched his remarkable Class A statistics, Sam Militello has done well since the Yankees sent him to Albany last month. In five starts, Militello, a righthander, is 1-2 with a 3.03 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 14 walks in 32 innings. At Prince William, he went 11-2 with a 1.21 ERA, becoming the most talked-about prospect in the Yankee system. The Yankees love his sidearm delivery, which effectively hides the ball.

Eastern League notebook But his average was only .234, and he struck out 95 times in 389 at-bats. The Red Sox acquired Steve Hendricks, who had 90 RBI for San Diego's Class A affiliate, to play first at New Britain leaving Wallin to start his fourth pro season below the Double A level. But Hendricks has hit .211 with no homers. When he went on the disabled list with a shoulder injury Aug. 1, Wallin, a left-handed hitter, finally got his chance.

"What he needs to do is make By DOM AMORE Courant Staff Writer NEW BRITAIN It took a little longer than expected, but first baseman Les Wallin is getting an opportunity to advance his career with the Red Sox. "All I can do is play," said Wallin, who is hitting .310 (13-for-42) since coming up from Class A Winter Haven to the New Britain Red Sox three weeks ago. "When they felt it was the right time, they brought me up." Wallin, 25, from Danbury and the University of New Haven, hit 15 home runs last season at Lynchburg the Red Sox' top Class A team. Britsox can't help Fischer Despite losing record, attendance mark set Hi Purcistor. HLTERS Purolator Air Filter i sss? uj minium v'm, By DOM AMORE Courant Staff Writer NEW BRITAIN Like all the New Britain Red Sox starting pitchers, lefthander Tom Fischer has had his share of good efforts go to waste.

Saturday night, it happened again as Fischer and the Britsox lost a 2-1 decision to the Williamsport Bills at Beehive Field. With Saturday night's crowd of 2,904, the Britsox broke their regular-season attendance record, set in 1983, the franchise's first year in MSm? jmWs Satit "nmnce. .3" I New Britain. The Britsox have drawn 130,553 with six home dates remaining, surpassing by 120 the old mark. Fischer (8-10), the Britsox' winningest pitcher, al lowed six hits FISCHER in seven innings, striking out seven But the four hits he allowed to begin the game, including RBI sin gles by Jeromy Burnitz and Paul Williams, were enough to defeat him.

Righthander Dave Telgheder (13 8), the Eastern League leader in victories, limited the Britsox to seven hits in 7 innings. Colin Dixon's RBI single in the fourth gave the Britsox (42-82) their only run. Williamsport (56-68) started the game with singles by Pat Howell, Tito Navarro, Burnitz and Williams to score twice. After Burnitz stole third base, Fi scher retired Alan Zinter on a short fly to right, then struck out Joe Deli Carri and Tim Howard to end the inning. The Britsox got a run back with a two-out rally in the fourth.

John Fla herty beat out the throw for an in field hit up the middle, then Vinnie Degif ico singled to right, a smash off the glove of second baseman Rudy Hernandez. Dixon followed with a single into short right to score Fla itell Tim LiQUidorPowder 1 PISi tPRl YOURCH0ICE BucketSeat Y0URCH01CE ft ft ft "-aaasar-' fg SlYM 909 iK? 099 vRSHNBr 5' IfmgA Camaulja fe '-5 Shade 1 mkmW 37 JSCS I imV iMMhll Jli Uf GS8 I ML. 989 IV- II Valvoline Motor Oil ft- gti' ffi, fejftfi V- tinS-3 10W30'10W40'5W30 1 S2 pw1! Qsg-: 0f(T II'ZZaX your choice pi 1 7-Band 50 Watt Graphic I ir iifftil XsJ Purchase Limit: 2 Cases Per Customer feit2 ff I ITTT Prrr rVlAfVTSMP I I IMHIAwHorm I Triple Gaugee 1 4 ai plastic. leather arii TT1 wood. Now it's bigger ii0amk frTj 1 Chrome Trim Ring VJKI.I.K TTL flOiSl WlW )l Z' MWn VZCHZU i liable in 0 I innilT IAVAY0i "ICIfl Car Cover Q1CQ i-is-.

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Fischer did not allow another hit until the fifth, when Hernandez singled and Navarro reached on a two-out bunt. But Fischer got Burnitz on a soft liner to first baseman Les Wallin. Fischer (8-10) retired the last seven he faced, leaving after the seventh inning. The Britsox threatened in the seventh, when Scott Powers' two-out double put runners at second and third. But Jim Byrd lied to center.

In the eighth, Wallin doubled to right center with two out to finish Telgheder. Reliever Doug Kline walked Flaherty, but Degifico, who singled in each of his first three at bats, lined out to left. Paris returns to lineup Juan Paris, after missing a few days with an abscessed tooth, was back in the lineup in center field. With 27 steals and 29 home runs, Burnitz has a good chance to go 30' 30 The New England Grey Sox will play at Beehive Sept. 14 against the Connecticut senior Baseball League All-Stars.

Bill Lee, Mark Fidrych, Bill Buckner and Bobby Bonds are among the ex-maior lea guers committed to play for the Grey Sox, who appeared in Bristol in June. The game will follow a charity softball game between ESPN and WFSB-TV, which starts at 5:30 p.m 'Jjra ea EI jimimmmtmmw JtmSSmmfmnM Villi $t' to" Bloomlield Copaco Shopping Center. 335 Cottage Grove Rd 243-0082 Bristol 525 Farmington Ave. at Rte. 229 584-9332 E.

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