The Berkshire Eagle from Pittsfield, Massachusetts • 25

The Bdlsliire Eagle Scoreboard D2 Comics D7 Friday, May 10, 1991 Peng liiiis deal Brains 3rd 7 BOSTON (AP) The Pittsburgh Penguins moved to within one victory of the first Stanley Cup finals berth in their 24-year history last night, getting two goals and three assists from Kevin Stevens in a 7-2 rout of the Boston Bruins. Pittsburgh used its superior speed and scoring punch to win its third consecutive game after losing the first two and can clinch the best-of-seven Wales Conference final at home tomorrow night in Game 6. The winner of he series plays the winner of the Campbell Conference final, in which Minnesota leads defending NHL champion Edmonton 3-1. Boston, appearing tired in its 18th game in 37 days, is in jeopardy of missing the finals for the second time in four seasons. It lost to Edmonton both times it reached the championship series.

After Boston's Don Sweeney scored 40 seconds into the game, the Penguins got seven of the next eight goals. Besides Stevens, forwards Mario Lemieux and Bryan Trottier and de-fensemen Paul Stanton, Larry Murphy and Ulf Samuelsson scored for Pittsburgh, the NHL's second-highest scoring team in the regular season. Craig Janney scored the other goal for Bostoa Lemieux had a goal and three assists and took over the NHL playoff scoring lead with 29 points from teammate Mark Recchi, who has 28. Stevens tied Minnesota's Brian Bellows for third with 26. Stevens, who has 13 playoff goals, began the onslaught at 7:55 of the first period, giving him at least one goal in each game of the series.

He took a pass from the right side of Pittsburgh's blue line that bounced off the left boards in the Bruins' zone. He collected the puck behind Boston's Chris Nilan and Ray Bourque and fired a 10-footer from the left over the right arm of goalie Andy Moog. Lemieux then scored for the fourth consecutive game, giving the Penguins the lead for good on a power play at 12:04 of the first period. His 10th playoff goal came on a 5-footer from the left after a pass from Stevens. Trottier connected for the 66th playoff goal of his 16-year career at 15:49 before Janney cut the lead to 3-2 at 19:27, breaking Boston's streak of 11 scoreless power plays.

Pittsburgh goalie Tom Barrasso then stopped all 25 shots he faced in the last two periods. Stevens got the second of Pittsburgh's three power-play goals with a 30-foot blast from the left at 13:04 of the second period, making the score 4-2. Stanton, a rookie, made it 5-2 at 17:02 when, he skated alone up the slot and shot a20-footer for his first playoff goal. Murphy got the other power-play goal 1:08 into the third period. With 7:22 remaining, Boston's Nevin Markwart was carried off the ice on a stretcher after backing hard into the boards as he fell down behind the Penguins' net The Penguins, in the playoffs for the second time in three seasons after missing them the previous six years, already are in the third round for the first time.

They can duplicate their second-round performance of winning the last four games. In that series, Washington won only the opener. A seventh game, if necessary, is scheduled for Monday night in Boston. Bird returns, Thomas sits out and Celtics win X. Si- 1 A lil 50-48 lead.

Then, during a four-minute stretch early in the third quarter, the Pistons' defense asserted itself. The Celtics made only l-of-8 shots and the Pistons took their biggest lead of the game, 66-61. Another bird on floor Then something weird happened. A pigeon flew out of the rafters and landed on the floor twice. The witty Boston Garden crowd quickly responded to the other bird on the floor, chanting, "Lar-ry, Lar-ry, Lar-ry." "Everyone started chanting, said Dennis Rodman.

"Was that his twin brother?" Whatever. The Celtics' defense stiffened, and the Pistons scored I 1 i i- skmsMmw ,,,...1,,, ii 'niiiaiiiiiii fr By Jan Hubbard Newsday BOSTON A trend has developed in the first two games of the Boston-Detroit Eastern semifinal series. "All we have proven is that if their best player doesn't play, we win," said Celtics forward Kevin McHale, "And if our best player doesn't play, they win." So far, it has been that simple. Larry Bird returned to the Celtics' lineup yesterday after missing Game 1, which the Pistons won by 11 points. Bird's line was, for him, modest: 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

But his presence was profound in the Celtics' 109-103 victory. "He's a second point guard on the floor," said Celtics rookie Dee Brown, who had a sensational game with 22 points, 15 of them in the fourth quarter. "He spreads the floor more. When a guy is doubled down low, you can pitch it out to Larry and he'll hit the shot every time. He gets the big points and the big rebounds.

