The Bradenton Herald from Bradenton, Florida • 31

Al -T' 4 The Bradenton Herald Saturday August 19 1989 Local sports Merritt MCC-bound spurns scholarship Pepsi Magic effort 0 aided by five locals OCX ifi WILLIE HIATT Herald Sporti Writer i One of the beet female athletes' ever to come out of Manatee County has passed up a Diviaion I college scholarship to walk-on at a junior college Former Palmetto High School standout Tammy Merritt who had received a combination vol-leyballsoftball schdarship at the -University of Southern Mississip- pi instead has joined the Manatee Community College volleyball team as a walk-on just don't want to go that far from home right Merritt said "I thought about it a long time It was a sudden decision to everybody but me was excited about (going to Southern Miss) but at the same time I had my doubts The coach was nice The people were nice I just wasn't ready to Helen Grant the Southern Mississippi volleyball and softball coach said grades and test scores qualified her under Proposition 48 which sets en- trance requirements for incoming freshman athletes' 'j Grant said she is- very pointed that she wont get the opportunity to coach Merritt 1 like most freshmen she had some things to work on" -Grant said' "But I think by the -middle of the season she would have seen a good amount of ac-(tion" Grant also said Merritt might have been the starting shortstop for her softball team Merritt The Herald 1988-89 female athlete of the year and a Clase 2A first-team all-state selection started practicing with the -Lady Lancers thia week The Lancers woo the Florida Commu-' nity College Activities Associa-tionRegion VIII Championship and finished third in the nation' last fall MCC coach Sandra Holliman said she recruited Merritt at Pal-' metto Because the Lancers already have awarded six scholarships Merritt and four others will join the team as walk-ons Merritt will receive a scholarship next keason Holliman who is in her 24th -season at said Merritt is one of the best volleyball players to come out of thia area "She's an Holliman said "I can see her ratting playing time definitely going to be a strong hitter and blocker She plays good defense and is a smart At Palmetto last year Merritt" averaged six' kills per match to lead the Lady Tigers to a state runner-up finish in 2A Merritt also led the Tigers to the 1986 state title and to the 1987 final' four Merritt hit 814 for the Tigers' slowpitch softball team last spring Girls softball in Manatee County is at the stage like to see boys baseball Pepsi Magic with Palmetto's Sam Merritt and Pete Ramsden coaching just took second place in the USSSA world tournament in Lubbock Texas Leading Pepsi Magic to a 45-7 this year were five county high school girls Even though an 18 and under team they took on older women while touring Holland Belgium and Germany during July Former Palmetto High shortstop Tammy Merritt although showing she can play with the best in the world has opted to concentrate on volleybalL Fans who saw her in action at Palmetto will be aide to again root for her as she plays for Coach Sandra Holliman at Manatee Community College Theresa Watts the former Palmetto star who Sam Merritt told me is the second winningest pitcher in the history of Florida High School softball with an 87-11 record recently signed a full scholarship with St Petersburg Junior College SPJC coach Lance Lamport signed another Pepsi Magic player Leigh Davis to a scholarship a year ago Lamport reported that Davis had a Sam Merritt said Lamport would like to sign the whole Pepsi Magic team to scholarships Daphne Ramsden will be back -playing third base and any other position needed for Palmetto next year Sam says has a 40 grade point average and is the most versatile player he's ever coached Michelle Ponder a former Palmetto outfielder is now enrolled 'at MCC Manatee High catcher Caasie Amato will be back with the Lady Hurricanes next year As I talked Man about Manatee TONY CONBOY with Sam about Caasie it occurred to me to ask about former Lady Canes' star Jackie Breiter Sam has been around youth sports for as long as I've been in town As he talked about his girls the gruff bearded giant became as gentle as a lamb He empha sized that once a girl plays for him he considers them family -and loves them alL He told me Jackie whom he had coached the summer before' last had the talent and the attitude needed to play for the Magic but that as with other girls who grow up she had to make a decision that fit her life This past year he took Pepsi Magic to a first-place finish in Tampa a second place in Cocoa Beach the USSSA state champiJ onship in Daytona Beach a fifth place in ASA competition in Tif-ton Georgia plus the European trip Sam is quick to point out though that without the gener-ousity of people like Pepsi Cola and some specific area businesses and organizations the team would never