Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 73

MORE NEWS PAGE E-12 pWsburgl) JJost-CiazcHe its East AUGUST 1, 1991 E-9 sir TTul Former Gators dismayed by LiVorio's woes of last season and was expected to be among the team's top linemen this fall. But, for at least one year, LiVorio will be on the sidelines. Said Pete Antimarino, LiVorio's coach at Gateway, "I don't know if Mike was aware of what he was doing, but Mike is a very intelligent boy and you'd think somebody of a lesser degree of intelligence would do something like that. "We always advocated staying away from substances at Gateway, but you never know what happens when a kid goes to college. There's a lot of emphasis there on getting big.

I haven't talked to Mike, but it's a shame that he had to be caught up in something like that. He's so big that you'd think he wouldn't need anything else." SEE LIVORIO, PAGE E-10 NCAA, apparently on the basis that he used Yohimbe bark, an over-the-counter plant extract that can raise testosterone levels. The NCAA, which last week rejected LiVorio's appeal, considers any substance that raises testosterone above certain levels an anabolic steroid. LiVorio's father, Thomas, said Sunday that his son would have no comment on the suspension, but some of LiVorio's acquaintances from his playing days at Gateway did comment. Curtis Bray, LiVorio's teammate at both Gateway and Pitt, cited a recent report that quoted former Pitt strength coach Guy Ben-nardo as saying that players were made aware that Yohimbe bark would show up in steroid screenings.

"I really don't think Mike's been treated fairly," Bray said. "It sounds to me like he got some misinformation about Yohimbe bark and now he's the scapegoat. After the fact, some people at Pitt wanted to wash their hands of the whole thing and made Mike take the heat." Al Lardo, LiVorio's Gateway teammate who now plays baseball at Kentucky, said: "People make mistakes and it looks like Mike did, but there's a lot of blame that should be placed on the NCAA, too. I don't think a lot of the public understands that there aren't a lot of colleges who don't have some organized system for getting whatever substances you want." In his senior season at Gateway, LiVorio was a 6-foot-5, 260-pound two-way tackle. He was a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 selection and played for the Pennsylvania All-Stars in the 1988 Big 33 Classic.

He was listed at 270 pounds in the 1990 Pitt football guide. At Pitt, LiVorio was redshirted for the 1988 season with a lower back injury. But the following year, he earned a spot at right tackle and started 10 of 12 games. He was a starter all By Dejan Kovacevic Post-Gazette Sports Writer Since he was in eighth grade, Gateway High graduate Mike LiVorio has missed only one year of football his first year at Pitt, which saw him redshirted due to a lower back injury. Now he faces another year without football, and this one promises to be even more painful.

The NCAA recently suspended LiVorio, a redshirt junior, for one year. The suspension dates back to May, when he tested positive for steroids during a random NCAA drug screening. He is permitted to practice with Pitt but can't compete in an NCAA contest of any kind until next May. To regain his eligibility, the Panther lineman must pass all NCAA drug screenings conducted throughout the year and receive approval from the NCAA Eligibility Committee. LiVorio appealed his suspension to the SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS Gage paces Plum Legion Summer sports highlights from the East suburbs for the week of July TT fa ine in spotlight Martin, ibawrence TV5! Big 33 efforts lauded By David Assad Tri-State Sports News Service Running back Curtis Martin, a recent Allderdice High graduate, and linebacker Maurice Lawrence, a WiTkinsburg alumnus, entered Saturday's 34th Annual Big 33 Classic at Hersheypark Stadium with something to prove.

Martin and Lawrence both had great scholastic football careers. But they stood out in competition -the City League and the WPIAL's Class AA Three Rivers Conference, respectively that hasn't been very highly regarded as of late. As a result, a few skeptics wondered if either could excel at a higher level of competition. But, while their Pennsylvania team lost to Maryland, 17-9, the all-star clash saw Martin (headed for Pitt) and Lawrence (Arizona State-bound) erase any doubts about their legitimacy as Division I recruits, The 6-foot-l, 185-pound Martin won Most Valuable Player honors for Pennsylvania by gaining 63 yards on 12 carries. He was the game's top rusher.

"I didn't play as well as I can," said Martin. "I could have played a lot better. "But since it's an all-star game you can't get into a consistent pattern. Everyone has to get equal playing time. Everytime I was ready to get into a rhythm, I would be taken out of the game." Pennsylvania coach Pat Tarquinio was more than satisfied with Martin's performance.

"Some people may have had reservations about Martin going into this game, but I certainly didn't," said Tarquinio, the Beaver High coach. "There was no doubt in my mind what he could do. He proved it all week in practice, then in the game. He's a hard worker with a good attitude and a lot of talent." Martin gained 1,705 yards for Allderdice last season, leading the Dragons to their first City League playoff appearance since 1972. He netted more than 200 yards in four consecutive games, often carrying the ball 25-30 times per game.

