The Bakersfield Californian from Bakersfield, California • Page 30

Free-agent witch does job, Bosox streak ends Double, double toil arid-trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Eye of newt and toe of frog, of bat and tongue of dog. Three bloop hits, a fly, a balk Ended all the panic talk. Witch from Massachusetts came; Boston's Red Sox won a game. Make room in the Witches' Hall of Fame for Laurie Cabot.

For 12 days in May and the last seven in April, the Red Sox hadn't won a game as the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Indians cast 10 consecutive spells over the defending American League champs, the club's longest losing streak since 1960. Manager Darrell Johnson, at a loss what to do, kept sending the same Yankees' Jim Mason looks up at plate' umpirt George Moloney who calls him out in fourth-inning play at homo as Dotroit catcher John Woek- enfust looks for posslblo play at third. Now York won close 7-6 decision. Tho Yanks hava a four- gama load in thair division. (AP Lasarphoto) May 13, 1976 31 By HERSCHEL NRSENSON AP Sports Writer pitchers out day after losing day.

Then, a Boston radio station signed a free- agent witch, Laurie Cabot of Salem, to do something about the hex. "I don't know a thing about baseball," she said. Welcome to the Red Sox, Laurie, who spent 10 games trying to prove that very point. A slow-starting witch, it took her 11 innings to come up with the right spell. She said incantations are not part of her routine, but rather the use of clairvoyance.

So with Ms. Cabot sitting behind the Boston dugout in flowing black witch's garb, Doug Griffin, leading off the 12th, clairvoyanced a bloop single off Dave LaRoche and, after a sacrifice, so did Cecil Cooper. That sent Griffin to third and he scored the tie- breaking run on Carl Yastrzemski's long fly. Cooper took third on a another bloop hit by Rick Miller and hex, a balk by Tom Buskey, giving the Red Sox a 6-4 witchery-er, the Indians. Earlier, errors by first baseman John Lowenstein contributed to a pair of unearned Boston runs while Cleveland had one Gojden St.

Kingman belts Messersmith on Phoenix OAKLAND (AP) The Golden State Warriors played it safe this time against the Phoenix "I never felt we were in control," said Warriors-guard Charles Johnson, although the scoreboard was in disagreement through most of the National Basketball Association playoff game which ended with Golden State on top 111-95 last night. Three days earlier in Phoenix, the Warriors felt they had earned a victory and. wound up losers in double overtime. "We had that game won four or five times and let it get away. A lot of us were awfully upset about that," said Phil Smith, top scorer with 25 points in last night's victory which gave the Warriors a 3 -2 advantage in the best- of-seven series for the Western Conference championship.

The sixth game, tomorrow night in Phoenix, could end the championship dreams of the underdog Suns, but Coach John MacLeod noted, "We're just down three games to two and we're certainly not going to give up." They gave the defending champion Warriors, who led by 19 points at halftime, cause for some concern by twice cutting the difference to 10 points in the second half even after losing star center Alvan Adams, the NBA's Rookie of the Year. Adams slipped and sprained his left ankle in the opening minutes of the third period. MacLeod said, "He wasn't able to go back in the game, but it's just a mild sprain and we're hoping he'll be ready Friday night." Warriors Coach Al Attles sounded like he was hoping the same thing. "If Adams can't play, I'll have to change my usual pregame talk and warn my guys. I've seen too many times when a team will say to themselves, 'Hey, so-and-so isn't playing tonight, we should have it the Warriors' coach said.

Golden State zipped into a 40-24 lead after one period, with Smith and Johnson scoring 10 points apiece and center Cliff Ray adding nine. Rick Barry scored 10 of his 23 points in the second quarter. "That was the best half'we've played in a long, long time," said Attles. Phoenix outscored the Warriors in the second half, when Curtis Perry got most of his 23 points and game-high 18 rebounds. Golden State scored only 15 points in the third quarter but Attles said, "I wasn't too bothered by that.

We didn't play poorly, we just hit a dry spell." see Warriors -page 33 guy earning million dollars By KEN RAPPOPORT AP Sports Writer Andy Messersmith looks anything but like a million dollars. And Dave Kingman appears to be worth much more than $125,000. The respective values of those two baseball players are receiving considerable attention these days, in light of their early-season performances. Messersmith, the pitcher who landed a million-dollar contract with the Atlanta Braves after turning free agent last winter, can't buy a victory so far. Wednesday night, he dropped a 6-3 decision to the New York Mets for his fourth loss in six starts in an Atlanta uniform.

The key to Messersmith's downfall was Kingman, who continued to hit baseballs with unusual authority. Kingman, purchased for a relatively cheap 3125,000 before the 1975 season from the San Francisco Giants, collected four of them his 13th and 14th home runs of the season. "Messersmith has thrown much better than he is now," said Kingman, whose two shots pushed him into the major league lead. "I have had terrible success against him in the which is no success at all. But right now, he is not even close to the pitcher he can be.

