Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • 202

College baseball: Sun Belt delays ruling on USF protest, 5-C For scores, call 969-0203 tp TIMES FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1987 EVOoammi Loyola elmiroatfes Temple Henghrtts 8-1 By BRIAN LANDMAN Timet SUM Writer the second, I started letting up on my fastball a little bit and they started popping it up." Overall, Gibby said he was pleased with his team's showing. "I'm proud of our guys," he said. "They hung in there, and they didn't quit. I think if we had scored in the fifth when we had the bases loaded, we could've come back. But we didn't get the little hit when we needed it." i him," Hernandez said.

"He's done it all season, so today was not too much of a surprise." Hernandez counts on Caridad (9-2) to hit the ball, too, and he also lived up to those expectations. Caridad hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning that gave the Bulldogs an 8-1 lead. Then the hard-throwing right-hander had to withstand two comeback attempts by Temple Heights (18-6). Catcher Bill Holland reached first on third baseman Peter Leon's throwing error to lead off the top of the fifth. One out later, Rocky Contreras singled to left.

With two outs, Todd Stepp singled to right to load the bases. Erik Henry grounded out to end that Eagles threat. right especially in the fourth. With runners at second and third and one out, freshman Ronald Caridad, Rolando's brother, hit a ground ball to Henry at third. Henry looked Randolph Powers back at third and threw to first for the out.

On the throw, Danny Gonzalez broke from second base. When Gonzalez was almost at third, Powers still was standing on the base. But first baseman Stepp slipped and threw wildly to third, and Powers scored. Rolando Caridad followed with his home run. "We didn't play poorly, but Loyola is definitely the type of team you have to do the little things against to beat," Gibby said.

"If we get that guy in the rundown and we should have gotten him out they don't score in the tmsebnll "I felt in control," said Caridad, 16. "My curveball wasn't breaking, so I started mixing up my pitches, and everything went okay." The Eagles threatened again in the seventh as pinch hitter David Kimbrough singled to left, Contreras singled for the third time, and Stepp walked to load the bases. With two outs, Henry struck out to end the game. "We just couldn't get the hit when we needed it," Contreras said. "We were ready for them, but we just got outplayed today." Temple Heights coach Stan Gibby said the difference was that his team did not do the little things inning and it's still only 5-1." Loyola scored first.

Donnie Melton (10-3) walked Powers to lead off the first inning, and Gonzalez reached first on shortstop Dale Jenkins' error. Two wild pitches later, the Bulldogs had their first run. Melton struck out the next three batters his only strikeouts of the game. Temple Heights tied the score in the second. Henry was hit by a pitch, Pete Ward walked, and Jenkins lined a 3-1 pitch into right-field, scoring Henry from second base.

Loyola answered with four runs in the bottom of the second, two on Ronald Caridad's homer to left. "We were definitely a little tight at first," Melton said. "After JACKSONVILLE Miami Loyola baseball coach Evelio Hernandez has a lot of confidence in sophomore pitcher Rolando Cari-dad. Caridad justified that confidence Thursday, Caridad allowed one run on six hits, struck out 12, and pitched out of two bases-loaded jams as Loyola beat Temple Heights 8-1 in a Class A state semifinal game at Wolfson Park. Loyola (21-6), the second-ranked team in the state, will play Grand Ridge (15-5) today at 7 p.m.

for the state title. Grand Ridge beat Jacksonville-Temple Christian (24-2-2) 4-3 in the other semifinal. "I expect good pitching from ragons in state tourney t. la Is jj Lcyolt 8, Temple Heights Temple Heights II 00 I 4 1 Leyela 14 MO 7 Caridad Melton 10-11 Loy Powers. MR Loy Ronald Caridad Rolando Caridad.

Records Tan Hetghts It-t); Loyola 111-). Grand Ridge 4, Temple Christian I Temple Christian Ml 1 1 Crand Ridge Ml 4 W) 1 Baiey (t-J). -Creel (6-J) TC Creel, GR: Brown I. 3ft TC Traadwat Records Tampla Christian (24-2-2), Grand Ridge (15-5). Gaftheir reaches state 4A inaD By RICK BUTLER Timet Correspondent ALTAMONTE SPRINGS It's one down and one to go in the Gaither High School softball team's final-four quest.

