The Times Recorder from Zanesville, Ohio • 13

Seeing Reds Cincinnati nabs another dramatic victory. PAGE 2B 'Chasing a dream: Phillips off to solid start By DEVIN SHULTZ Times Recorder SARASOTA, Fla. It's been over a month since Maysville graduate Chase Phillips was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. After receiving word of his selection in early June, Phillips signed on with the Orioles and headed south to Florida to join the Gulf Coast team located in Sarasota. I i Phillips has played in six games, posting a 1-1 record with a 3.68 earned run average.

In 14.2 innings, he has struck out seven batters, walked eight and allowed 16 hits. In a telephone inter "It's alright," Phillips said of his playing time. "It's different because I don't play everyday. I play one time a week, maybe two." Speaking of playing with Maysville, Phillips has already noticed a difference between the Muskingum Valley League and the Gulf Coast League. "In the MVL, you try to hurl your best stuff and beat the batter," Phillips said.

"Here, it's more about hitting spots and fooling people, like throwing an off-speed pitch and catching the batter off guard. The majority of the hitters here are good and can hit anything." "Weatherwise, it's hotter than home," Phillips said, "and it's different playing in hotter weather. The heat can tire you if you're not used to it." With this being Phillips' first time away from home, he has experienced some homesickness. "I kind of missed home," Phillips said. "There's not much to do where I am at, but I've found some places to pass the time by." His Phillips, noted his great mental stability.

"Mentajly he has been doing well," he said. "He was homesick a little bit, but that didn't last long. They keep him busy enough so he'll forget about that." Changing gears, Chase's father went on to say that he is very optimistic about his son's future in the farm system. "He feels like he is doing well down there," the elder Phillips stated. "The coaches feel he is getting better.

It looks like he may be able to step up next year to the (rookie) team in Bluefield (W.Va.)." "I don't really know how things will work out," Phillips said." I might get a chance to move up if I keep doing well, but pitchers usually move slowly through the system." Internet users can track Phillips' progress throughout the Gulf League season at Fastball.com. The web address displaying links to each of Baltimore's minor league teams is http:llwww.fastball.com oriolesminors. Look for the Gulf Coast Orioles box located near the bottom page and click on pitching. He is listed as James Phillips. view last week, he said that professional baseball is where he should be.

"It's really normal to me," Phillips said. "I feel like I am supposed to be here. There is nothing too hard, and nothing too easy." Phillips saw plenty of action as Maysville's number one hurler last spring, but is seeing limited action in his first season of minor league ball. JOAN PARKERTimes Recorder Maysville graduate Chase Phillips has a 1-1 record and a 3.68 ERA playing forthe Orioles' rookie team In the Gulf Coast League. Warhawks wake up Americans Newark cMb stows Mile fi -4 By DAVE WEIDIG Times Recorder ZANESVILLE In the withering heat of Ohio Univer-sity-Zanesville's Tom Checkush Field Saturday, the Zanesville Americans may have received the wakeup call they needed for the upcoming state tournament.

The talented Americans, who will defend their 15-year- old state Babe Ruth title starting this Friday night at Gant Municipal Stadium, fell behind 6-0 early By SAM BLACKBURN Times Recorder ZANESVILLE Jeff Hood has been a man possessed since joining the Zanesville Americans. And the rest of his teammates are following suit. Hood fired a one-hitter and his 13-year-old teammates used a pair of big innings as they mercied the Zanesville Nationals 10-0 in five innings at Gant Municipal Stadium Saturday afternoon in the Babe Ruth District Tournament. The Americans advanced to play the Newark Mound-builders at later in the afternoon, but fell 14-4 to drop into the losers bracket against the winner of Cambridge and the Nationals, which were still playing as of press time. The Americans knew beating Newark wouldn't be an easy task, and they were right.

"We watched them last night and they're pretty good," said Bess of the Moundbuilders prior to the game. "They have a little bit of everything. We can expect good pitching and good defense." V- Earlier, Hood mustered just three strikeouts, but located, well and benefited from several fine plays by his defense against the rival Zanesville Nationals. "We played great defense to-1 day," said Hood, who also drove in a pair of runs with two singles. "If we play defense we're going to be tough to beat." The Americans totaled just eight hits, but got them when it counted.

They scored a run in the first when Kaid Musgrave walked, stole second and scored on Derek Tyson's triple. Tyson was stranded at third, but his team still carried a 1-0 lead. Nationals starter T.J.. Frame hung tough for two innings, but ran into trouble in the third. Musgrave led off with a triple to right and after Adam Agin grounded out to the pitcher, Tyson struck again as he tripled to right to plate the second run of the game.