Hitters go into slumps and I guess pitchers go into them, too. I guess he must be in one, too." Messersmith, who has obviously seen better days with the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels, can't understand his current predicament. "I just don't know what the trouble is," noted the right-hander. "I don't feel any different pitching in Atlanta than I did in Los Angeles." -The Giants, meanwhile, are sorely missing Kingman's long-range bat: They suffered their third straight shutout Wednesday, losing a 1-0 decision to the Chicago Cubs in 11 innings. In the other National League games, the Los Angeles Dodgers whipped the St.

Louis Cardinals 6-3; the San 'Diego Padres blanked the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0; the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 and the Montreal Expos ripped the Houston Astros 7-2. Both of Kingman's towering solo homers came off Messersmith. Kingman also homered off last month in New York. Kingman also' hit a run-scoring double in the seventh after Ed Kranepool had reached first on an error. He collected his fourth hit, a single, in the ninth.

New York left-hander Jerry Koosman, 4-1, limited the Braves to seven singles until Jimmy Wynn hit a three- run homer with two out in the ninth. Kingman not only hit well, he field- Cathy Cornell first BC gal to get sports scholarship Bakersfield College sophomore swimmer Cathy, Cornell has been granted a scholarship to attend Whittier College next fail and becomes the first BC gal to ever receive one in any sport, it has been announced. In addition, sophomore Mike Finch has been offered a scholarship to the University of Denver pending the outcome of a transcript study. Both grants are believed to be full-rides, according to Renegade swim coach Jim Turner. Cornell, a freestyle in the 50 and 100 yard events, received her assistance on the basis of grade point average and need, as well as her prowess as a swimmer.

"Cathy's a fine swimmer with excellent potential." says Turner. "She is also student and the fact that she has earned this scholarship ought to encourage more girls to become involved in omen's Finch, a two-time ail-American, has already recorded a 1:44.4 time in the 200 freestyle and a 47.8jin the 100 both of which are better than any Skyline Conference time in these events this year. Says Turner, "Mike is a very capable swimmer and could really be one of the top collegiate performers if he puts his mind to it. His attitude is excellent." Cornell has. indicated that she will accept the grant and aid while Finch's offer may be In jeopardy because of a course deficiency.

ed with a two hits off Atlanta batters. "It feels good to make some good defensive plays, especially since I was criticized so much for my defense in San Francisco," said Kingman, known as "Dr. Strangeglove" with the Giants. "Still I'd much rather hit the stuffing out of the ball." Cubs 1, Giants 0 Steve Swisher knocked in the game's only run with a two-out single in the 11th inning as Chicago beat San Francisco. Jerry Morales singled after Andy Thornton had grounded out in the 11th.

Manny Trillo's bouncer put Morales in scoring position for Swisher's base hit to right. "Swisher's really picked us up, and compared to last year he's really turned us said Chicago Manager Jim Marshall. "His. attitude, his confidence and everything is just a whole lot better. This could be Steve's year." Dodgers 6, Cardinals 3 Ron Cey snapped a tie with an eighth-inning double, leading Los Angeles over St.

Louis for the hot Dodgers' 15th triumph in 17 games. Cey, who entered the game hitting .333 with eight home runs and 21 RBI, delivered his game-winning blow off reliever Harry Rasmussen. Cey had also singled home a run in the second. Padres 4, Phillies 0 Left-hander Randy Jones threw a six-hitter to become the first National League pitcher to win six games this season as San Diego beat Philadelphia. Jones, who has lost twice, struck out two and walked three in snapping the Phillies' three-game winning streak and handing the league's second-best hitting team its second loss in 11 games.

Pirates 6, Reds 3 Willie Stargell lined a two-run double as Pittsburgh scored four runs in the fifth inning to defeat Cincinnati. Jim Rooker, 4-1, who knocked in the Pirates' first run in the fifth with a double, stopped the hard-hitting Reds on eight hits and walked only intentional walk. Expos 7, Astros 2 Gary Carter's two-run single broke a 1-1 tie and Larry Parrish's two-run homer capped a four-run Montreal eighth inning as the Expos defeated Houston. Woody Fryman, 4-2, scattered four hits over the first seven innings in picking up his first victory over Houston in five years. Houston starter J.R.

Richard, 5-2, was charged with the first four Montreal runs as the Expos broke the right-hander's five- game winning streak. runner cut down at the plate and another at third. "Those are things that have usually been happening to us," Johnson said. "I'm glad it happened to somebody else for a change." In games played without resorting to the occult, the New York Yankees edged the Detroit Tigers 7-6, the Baltimore Orioles used a grand slam by Reggie Jackson to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6, the Kansas City Royals clobbered the Minnesota Twins 17-5 and the Texas Rangers nipped the California Angels 1-0. Oakland and Chicago had the night off.