Leah Lamping's single to center brought home Kara Paula in the bottom of the seventh to give the Cowboys a 7-6 victory over previously unbeaten Jacksonville White in Thursday's semifinals of the Class 4 A state tournament. The win puts Gaither into today's Class 4A final against host school Lake Brantley, a 4-3 winner over Cooper City in the other semifinal. Gaither jumped ahead in the bottom of the first, scoring five runs on three hits and taking advantage of two Commanders errors. Shannon Abarbanel had a two-run double, softball By KEVIN THOMAS TlnM Stolt Wrttar SARASOTA Although Jefferson was 16 strokes behind leader Stuart-Martin County to start Thursday's final round in the boys high school state golf tournament, the Dragons were not just hoping to score well. "Oh, no, we want it," Jefferson coach Joe Pennachio said of the team title.

Jefferson went for it, too, with three Dragons shooting par or under on the front nine. But there was too much ground to make up, and the Dragons settled for moving up a notch to fifth place among the 16 teams competing at Misty Creek Country Club. Jefferson had a 626. Martin County held on to the lead, winning with a 605. Joe Alfieri paced Jefferson with a third-place finish.

Alfieri sank a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 18 to finish with a 72 for the day and a 145 total. Mike Sposa of Coral Springs-Taravella won with 71-69140. In the girls tournament, Chamberlain stayed in sixth place by shooting a 387 to add to its 385 of Wednesday. West Palm Beach-Ro sarian won the title with a 598 total score.

In the boys individual competition, Alfieri tied Zephyrhills' Steve O'Neil for second in regulation, and the two headed for sudden death at the par-5 first hole. Both reached the green in two. Alfieri, TbrkM photo MIKE PEASE Chamberlain's Kristen Klein plots her course in the girls tourney. Klein had a 164 total. In the girls tournament, at the Foxfire Golf Club, Kristen Klein led Chamberlain with an 81-83 164.

The top 10 scores ranged from 139 to 159. Sue Veasey, a Countryside junior and a regular on the Greater Tampa Junior Golf Association tour, finished second to Rosarian's Michelle McGann. Veasey was two strokes down with nine holes to play. McGann then went on a tear, shooting 33 on the back nine for a 71-68 139 score, beating last year's winning mark by 14 strokes, Veasey came in at 71-73 144. weekend OUTDOORS DflUE mnmiETT Tkrw photo MIKE PEASE Ron Holmes of Plant High takes a swing in the high school boys state golf tournament Holmes finished the tournament with a 169.

Tampa Bay sea grass can use public help this fall short who excelled on the greens during the tournament, three-putted. O'Neil, the 1985 state champion, lipped an eagle putt and birdied. "I was so-so," Alfieri said about his even-par round. "I didn't hit the ball that bad." Alfieri's 145 total was two strokes better than last year's winning score, on the same course. King's Scott Youngblood beat Gaither's Richard Kaufmann in a playoff in that tournament.

Alfieri's teammate Robert Ar-not also shot even par Thursday. With his 78 of Wednesday, Arnot finished tied for seventh at 150. Daryl Martin, who was at 36 after nine holes, shot an 80 for a 157 total. Doug Howe shot 172. "The other teams had to flush up their scores, and we had to play super," Pennachio said.

The Dragons finished behind the four teams Martin County, Sarasota Riverview, Jacksonville Episcopal and Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas that were favored to battle for the title. Zephyrhills, behind O'Neil's performance and Steve Bright's lOth-place effort, moved up a place to eighth. Countryside, which struggled this week, dropped to ninth. Ron Holmes, the District 8 medalist from Plant, scored 80 Thursday for a 169 total.

sports in brief sity of South Florida soccer stadium. Race-day registration is available for runners, beginning at 6:30 a.m. There also will be a 2-mile fun run, starting at 8:30 a.m. For more information, contact the Cystic Fibrosis chapter at 968-2873. Solomon has celebrities teeing up at Northdale NORTHDALE Freddie Solomon, a former University of Tampa quarterback who had a long career as a wide receiver in the National Football League, will sponsor the fifth annual Celebrity Golf Classic today at Northdale Golf Club.

The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start, and fans are welcome. Rugby championship set for today, Saturday TAMPA The National Rugby Club Championship will be held today and Saturday at Pepin Rood Stadium. golf provement. Peter planner in hope for "We Rocky "The that direct see the restoration has lost century, marine He serves on the Agency for Bay Management.

Clark, associate environmental for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, is excited about this next effort. "Water quality has improved substantially the northern end of the bay, and we a higher survival rate," Clark said. are moving the grass to the mouth of Creek. FCA is the only public organization has come forward to help the bay in replanting efforts. It is gratifying to public finally getting involved in the efforts for Tampa Bay.