have been able to do what it did The second-plaice national finish and the naming of Tammy Merritt to the Ail-World team makes this writer and others around the county 1 extremely proud We can only lilope to be able to have the same pride in the future for an area baseball team When the-rains came after an lVt innings the Miracle led 2-0 The game will be picked in the second inning at 6 pm tonight General admission to the game is free Changing course Tammy Merritt shown here during high school competition last fall turned down a scholarship offer at Southern Mississippi and wW play at Manatee Community College GCL Pirates handcuffed to four hits shut out 1 j- Herald staff report Two Expos' pitchers limited the host Pirates to four hits and a pair of walks Friday in posting a i3-0 triumph at McKechnie Field in Gulf Coast League baseball ac- (tion V'' 1 Mike Fier went seven innings 'for the win striking out five and Mike Romberg finished up with two perfect frames for a save Luis Rodrigues had a 3-for-4 "day for' the winners including a double and one run-battod-in (Ricky Maldonado and Presley i Herron drove in the other runs Marcus Hanel had a double for' the Pirates riB-tll White Sox 12 Bravss Jeff Buell went 4-for-4 and the White Sox had 16 hits in a SaraSox-Miracle rained out to a 9-7 victory over the Yankees at the Sarasota Sports Complex Hie result cost the Yankees a tie for first in the standings The seme was tied 5-6 when Bryant clubbed the homer in the top of the eighth inningThe Yanks got two runs back in the bottom of the eighth on Sean two-run double Tom Houk John Howard and Francisco Ramires each added two hits for the Twins Jackie Abel pitched the victory allowing one hit in two innings Scott Romano Ramona Jime-nex and Adin Lohry had two hits each for the Yankees Ubaldo Rojas took the lose pitching three innings ofr relief --r RanflMI 6 MstS 2 Local i 'ei -KV" Herald files Three pitchers combined on a two-hitter to lift the Rangers to a 6-2 victory over the Meta at Twin -Lakes Starter Brad Phillips pitched a one-hitter and allowed one run in the first five innings before giving way to Todd De Vaughn De- Vaughn went the next two in- nings giving up a hit and a run -Fernando Barreiro finished up with two hitleaa innings Shannon Penn Miguel Castel- lano and Malvin Matoe had two hits each for the winners Paulino Tena added a two-run breaking up a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning 1'-' 1 Hector Ram ires took the loes giving up- four hits and four runs in five innings briefs Sarasota Astros of the Gulf Coast League Ponte has spent this entire summer with Asheville but doesn't expect to be moved up (to poesibly high A Osceola of the Florida State League) until next pring s- "(Houston) has a lot of pitchers in the Ponte said "So unless there are a lot of arm problems I wont move But if I continue to have a successful year I dont see why I wont be up there (at Pat Rahwinkel After signing a free agent contract with the Milwaukee Brewers' rookie league team in Helena Mont in mid-June Rehwinkel recently had arm surgery and will be lost tor the remainder of the season Rehwinkel played at MCC from 1985-87 before transferring to the University of West Florida in Pensacola where he was a starter the last two seasons Special to The Hwsld The Florida State League base- ball game between the Sarasota White Sox and the Miami Miracle in Ed Smith Stadium was suspended Friday night due to raiiw FOOTBALL Manatee FIRST Who Physicals UocaLcalendar Wildcat Football EXTENDS A SPECIAL You" To CARE MEDICAL CENTER 3649 Cortez Rd Performed Our Children's Again This Season! TODAY Florida State League baseball Miami Marlins at Sarasota White Sox Ed 8mlth Stadium 7 pm Quit Coast League baseball Yankees at Expos Pirate City Pirates at Twins Twin Lakes Park Braves at Rangers Port Charlotte Meta at White Sox Ed Smith Complex All games begin at 12 -pm" V- Parimutuels Jai alai at Tampa Fronton 1 pm and 7 pm Dog racing at 8araeota Kennel Club 1 pm and 7:30 pm Lloyd named top volunteer Norma Lloyd president of the Manatee East Little League was recently District 16 little League volunteer of the year district administrator Walt Burden announced The program allows each 'LL' organisation to recognize individuals A national winner will be named Aug 26 Players Cheerleaders Registration 40 Football Division Max 9-10 yrs old 86 10-11-12 yrs old 105 12-13-14 yrs old 125 REGISTRATION INFORMATICS 12-0 victory over the Braves af Pirate City that earned a one-game lead in the GCL standings Rogelio Nunes Ken Coleman Barry Williams and Kevin Coughlin added two hits each for the winners Dan Matznick pitched the victory striking out seven while giving up three hits in five innings Mike Mongillo struck out four and allowed two hits in four innings for the save Ossie Apolinario had two hits for the Braves Earl Steinmetx took the loas going 2Vt innings