And he gives you a lot of confidence." Thomas tries to play The Pistons, meanwhile, were deprived of the presence of Isiah Thomas, who missed the game because of a sprained foot He was in uniform, but he tested the foot in pre-game warm-ups and decided he couldn't make-it Despite Thomas' absence, the Pistons played well, controlling the tempo of the game much of the time. The Celtics' running game was more effective than it was in Game 1, particularly in the second quarter, when they lured the Pistons into an open-court game. In a six-minute span, the teams totaled 43 points. In the entire second quarter of Game 1, the teams totaled only 31 points. At the half, the Celtics held a Photos by Leslie Noyes Berkshire Eagie Staff Nailed at third base is North Adams State's Jeff Blair baseman Scott Shean during yesterday's game in North from Pittsfield, who is tagged out by Williams third Adams.

Blair had three hits in Mohawks' 18-4 victory. NASG avenges loss to Ephs 15 possessions. The Celtics erupted for a 27-12 run and, well, perhaps they owed it to Bird and bird. "I think they should have called a technical foul," said Pistons coach Chuck Daly. "You're not allowed six players on the floor.

They had two birds." The series of trends will continue in Auburn Hills, where Games 3 and 4 will be played tomorrow and Monday. The status of Bird and Thomas will not be known until game time. The Celtics do know, however, that they have never won at The Palace, where they have lost nine consecutive games. Gerald Henderson started in Thomas' place, but made only 1-af-5 shots. Daly started Mark Ag-uirre in place of James Edwards because he did not want Edwards guarding Bird.

Aguirre responded with 24 points. It was a well-played game. The Pistons set an NBA playoff record with only four turnovers, and the Celtics had only nine. Reggie Lewis continued his fine play, leading the Celtics with 23 points. Williams, now 17-15, opens play in the ECAC Division 3 tournament today at noon at Amherst College against top-seeded Western Connecticut (33-5).

In other games today, Babson plays Salem State, Amherst plays Wesleyan and Brandeis plays Framingham State. The Williams-Western Connecticut winner plays the Brandeir-Framingham winner tomorrow at noon. The championship game will be Sunday. The top-seeded Williams men's lacrosse team will host fifth-seeded Springfield today at 4 at Cole Field in the opening round of the ECAC tournament The winner plays in the championship game Sunday against the winner of today's Middlebury-Bowdoin game. The championship game will be at the home field of the highest seeded team, so if Williams wins today, the final will be in Williamstown.

Also today, the New England Intercollegiate Men's Outdoor Track Championships continue at the Plansky Track at Williams, beginning at 1. Today's events will include the finals of the javelin, hammer, long jump and run. NORTH ADAMS Bob Barbarini hit his third homer of the year and drove in four runs to lead a 14-hit attack as the North Adams State College baseball team avenged an earlier loss to Williams College with an 18-4 rout of the Ephmen yesterday. Williams had beaten North Adams 15-6 in their previous game April 12 in Mike Lucido of Pittsfield, the beneficiary of two five-run innings, pitched an eight-hitter for a complete game in his college finale, striking out three and walking three to conclude his season 4-2. Barbarini's two-run homer put the Mohawks ahead 2-0 in the first inning, then his two-run double snapped a 2-2 tie during a five-run second inning that gave North Adams the lead for North Adams put the game away with five more runs in the fifth, when Jeff Blair and Mike Bissaillon each had a two-run double.

Barbarini, Blair and Bissaillon each had three hits and combined for 11 RBI to lead the Mohawks, who finished 19-16. i I Sox rally past Texas Mike Lucido Wins collegiate finale PUS, down 8-0, wins 11-10 Protest costs THS track win School Baseball BOSTON (AP) Rich Gossage walked Jack Clark with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and Mike Greenwell followed with a two-run double last night as the Boston Red Sox beat the Texas Rangers 8-4. Boston, which won for the eighth time in 10 games, trailed 4-0 after, three innings and 4-3 in the seventh. Luis Rivera doubled off Scott Chiamparino to open the seventh and reliever Mike Jeffcoat (1-1) came in and threw a wild pitch. Jeffcoat walked Wade Boggs and Jody Reed singled home the tying run off Gossage.

Gossage walked Ellis Burks and Clark to give Boston a 54 lead. Greenwell then doubled off John Barfield and Tom Brunansky hit a sacrifice fly for a four-run lead. Dennis Lamp (2-1) relieved Tom Bolton in the sixth and pitched IVi innings for the victory. Jeff Gray pitched one inning and Jeff Reardon finished. Juan Gonzalez hit a three-run homer in the second inning and Julio Franco homered in the third.

Jays 2, White Sox 0 TORONTO (AP) David Wells allowed three hits in eight innings and Joe Carter drove in both runs with a homer and a single last night as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 2-0. Wells (3-3) struck out a season-high eight and walked one before Duane Ward finished with perfect relief for his ninth save in 10 opportunities. Carter hit his fourth home run Major Leagues of the season in the first inning, driving the ball into the middle deck in left field. Tigers 3, Twins 0 MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Cecil Fielder homered and Dan Petry combined with Paul Gibson on the shutout as the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 3-0 last night for their eighth victory in nine games. Fielder, who led the majors with 51 homers last year, hit his fourth home run of the season with one out in the fourth after Alan Trammell walked.