Hood then followed with an RBI single and moved to second on a throwing error, before scoring when Chad Rice reached on an error. Russ Cox would add a sacrifice fly RBI to end the See BABE RUTH Page 2B i on to the perennial powerhouse Columbus Warhawks and never fully recovered in a 9-5 setback. After winning four of their last five games, the Americans dropped to 6-5 after losing a 3 heartbreaker in the second contest. Columbus used a six-run explosion in a second inning that included a bases-loaded hit by pitch, Americans' error with the sacks jammed and a balk. Those miscues accounted for three of the runs.

The Warhawks had just two hits in the uprising, one of them of the infield variety. See AMERICANS Page2B JOAN PARKERTimes Recorder As Zanesville Nationals' catcher Jordan Spohn tries to come up with the ball, Jeff Hood of the Zanesville Americans appears to slide through his legs during their Babe Ruth 13-year-old district game at Gant Municipal Stadium Saturday afternooaThe Americans won 104. Frenchman sleeping on 5-shot British Open lead Pirates boot Cleveland by a field goal (13-10) PITTSBURGH (AP) The Cleveland Indians rarely lose because their major league-leading offense can't keep up. Two games in less than 24 hours against the Pittsburgh Pirates proved an exception. Kevin Young and Al Martin each homered twice run shot in the fourth and a three-run drive off Steve Reed in the sixth.

Young's second homer came in a four-run inning that made it 11-6 after the Indians cut Pittsburgh's five-run lead to 7-6. "A five-run lead against them means nothing," Kennedy search alters programming NEW YORK (AP) The search for John Kennedy missing plane forced the networks to alter their sports programming, with ABC switching its British Open golf coverage Saturday to fellow Disney-owned ESPN and the Major League Soccer. All-Star game to ESPN2. CBS wasn't, as fortunate. It had to scrap its broadcast of the Ameritech Seniors Open golf tournament.

and the Pirates again turned to big innings and big hits to beat the Indians at their own game, winning 13-10 Saturday. The Pirates had 29 manager Gene Lamont said. "Heck, in one game this year, they were down by eight and won by nine. The big thing for us is we kept adding on runs, CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) He made difficult shots from pot bunkers look easy. He made putts that stretched from here to France.

Each time, Jean Van de Velde removed his hat and waved to a stunned gallery at Carnoustie Golf 1 Just as remarkable was how the unheralded Frenchman waved goodbye to Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and everyone else in the third round of the British Open. i "Was I surprised? Definitely I am surprised to be five ahead," Van de Velde said after his 45-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday gave him a 1 -under 70 and left him as the only player to match par on the toughest links golf course in the world. "But I'm not surprised with myself," he said. "If you don't believe you have a chance, it might happen." Can it really? The only Frenchman to win the British Open was Arnaud Massy in 1907. The last time a Frenchman even led the British Open was Jean Garaialde in 1964.

The country known for epicurean delights just may have a golf champion to cele- "It would be fantastic, a dream come true," Van de hits in outscoring the Indians 24-13 in winning the final two games of a three-game inter-league series that attracted 126,438 to Three Rivers Stadium. Cleveland won 2-0 Thursday. "It seemed like the game was riding on every single pitch," Martin said. "You had to concentrate every single minute you were out there. It was a very intense game, and the heat made it even more intense." The temperature reached 98 degrees during a 3 hour, 41-minute game that saw 13 pitchers allow 32 hits, 16 by each team.

Young matched a career high with five RBIs on a two-run homer following Martin's two- which is something we haven't done enough this year." Martin's second homer was his 13th one more than last year and made it 12-7. But the Pirates still needed reliever Mike Williams to get the final five outs after Cleveland scored three times in the eighth and had the potential tying run on base. Williams struck out Jim Thome with runners on second and third to end the threat. "When we went up 7-2, 1 started ragging on a couple of Indians fans who were sitting near the bullpen," said Williams, who got his 14th save. "Then, all of a sudden, it was 7-6 and I figured I had better shut my mouth." Velde said.

Not so fast. Craig Parry and 1997 British Open champion Justin Leonard were five strokes behind. Woods, who ran out of incredible par saves and finally made a double bogey in his round of 74, is seven strokes out of the lead. Norman, despite a hard-luck 75, is another stroke back. "Anyone with a lead has got to sleep on it," Woods said.

"When I won the Masters, it wasn't exactly an easy night's sleep and I had a nine-shot lead." The Associated Press Unheralded Frenchman Jean Van de Velde reacts after finishing with a 1 -under par 70 on Scotland's tortuous Carnoustie links Saturday, giving him a five-shot lead entering the final round of the British Opea tr: i 1 i a a ji a a i -i i A 4 i i i 14 4 4' 4 4 4 4 I 4 A .4 It.