Martin said he wasn't upset with his relatively light workload in the Big 33. "It was an honor just to be chosen," he said. "I was really overwhelmed to be there. We all were." Martin was referring to City League cronies Dennis Martin, a lineman from Perry, and Ray Zellars, a fullback from Oliver, who are headed for SEE BIG 33, PAGE E-ll Fred ProuserAssociated Press Shaun Mar- I 25-31. I First baseman Joe Gage led Plum It to an 11-2 victory over East Butler in a first-round game in the Region 6 American Legion tournament Tuesday.

Gage had a two-run home run, scored three runs and drove in four more. Brett Montgomery pitched 7 innings of relief to get the win. Plum, which has won three Region 6 I titles (1981, 1987 and 1989) under I Manager Bill Holmes, was scheduled to meet Upper St. Clair yesterday in the double-elimination tournament. Bovard Bovard, located in Hempf ield Township, was eliminated from the I Derry-Unity semipro baseball playoff losing its semifinal series to La-trobe, three games to none.

In its third loss on Monday, Steve Wagner had a homer, scored four runs and drove in four more in a losing effort. Football Allderdice High graduate Curtis Martin earned Most Valuable Player honors for the Pennsylvania All-Stars Saturday night in the Big 33 game in Hershey. Martin, a running back who will play for Pitt this fall, carried 12 times for 63 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards as Pennsylvania lost to Maryland, 17-9. Hockey Serra High grad John Mooney had four goals while Central Catholic High grad Tim Ross had two, pacing the Mita Stars (9-0) past the Thunder, 8-2, in the semifinals of the Mt. Lebanon Senior 'A' League summer hockey playoffs.

Latrobe Latrobe swept Bovard, three games to none, in the best-of-five semifinal series in the semipro Derry-Unity baseball league. On Friday, Latrobe 's Brian Knupp had three doubles and six RBIs in a 10-4 win. On Sunday, Pat Takitch and Gary Takitch each delivered three hits in a 7-0 win. And on Monday, Dave Regula had three hits (including a home run) and five RBIs in a 17-15 victory. Men's basketball Wilkinsburg's Kenya Bey had eight points Sunday to help the Rebels beat the Lakers, 53-51, and capture the championship of the Connie Hawkins Summer League.

Penn Township Penn Township beat New Deny, 7-6, in a semifinal playoff game in the semipro Derry-Unity Baseball League Monday. Penn Township catcher Mark Podkul belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game, 6-6, before first baseman Sean Coll won the game three batters later with an RBI single. Semipro baseball Plum High graduate Joey Garcia had a triple and a home run to help St. John's beat Bellevue, 6-3, in Federation League action Sunday. Penn Hills High grad Scott Sembower added three hits.

West Hempfield Denis Dunlap, the shortstop for West Hempfield's American Legion team, went l-for-2 in Sunday's East-West Pennsylvania Legion All-Star Game in Hershey. Dunlap's West team lost to the East, 7-2. Women's basketball Penn Hills High graduate Connie Hurt scored 35 points Sunday as Lounge beat Sodini's, 90-81, in the first round of the Turtle Creek Top Cagers open division playoffs. Sacred Heart graduate Kim Kuhn added 26 points, hitting four 3-point-ers. meets Costa's this Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

at the Turtle Creek Recreation Center in the league semifinals Former Penn Hills High and current Pitt player Erin Maloy popped in a league-record seven 3-pointers to finish with 21 points and lead the Super Cagers past the Misfits, 91-58, in another open division first-round game Sunday. The Super Cagers play Caesar's this Sunday at 8 p.m. in the league semifinals Swissvale High grad Cindy Bynum had eight points Saturday to help the Hustlers beat Operation Defense, 44-31, to capture the Connie Hawkins League women's championship. Compiled by JoeGreiner Pennsylvania All-Star running back Curtis Martin, of Allderdice, eludes Maryland defenders Coy Gibbs and shall during the Big 33 high school football all-star game Saturday in Hershey, Pa. PRO BASEBALL Braves' M.ercker traces pitching career to Claridge dentoh, for one year before a torn elbow ligament sidelined him for most of 1987.

He split the 1988 season between Class A Durham, N.C., and Class AA Greenville, S.C. In 1989, he pitched for Class AAA Richmond, and was a late-season call-up for the Braves. He started the 1990 season in Richmond, but was called up to Atlanta on June 28 and switched to a relief role. He finished last year with a 4-7 record, a 3.93 earned-run average, and 43 strikeouts in 52 innings. He had seven saves in 10 opportunities.