The bay 81 percent of its grasses in the last and without them, the bay and its life will die." grass that has had a 40-percent survival rate. The grasses were relocated into an area next to Green Key south of the mouth of the Alafia River when water quality there had improved to the point where they could survive. Water clarity is critical to seagrass survival, and cloudy water often is responsible for the disappearance of vast grass beds. Robin Lewis of Mangrove Systems, a company specializing in environmental mitigation, supervised the efforts of last year's FCA volunteers and will serve that purpose again this weekend. His firm has been active in several private efforts to recreate estua-rine habitat effort made necessary by construction projects in sensitive areas such as Rocky Point.

Lewis has maintained a high profile in many issues relative to bay im TAMPA Tampa Bay will get a little help from some friends as the Tampa Chapter of the Florida Conservation Association plays host to the second annual seagrass-transplanting party at the Courtney Campbell Causeway today, Saturday and Sunday. FCA officials invite the public to get involved in this pilot project, aimed at re-establishing viable seagrass pastures in parts of the bay where grasses disappeared because of water quality degradation. "We hope that families from the area will make this an annual outing," said Richard Post, event chairman for FCA. "All anyone needs to bring is maybe a post-hole digger and some plastic bags. We will direct the efforts of all volunteers and help to assure that the healthy grasses are removed so that they have the best chance of survival in their new home." The grasses scheduled for moving lie in the path of the causeway expansion project.

If they cannot be moved, they will be destroyed when the roadway is widened. Construction begins next spring, and this is the last opportunity to transplant, because the plants can be moved only when their roots are dormant. The FCA last year moved a section of County 3A track stars face Collen Perez and Stacy Mones chipped in RBI singles, and Tara Lee added a sacrifice fly. White High came back in the top of the second. With two out and runners on second and third, Kendra Bryson grounded to short for what looked like an inning-ending force.

Perez, the Cowboys' shortstop, fielded the ball and decided to throw home instead of to first. Nicky Taylor raced home ahead of the tag to make the score 5-1 and keep the inning alive. "I saw the runner going home, and my first reaction was to throw it there," Perez said. "I knew; I should've gone to first with it, but I'm glad it didn't hurt us too badly," Jacksonville White scored two more runs in the inning, on singles by Brenda Stack and Lisa liar-graves. Stephanie Loy popped out to end the rally.

The teams exchanged runs In the third. The Commanders staged a two-out rally in the sixth. Bryson and Stack singled and moved up when Paula's relay throw missed everything and sailed past first base. Hargraves grounded a single up the middle to bring the runners home, but she was caught in a rundown between first and second to end the inning. The score was tied at 6.

In the top of the seventh, again with two out, Jacksonville White came close to taking the lead. Tina Peeples and Taylor hit singles, bringing up Trina Goff. Goff belted a single to right-center directly In front of Lee, who made a relay throw to pitcher Kathy Page. Page spotted the slow-footed Peeples heading for home and made a throw that catcher Deanna Ponto-nero played on the bounce before tagging out Peeples. i "I made a coaching mistake out there," Jacksonville White coach Carol Davis said.

"I had faster girls on the bench, but I left (Peeples) in." In the bottom of the seventh, Paula led off with a single to left center. The ball skipped off Stack's glove and kept rolling, allowing Paula to move to third. Lamping then stepped in and made sure the Commanders were out of comebacks. "The win feels great," Gaither coach Nancy Brown said. "Getting into the finals is as far as you can go on this level.

They're a good team, and we had to play a good game tp beat them." Gaither is 19-6 going into today's championship game. Jacksonville White ends the year at 19-1. state's best Teams from Georgia, California, Pennsylvania and Colorado open with semifinal action tonight, and the two winners will face each other at 6 Saturday in the championship game. Sixteen teams from the Southeast will compete in a seven-per-side tournament that begins today and runs through Sunday. Normally, a rugby team is made up of 15 players.

Tampa Bay's entry in the sev-en-per-side tournament is the Pelican Rugby Club, the host team of the tournament. Tickets are $5 per day and may be purchased at the gate. Diabetes Golf Classic coming to Pebble Creek TAMPA The first Diabetes Golf Classic will take place May 18 at Pebble Creek Golf and Country Club to raise money for diabetes care at University Community Hospital. University Community spokeswoman Joann Giglio said sponsorships have been rolling in but that at least 20 more golfers are needed. To enter, call 972-7202.

