The Daily Tar HeelTuesday, April 18, 19897
Sports
Russian -baseball team shows spirit but loses
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Players exchange pointers,
hues in international affair
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USSR's catcher Nikolai Gervesev waits to tag UNC's Ryan Howison at home in Heels' 13-2 win
Broweir wiims two In
ups softlba
By BOBBY McCROSKEY
Staff Writer
Sophomore pitcher Tracy Brower
collected her third win in two days
Monday as the North Carolina
softball team swept a doubleheader
from St. Augustine, 10-0 and 2-0.
In the first game, Brower was a
pitching machine as she registered no
hits, no runs, six strikeouts and one
walk in five innings. While Brower
provided the pitching, the UNC
offense scored all the runs it would
need in the first inning.
Lead-off batter Theresa Buscemi
opened the scoring. She came home
on a passed ball after reaching first
on an infield error. MichelJe Rupp
then bounced a grounder to the third
baseman, and the throw was
mishandled by the first baseman.
Vicki Parrott, who had also reached
on an error by the Falcons, raced
home on the fielder's choice. Tracy
Beine singled and scored on a sacrifice
fly to deep right field by Lisa
McGloin.
Fortunately for the Falcons, the
Tar Heels were not able to push any
runs across the plate in the second
inning. However, a third inning
onslaught by the potent North Carol
ina offense more than made up for
the temporary dry spell.
After Beine walked to start the
inning, McGloin rifled a shot through
the shortstop's legs, and Beine scored
standing up. Gina Elmore and Julie
TV to show
ECareem's
final game
From Associated Pr reports
INGLEWOOD, Calif. All-time
NBA scoring leader Kareem Abdul
Jabbar will get a nationally televised
send-off this weekend in what is
expected to be the final regular
season game of his 20-year profes
sional career.
CBS announced it will broadcast
the two-time defending NBA cham
pion Los Angeles Lakers' season
finale Sunday against the Seattle
Supersonics, team spokesman Josh
Rosenfeld said Monday.
Jabbar, 42, has said he will retire
after completing his second decade
as a professional.
The All-Star center didn't practice
Monday and underwent a back
examination, but was expected to
play Tuesday in a home game against
the Denver Nuggets.
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CShields both reached base, and
Maggie Moline stroked a single to
center field to score both runners.
St. Augustine received a glimmer
of hope in the top of the fourth inning.
Bernadette McPhee lined a 3-2 pitch
off the glove of second baseman
Sharon Paszt. That hope was quickly
extinguished as Brower mowed down
the next three batters that she faced
to decisively end the inning.
The Tar Heels continued to pour
it on in their half of the fourth inning.
Michelle Rupp led off by curling one
down the third base line. What looked
to be a routine hit turned out to be
an inside-the-park homer. Then,
McGloin walked and advanced to
second base on a sacrifice bunt.
Brower contributed to her own cause
by blooping an RBI single to center
field, scoring McGloin. Buscemi then
doubled Brower home to close out
the scoring.
After the Falcons failed to score
in the top of the fifth, the game was
called because the Tar Heels had
compiled a commanding 10-0 lead.
It was a merciful end to a disastrous
first game for St. Augustine.
MI think we did a lot of good things
at the plate in the first game," UNC
head coach Donna Papa said. "We
made some good decisions, but of
course, they made a lot of errors in
the field."
Something must have happened to
the Falcons before the second half
of the doubleheader, because they
made a game of the second contest.
They came out hitting, and Papa
pulled starting pitcher Maggie
Moline from the mound in favor of
Brower. Although they failed to
score, they were able to keep the
North Carolina offense in check
at least until the third inning.
In the third, Buscemi led the attack
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as she looped one into left field. The
Falcon fielder dropped the ball and
Buscemi sped to second base. Parrott
then executed a drag bunt to perfec
tion, and Buscemi darted to third.
After Beine grounded out, Rupp
singled Buscemi home, but Parrott
was nailed at the plate as she tried
to tack on another run for the Tar
Heels.
Elmore began the fourth inning by
drawing a walk from the St. Aug
ustine pitcher. CShields sacrificed
her to second, and Elmore then stole
third base. With Brower at the plate,
a wild pitch was delivered, and
Elmore scampered home with North
Carolina's final run.
"The second game wasnt pretty,"
Papa said. "It was good defensively,
but we were not as sharp at the plate.
We're at that point of the season
where I expect better decisions at the
plate."
In the meantime, Brower con
tinued to exercise her pitching mas
tery over the competition. With the
conclusion of her second win on the
day, she ran her scoreless inning
streak to an impressive 25 23
innings. The last time she surrendered
a run to the opposition was against
George Mason University in the
fourth inning on April 9. Her record
stands at 19-6.