Phillies 9, Padres 6 SAN DIEGO (AP) Ricky Jordan homered twice, giving him three home runs and eight RBI in two days, as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres 9-6 yesterday. Fred McGriff hit a pair of two-run homers for the Padres, giving him seven this season. He extended his hitting streak to 14 games, matching Brett Butler of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the major-league high. Terry Mulholland (4-2) allowed seven hits in eight innings and equaled his career-high with eight strikeouts. Mitch Williams finished for his seventh save.

With the victory, Atlanta moved past San Diego into first place in the National League West by six percentage points. The Braves hadn't been first this late in the season since June 9, 1984. By Brian Sullivan Berkshire Eagle Staff Sean Sultaire cracked a two-out, bases-loaded single in the eighth inning yesterday to snap a 10-10 tie and lift Pittsfield High to an exciting 11-10 Berkshire County baseball win over Taconic at Clapp Park. It was a long way back for the Generals, who trailed 8-0 after the first inning. Drury, meanwhile, defeated Wahconah 94 under the lights at Joe Wolfe Field to remain tied with Pittsfield atop the league's Northern Division.

Elsewhere, Monument stopped its two-game losing streak with a come-from-behind 11-10 win in 10 innings over Mount Everett Also, McCann edged Lee 4-3, Hoosac trimmed St Joseph's 3-1 and Mount Greylock outlasted Lenox 7-4. Pittsfield 11, Taconic 10 PITTSFIELD The Generals are perfecting the art of living dangerously. Pittsfield was down to its last strike before rallying to defeat McCann Tech on Tuesday. In games earlier this season, the Generals trailed Drury and Wahconah in the sixth inning before scoring come-from-behind wins. Pittsfield also won a game against St Joseph's after trailing 6-2 "We really don't like these situations," said PUS third baseman Neil Roberts, who had four hits plated Schultz with the tying run.

Schultz singled to start the eighth but was forced at second by Jason Virgilio. Kevin O'Donnell singled and Roberts walked to load the bases setting up Sultaire's game-winner. Virgilio, who relieved Mastrodicasa in the seventh, was the winning pitcher. Schultz had three hits for Pittsfield while Porter had two for the Braves. Drury 9, Wahconah 4 NORTH ADAMS The Warriors jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

Dave Riddell had a two-run single in the first while Brian Ver-minski added a two-run double in the second. But Drury starter Rob Stack (3-1) allowed only one Wahconah batter to reach base the remainder of the game. The Blue Devils took the lead with a seven-run fourth inning. Steve Lewitt had a two-run single and Jason Moreau a two-run double to highlight the frame. Gerry Caceras added an RBI single while Sean McGrath delivered a run on a sacrifice fly.

Monument 11, Mt. Everett 10 GREAT BARRINGTON The Spartans snapped their two-game losing streak with a run in the 10th inning. Paul Jost walked and was sacrificed to second by Sean Jost: Paul Jost advanced to third on a passed ball and came in on BASEBALL, continued on D2 and three RBI. "But we stay calm and play relaxed." Added Pittsfield coach Bob Moynihan, "An 8-0 score in the seventh inning would have been different But honestly, the way these kids are playing, we could have been down 10-0 and still come back. I don't get nervous about all this anymore." Taconic jumped all over Pittsfield starter Josh Zolkowski in the first inning, sending 14 batters to the plate in the eight-run explosion.

Dave Tarjick and Rob Porter each had two-run singles in the inning. Pittsfield, however, chipped away at Taconic starter Rob Porter, reducing the deficit to 8-5 in the fourth. Roberts' RBI single in the fifth made the score 8-6. Chris Mastrodicasa, who relieved Zolkowski in the first, no-hit the Braves until the sixth. The southpaw tired at that point, allowing run-scoring doubles to Porter and Kevin Codey.

The Braves' four-run lead didn't last The Generals' Scott Schultz had a bases-loaded triple off reliever Mike McHugh in the sixth to cut the lead to 10-9. "I was definitely looking for a fastball," Schultz said. "And the pitch was right there." Roberts' two-out single then By Howard Herman Berkshire Eagle Staff PITTSFIELD The next time a member of the Taconic High boys' track team says "Rats," it might have a double meaning. Rodents that destroyed the Taconic high-jump mat cover in the off season cost the Braves a track meet yesterday. the mat covers absent the pits in the high jump and pole vault were deemed illegal, and Taconic saw an 85-59 win turn into a 77-67 loss to the Warriors at the Taconic High track.

"I hate to have to win like that, but rules are rules," said Wahconah coach Todd Poulton late last night Braves' boys' coach Gary Curry had said the rats got to the high jump cover sometime since last track season. Taconic had beaten Wahconah in the meet, but Poulton protested during the meet that the mats were unsafe and violated track rules. He claimed the jumpers were falling between the two landing pads, TRACK, continued on D8.