"Whatever did it for us, I'm happy about it," Johnson said after Boston's 10-game skid became a thing of the past, although he winced and shook his head when Ms. Cabot was mentioned. "We needed this badly. We definitely were putting some pressure on ourselves and individuals were starting to show some of that pressure. It'll take us some time you can't do it we're a strong team and we'll catch up to those other clubs." Cleveland Manager Frank Robinson, asked about the use of witchcraft, said, "I don't think that's even worth a comment." Ms.

Cabot was escorted to a cab immediately following the game by several stadium policemen and was unavailable for further comment. What, no broomstick? Yankees 7, Tigers 6 Graig Nettles and Lou Piniella homered for New York but someone apparently put a hex on the Tigers and two decisive runs scored as they committed three errors on one play. With the Yankees leading 5-1, Jim Mason and Mickey Rivers singled with one out in the fourth inning. Roy White lifted a fly ball to center field where Ron LeFlore dropped it, but recovered in time to throw Mason out at the plate as he tried to score from second. However, catcher John Wockenfuss, thinking it was the third out, rolled the ball toward the mound and the speedy Rivers kept running and scored.

Pitcher Bill Laxton retrieved the ball but threw wildly past third see 33 Bricklayer nips Mike Bull, gives New Zealand mat win Not long after the opening ceremony pageantry the exchanging of national anthems, small gifts, handshakes and perhaps passports at least a couple of items became quite clear last night in a foreign exchange werestling revue at Highland High. First, despite the fact that there is no high school wrestling in New Zealand, somewhere, somehow, they are By BOB SLOCUM Staff Writer learning something right about the sport over there. And secondly, it was actually the Kern County Wrestling Association band of grapplers, not the visitors from the choppy blues of the South Pacific, that were the foreigners. In an amazingly tight, 13-bout match, the first of a two-match series between the two squads, a bearded Highland's NsaOaaaalai Xamt Now Zealand foe Tasman Tantrum fa Mw mat with a front trip during 114-pound oavt laal ftjlfht at Highland. Tantrum injured his Ma mm and was forced TANK McNAMARA bricklayer by the name of Murray Avery outlasted two-time ail-American Mike Bull, 6-5, to lift the New Zealanders to a 7-6 victory over the Kern squad.

The two clubs will hook up again tonight in a 7:30 match at Wasco High. Wrestling with admirable intensity, and not intimidated by a public ad- dressman (Bruce Pfutzenreuter) who barked instructions to the Kern warriors from the scoring table, New Zealand won its 12th match in 14 tries on its to-date, 21-day swing through the Western United States. And although no Kiwi mat performer is older than 19 and the KCWA wrestlers boasted sparkling credentials, the loss, which very possibly could be turned around this evening, probably did not come as a total shock to a weak gathering of around 225. At least it shouldn't have. The weapon chosen for the match freestyle wrestling, not collegiate style to which the Kern matmen are accustomed.

For several of Olan Polite's host crew, it was the first taste of freestyle competition. It is virtually the only style as far as the Kiwis are concerned. In freestyle wrestling, the object, unlike collegiate, is not to control your foe, but to wheel him into a danger position as rapidly as possible by exposing the back, shoulder or head to the mat. That is basically how points are awarded. Kern didn't quite get enough of them last night.

At times the hosts didn't appear to have enough oxygen either, being understandably outconditioned by the Kiwis who are just getting their 1976 season underway. Polite admitted his club's three- week preparation was sporadic and it was a factor. But he wasn't surprised by the Kiwis or their ability to operate on the mats. "I thought we wrestled pretty well for the most part, assessed Polite, former Bakersfield High boss who temporarily quickstepped out of retirement to handle the Kern club. "We figured we'd have our hands full.

They've got a good club and have been competing a lot in the last couple By JEFF MILLAR and BILL HINDS of weeks." Cal State Bakersfield mat skipper Joe Seay officiated the event that carried a three two-minute period format and was a "one for me, one for you" type battle. And the first two matches, typified the rather confusing complexity of the freestyle format. In the opener, South's Paul Feliz tied Ken Reinsield in a 134-pound bout, 3-3, but Feliz lost because Reinsfield, who wrestled twice on the night and won both times, picked up the first two-point score. Criterion decision to Reinsfield. The following bout between Fred Gonzalez and Malcolm Ferguson also see 33 to default.

Gonzalez and his Kern County Wrestling Association teammates bowed to tha New Zealand International club, 7-6, but two squads will moat in a rematch tonight in Wasco at 7:30..