"I'm tired, but I felt fine on the
mound," Brower said. "It was like one
game with extra innings. St. Augus
tine stood far back in the box, so that
made it seem like the distance was
farther. I felt good, but it was tough
to cool down (from the first game)
and then to warm up for the second
game."
North Carolina now takes to the
road for several games before return
ing home April 25 to face UNC
Wilmington. I
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Iff AN ACADEMY AWARD WINNER
By MARK ANDERSON
Staff Writer
Beisbol has not come easily to the
USSR. Their bateadors could man
age only two kvhits and two, well,
kvruns. That was the Soviet National
Team's line score in yesterday's
baseball game at Boshamer Stadium.
North Carolina countered with 13
runs and 12 hits. But no one really
cared about the stats.
"The best thing has been people
greeting me in the street and welcom
ing me," said pitcher Edmundas
Matusyavichus.
This camaraderie was as important
as the action on the field. The players
exchanged gifts, tried to communi
cate as well as they could and ran
around posing together in team and
individual pictures for. their
scrapbooks.
The USSR lost its fifth consecutive
game by a large margin on this
Inaugural Baseball Series with the
United States, but the players and
coaches seem unfazed.
"We understand that we have a lot
to learn," said Soviet head coach
Alexander Ardatov.
The Tar Heels did their best to help
with that, too.
"I pitched them about an hour of
batting practice," said UNC coach
Mike Roberts. "Ron Maurer (North
Carolina shortstop) spent a lot of time
with their shortstop trying to teach
him to field the ball out in front of
him."
The most experienced Soviet play
ers have only played baseball for two
years, and all have been converted
from other sports. Unfortunately, this
lack of playing time showed on the
field, which, with six USSR errors,
often resembled a Little League game.
Soviet players overran bases without
sliding and threw the ball into the
outfield while firing it around the
infield after an out.
The Tar Heels did their best not
to rub it in, playing everyone and"
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often failing to take the extra base.
Bobby Honeycutt summed up UNC's
attitude when he caught Leonid
Komeyev off third base in the eighth
inning. Instead of just slapping on the
tag, Honeycutt gave Komeyev a big
hug.
"At this point, you have to com
pare them to young teen-agers in
America," Roberts said. "Their
knowledge of the game is pretty good,
but they still have some questions.
Baseball is such an instinct sport with
the hand-eye coordination. You
really have to start at five or six years
old."
Soviet baseball for children will
begin next year, and Ardatov
seconded Roberts' opinion.
"The best way we can improve is
to have kids grow up with the game
like they do in America," he said.
The Soviets have quickly picked up
some of the more important traits of
the game, such as tipping their hats
to the crowd, kicking dirt in the
batter's box and stepping out after
every pitch (even though they didn't
use signs). Several players on the
bench could also be seen spitting huge
wads of tobacco.
"The tour is a great thing because
baseball is coming on worldwide,"
Roberts said. "Now that it's an
Olympic sport, more countries will
be picking it up."
The subject of international com
petition was greeted with some
trepidation by the Soviets.
"1992 (Olympics) are too soon,"
Matusyavichus said.
"It will be eight to 10 years before
we can compete," Ardatov said.
Assistant coach Guela Chihradze
elaborated on the disadvantages
facing the Soviet team.
"We have few fields and no good
native coaches," he said. "We think
it's great that the Cubans and Nica
raguan have helped us and also the
Americans."
Many scientists have said that
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hitting a baseball is the toughest task
in sports. With 14 strikeouts Monday,
the Soviets would have to agree.
"We have no pitching machines
like here, and we don't have enough
baseballs," Chihradze said. "The IBA
(International Baseball Association)
and the U.S. have helped us with
equipment."
Despite giving up 13 runs, the
USSR's pitching drew Roberts'
compliments.
"Their pitching mechanics were
good. It was obvious they had zeroed
in and taught it well."
Matusyavichus was the most
impressive Soviet hurler. He came on
in relief to throw four innings,
surrendering only one run on four
hits. Amazingly, the 31 -year-old
right-hander saw his first baseball
game only a year ago and has been
playing for 1 1 months.
"I injured my knee and couldn't
throw the javelin anymore," he said.
"They told me to try pitching after
I recovered, and I liked it."
The rest of the USSR's staff is also
made up of converted javelin
throwers.
"We are well-trained," Matusyavi
chus said. "Some of the U.S.'s best
javelin men came from playing
baseball. In our country, it is the
opposite."
Learning to throw strikes has been
the toughest adjustment for
Matusyavichus.
"I work on four pitches in prac
tice," he said, "but I mostly throw
straight for strikes in the game."
1 Matusyavichus provided a clue to
one of the major differences between
the two countries' approaches to the
game. When asked if he felt like a
little boy when he played the game,,
he replied, "I enjoy it, but I play to
extend my sport life."
Despite glimmers of hope like
Matusyavichus, it is obvious that the
Soviets have a long way to go on the
diamond. And it won't get any easier.
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