FOR THE RECORD SOFTBALL High school state tournament THURSDAV'I RESULTS CLASS 4A Gailhar JackonvHI-Whlta J.ckionvllla-Whlta 031 002 0 14 4 aalthar Ml wo 1-7 in i Paga 5-0). Hargravai 19-1 JB JW Pecplet; Ga: AbarbaneT. Record Jack-wnvlHa-Whlta W-l; Galther l-a. GOLF High school state tournaments BOYS AT MISTY CREEK CC, SARASOTA THURSDAY PINAL ROUND Taam ttandlngt 1. Stuart-Martin County 305-605; I.

Sarasota Rlvtrvlew 308-615; 3. Jacksonville Episcopal 317-411; 4. Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Acqul-nas 307-620, S. Jefferson 310426; 4 (tie).

Coral Sprlngs-Taravello 320-627, Winter Park 311-627; I. Zephyrhills 310430; Countryside 319-638; 10. Ocala Forest 322-647; 11. Milton 329-658; H. Palmetto 336-661; 11.

New Smyrna Beach 322- 662; 14. Orange Park 336470; 15, Tallahassee Leon 33473; 16. Miami Springs 342481 Tampa team Jefferson (316-3106261: Alfieri 73-72145, Martin 77-80157, Arnot 78-72150, Howie 88-86-172, DeMarsa 92-96-188. Leading Individuals 1. Mike Sposa, TaraveHa, 7149140; 2.

Steve O'Neil, Zephyrhills 75-70-145 (won playoff); 1. Joe Alfieri, Jefferson, 73-72145; 4. David Bishop, Acqulnas, 72-74146; 5. Brad Lamm, River-view, 74-73147; 6. Jakob Grelsen, Countryside, 74- 74148; 7 (tie).

Shawn Maynes, Rockledge, 71-79150; Scott Ford, Lake Worth-Leonard, 77-73150; Robert Arnot, Jefferson, 78-72150; 10 (tie). Steve Bright, Zephyrhills, 75-76151; Hlroshl Matsua, Acqulnas, 76-75151; Greg Nichols, Leon, 75-74-151. Other Ron Holmes, Plant, 89-80169. OIRLS AT FOXFIRE OC, SARASOTA THURSDAY FINAL ROUND Team standings 1. West Palm Beach-Rosarlan 299-588; 1 Naples Lety 334464; S.

Coral Springs-Taravella 353497; 4. Satellte Beach 388-738; 5. Longwood-Lyman 375-741; 4. Chamberlain 387-772; 1. Ocala Forest 408-822; 6.

Plantation 424441; 9. Zephyrhills 436447; 10. Gulf Breeze 442-874; 11. Clearwater Central Catholic 446-908; 12, Jacksonvlte Wolfson 504-984. Tampa team Chamberlain (385-387741): Klein 11-83 164, Bohannon 97-94191, Menoiil 106-108 214, GaUaher 101-102203; Beck el 124-115239.

Leading Individuals 1. Michelle McGann, Rosarlan 7148139; 2. Sua Veasey, Countryside, 71-73144; 3. Mary Dunne, Fort Lauderdale-Cardlnel Gibbons 70- 75 145; 4 (tie). Mlkkl Records, Rosarlan, 72-75147; Laura Brown, Naw Smyrna Beach, 74-71147; 4.

(tie) Stephanie Comstock, Jack-sonvllle-Blshop Kenny, 70-79149; Gla Kronske, Clearwater Central Catholic, 73-74149; 8. Claudia Leyland, Rosarlan, 74-77153; 9. Justlna Hopkins, Crystal River, 80-74156; 10 (tie). Katharine Laubschar, Orlando Edgewater, 85-74159; Ghanda McClease, Rosarlan, 80-79 159. Tlmea Staff Writer TAMPA Angela Brown of East Bay leads a small contingent of Hillsborough County athletes into the Class 3A state track and field meet today at Winter Park's Showalter Field.

The other Hillsborough County competitors are Lamika Lewis (440 and long jump) and Willie Crowley (440) of Tampa Bay Tech, and the 440 relay team from Robinson High School. Brown has had no trouble advancing in the 100-meter dash and 220-yard dash. Several county athletes will compete in the Class 4A state meet Saturday night at Winter Park. Both meets begin with field events at 3 p.m. Running events begin at 7:30 p.m.

Cystic Fibrosis race scheduled for Saturday TAMPA The Tampa Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is sponsoring the second annual Run for the Roses on Saturday. The 8-kilometer (5-mile) road race begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Univer-.