before leaving the game with an injury He gave up three hits and two walks Twins 9 iYankSSS 7 Jody Bryant hit a grand dam in hia only at-bat to fift the Twins all-star game as an outlay with' the South Bend White Sox a low Class A team of the Chicago White Sox The left-hander who had been shuffling between center and right field was hitting 801 with 21 doubles seven triples nine ho-' mers 42 RBIs and was third in the league in stolen bases with 39 Lee was selected by the White Sox in the June 88 draft and spent last summer with the Utica Blue Sox slightly lower than -South Bend After leaving MCC in 86 Lee spent two seasons as an outfielder with the University of South Florida Scott Miller Miller a 1985 Sarasota Riverview graduate has played sparingly with Medicine Hat (Alberta) of the Class A Pioneer League The former University of South Florida standout chosen in last baseball draft but instead signed a free agent contract with the Blue Jays on July 5 As a reserve utility infielder played at both second and third base in a combined- 12 games Miller is hitting 250 with three doubles one homer and six RBIs his late arrival he just hasn't been able to break the starting said Medicine Hat general manager Scott Jamieson "(Miller) didn't have a good opportunity to compete with some of the other guys from day me Plus he had a sore arm his first seven days Miller attributes hia limited action to the fact only been with the team for just over one month "Pm basically filling in right now because I came In so late (the 70-game season began in Miller said "It was a comfortable transition (from college to professional) Now I'm WL Cheerleaders lbs 9-10 yrs old lbs 10-11-12yrs lbs 12-13-14 yrs old III Uf Lartt Vulw Hfcr amid Mi lur a Wed Eim Hn ihrt ad only Appropriate Dm Ktpiird Offer expire! Hiim DOC RAGING NOV SARASOTA KENNEL CLUB Nightly 7:30 PM through Sept 5th (Closed Sundays) MATINEES 1:00 PM EVERY MONDAY WEDNESDAY SATURDAY Sony No One Under IS alTIcMoneiePIckScoiiMniafeeyouaninttant Sift 000 00 winner I LADIES ADMITTED FREE TO GRANOSTANO AREA EVERY THURSDAY JOIN US IN OUR MISS WHIRL OR SKYLINE ROOM CLUBHOUSES FOR YOUR DINING ENTERTAINMENT PLEASURE SPECIAL GROUP PACKAGE RATES AVAILABLE FOR BUSINESS AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS GUARANTEED JACKPOT GIVEAWAY EVERY SAT NIGHT FOR CUIBHOUMHMRVATIOM CALL SSS-7744 TweMocMleuUief iarecta-Tede nten Airport FWeMHei watt efl-ys Huy I IMnnorr fcnirve at KvgiiUr Fncv A Ktiwie 2nd iNnmrf FKKK of Equal MISS WHIRL CLUB just trying to get my foot in the door and show some Edctts Fonts After being used as both a starter (at MCC) and late reliever (at Winthrop Ponte has been converted into a middle reliever with the Asheville (NC) Tourists of the South Atlantic League a low Class A affiliate of the Houston Astros The move has been encouraging through late last week the side-arming righthander was 9-8 with a ERA in 73 innings "The toughest part between (college and the pros) was the location of the Ponte said "In college you try to pitch to the outside while in the pros you have to pitch in Once I made that adjustment I started doing well The former Sarasota Riverview star was signed as a free agent last August and spent the final two weeks of August with the 0 IT 2 for 1 Dinner LANCERS From C-1 ken He has spent the last two -summers with various rookie and I Class A teams l'i The following are brief glances the other five former MCC in the minors: David Howard Howard -recently came off a month-long iistay on the disabled list tar the Baseball City Royals the Class A (Florida State League squad for the Kansas City Royals Howard severely pulled his hamstring a recurrence of an in- jury sustained in the Sarasota Babe Ruth League in the summer "I missed 20 games last year' because of said Howard in a phone interview while on the road week time they ((have me do anything for almost a I just dreued out and some balls "That was very frustrating It (feela like not doing any-( thing for the team But the doc- tors felt that was the best thing for me" Before going on the disabled 1 list Howard was hitting 228 with four doubles 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases as the starting (shortstop "I was kind of up and down" Howard said would always go ion little streaks but never get (above 240 or Howard a former Sarasota Riv-erview' standout was drafted by the Royals in June of 87 but sign a contract until later -in the summer He played that first -summer with Fort Myers ((now Baseball City) and last year with Appleton (Wis) a low Class -A squad Derek Lee Lee 23 recently played in the Midwest wnmoimm 0Q) titeiite TERDAV ALTO SAXOPHONES WERE ADVERTISED IN THE BRADENTON HERALD CLASSIFIED SECTION BRADENTON HERALD CLASSIFIED Then's ALWAYS Bomething In It for voul if you have something to sell you'll get quick resulta with a in Herald Classified Ad 748 (EKt 90452585653 one I I-.