Mercker has blossomed this season for the surprising Braves, who are second in the National League SEE MERCKER, PAGE E-1T Brave victories over the Pirates Monday and Tuesday at Atlanta. Mercker, who at age 15 helped Worthington, Ohio, to a third-place finish at the 1983 American Legion World Series in Fargo, N.D., is a 1986 graduate of Dublin High, where he posted a 32-3 career record. He was drafted by Atlanta in the first round of the '86 major-league draft, going No. 5 overall right out of high school. "I was surprised I went that high," Mercker said.

"My coach told me I was taken fifth and I thought he meant in the fifth round. But when you're left-handed and you can throw 93 miles an hour those are things you can't teach, I guess." He was a starting pitcher with the Braves' rookie league team in Bra- mention of his other residences. He has pitched at Three Rivers Stadium twice since joining the Braves last year, but said he has 'received only a few phone calls when he's in town, most of them from people who thought they remembered him from Little League. "Slowly, I'm starting to hear from some of the guys I played with in Little League. Now that I'm with the Braves, people hear my name on TV or read it in the paper and think, 'Man, there can't be too many left-handed guys named Kent Mercker around.

I wonder if he's the same I've enjoyed hearing from the guys who remember me." Mercker did his old hometown team no favors this week he saved By Dejan Kovacevic Post-Gazette Sports Writer Kent Mercker was as frustrated as an 8-year-old baseball player gets. He wanted to be a first baseman. Or an outfielder. Or a shortstop. Anything but a pitcher.

Mercker had the strongest arm on his Claridge Little League team, but didn't want to pitch. Finally, after a year of Mercker's avoiding it, his coach persuaded the strong-armed youngster to try one game on the mound. He won that game and, more importantly, he liked the feeling. Now, 15 years later, he is pitching for the Atlanta Braves. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander was born in Brownsburg, but lived in five different cities before 1980 because of his father's frequent job transfers.

In 1980 Mercker's family settled in Dublin, Ohio, where he went to high school. But, from 1976 through 1980, Mercker and his family lived in Export. And it was there and at Little League fields in Claridge, Harrison City and Penn Township that Mercker first played baseball. "That's the big reason I'll never forget living there, even though I was so young," the Brave lefty said Tuesday. "I remember learning how to play baseball' there." But it's not likely that many from Westmoreland County recall Mercker.

The Braves media guide incorrectly lists him as being born and raised in Dublin, making no COLLEGE BASEBALL Pitt hopes to improve pitching by adding Penn Hills' Goettler ii, -i u.imi..w.uWyy,.;i1 mi I iiMtiifiniian nli'lTur'Tr''-- By Steve Hecht Post-Gazette Sports Writer NCAA Division I college baseball teams need pitching, and plenty of it, to be successful. Pitt coach Mark Jackson hopes his newest signee, Penn Hills High graduate Jamie Goettler, becomes part of a strong and deep Panthers pitching staff in the near future. Goettler, 4-2 for Penn Hills High this past spring and 4-0 for Penn Hills' American Legion team this summer, accepted a partial baseball scholarship to Pitt earlier this month. A 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander, Goettler also had considered playing baseball at Division III Marietta (Ohio) College and football at Indiana University of Pa. Pitt was 15-30 overall, 4-15 in the Big East Conference last season, Jackson's first as coach.

"Pitching's the area where we need the most help," said Jackson. "With any freshman pitcher, you can't plan on how quickly they will develop. "But Jamie Goettler does throw a little over 80 miles an hour. We need to work a little on his mechanics. But he knows what he's doing out there.

He can throw off-speed pitches. He knows he can't rely just on his fastball." Goettler said Jackson was one of the main reasons he decided on Pitt. "He had success at Point Park as head baseball coach and I think he's going to have it at Pitt. He's recruited a lot of good players," said Goettler. Goettler played a big role on two successful Penn Hills baseball teams this past year.

The high school team was 13-7 and reached the WPIAL Class AAA playoffs. The Legion team was 11-7-1 and landed a berth in the Allegheny County playoffs. Both teams, however, exited the playoffs early. When he wasn't pitching, Goettler was a starting outfielder on both clubs. Goettler had his most successful high school season with the bat in 1990, when he hit .578 (26-for-45) with a team-high four triples.

He is the third East suburban player to sign with the Panthers this summer. Two Central Catholic High graduates who played at CCAC-North last year Pat Walsh and Bill Junker also accepted partial baseball scholarships to Pitt. Darrell SappPost-Gazette Pitcher Jamie Goettler, 4-2 for Penn Hills High and 4-0 for Penn Hills Legion, accepted a partial baseball scholarship to Pitt earlier this month,.