TKur$aay, Xprtl 7, 1^66 KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD, KINGS MOUNTAIN. N. C. Page 3 ( i Herald Sports By GARY STEWART Braves Tough, Look Out For SF, Orioles Major league baseball will swing into the pieture next week. Since it’s that time again, let’s take a look at the pennant contenders in the American and National leagues. Since the National League always supplies a tighter race, let’s look at it first. The Los Angeles Dodger fans are happy now since pitching stars Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale have hop ped down off their high horses and signed contracts (total ing more than ?210,0()0 to be divided between the two), but Walt Alston’s fast boys will have a time repeating as National League chanps. Besides, it has been a long time since .the same team won the NL pennant two years in a row. The last time a National League team won the pen nant twice-in-a-row was in 1957 and ’58 when the Milwau kee (now Atlanta) Braves captured it. Both years the team was managed by Fred Haney and both times the Braves finished eight games ahead of the second place team. ^ The Dodgers undoubtedly will be tou|:h but their lack of hitting ability might lead to their downfall. It’s a sure bet that Koufax and Drysdale, along with the team’s .... speed, will earn them a high , spot in the standings but had taken a some hitting is needed if a team expects to win a pennant i cy dean San Francisco, led by the pitching of batman Juan Frank .Mosteller. Marichal and such hitting stars as Willie Mays and Orlan- two out in the home half, do Cepeda, will probably be the team to beat in this year’s; woifpacsk starter David Cline is- NL race. j sued back-to-back walks to But don’t count out Tony Cloninger’s Atlanta Braves, i Wayne Muilinax, Paul Gaffney a team which is moving South with high hopes and much | and Mike Smith and Charles better spirits. Good support will make the Braves play harder and better and with Cloninger heading the pitching staff and Hank Aaron and Joe Torre rapping the big hits, the Braves will be right in there ’til the finish. Brave infielder-outfielder Felipe Alou, a 6-1, 195 j field, carroii and Gladden were pounder from Santo Domingo, was the outstanding Brave | stranded in scoring position when in spring exhibition games as he led the team in hitting Sill Bridges struck out. First Annuall Kiwanis Club Banquet Tonight Blackett Homeis | To Lead Wolves I To 8-4 .Victoiy , ] Steve Brackett smashed an in- i side-the-park three run homer to erase a 3-2 deficit and lead the Lincolnton Wolves to an 84 win over the Mountaineers here Fri day afternoon. The blast came with none out in the fifth with Don Proctor and Bobby Smith on base. Both run ners had reached base via walks. Four of Lincolnton’s eight runs were unearned with eight KM fielding errors and several men tal mistakes helping the Wolves’ cause. Junior righthander Tommy Go forth wtmt the distance for the Mounties and was tagged with the loss and Virgil Cline, after relieving his brother David with one out in the fourth, picked up the win. Cline, a sophomore lefthander, worked the final 3% innings, not allowing a hit. Kings Mountain j^umped to a comfortable 3-1 margin in the bottom of the first inning-after ■■ -i. A Carroll drove in the runners from second and third with a double to deep right-center. Smith then scored on a single by Chucky Gladden w'ho went to _ ! second on the throw-in from left- Lincolnton threatened again in the second after getting men on second and third with a double by catcher Dale Martin and a KM error. Marti®, and David Cline, who got on by the error by Mulli- nax, pulled'off a double steal and second - baseman Gene Cathey lined out to center. Melvin Huffstetler walked to load the bases and Don Proctor hiti a sharp grounder throu.gh the (middle but KM shortstop Nel son Connor scooped up the ball, with a .439 batting average, in scoring with seven runs, in doubles with five, in stolen bases with four and was second to Joe Torre in runs batted in from leadoff with five. Cincinnati, Philadelphia and St. Louis should also field tough teams making the first six pennant contenders. Manager Don Heffner has moved all-star second base- man Pete Rose to third to make I'oom for Charlottean Tommy Helms. Deron Johnson, who was the Reds’ third sacker last time, has been moved to first base after a try of left field didn’t work out too well. Cincy’s strong pitching staff — headed by Sammy Ellis, Jim Maloney, Jimmy O’TooJe, JoeNuxhall, Milt Pap-'tagged second and turned in a pas and Joey Jay is the strongest in either league and, with a quick- throw don’t forget slugging outfielder Vada Pinson. St. Louis Manager Red Schoendienst will have to de pend largely on Bob Gibson, his fireballing pitcher. He can also count on Ray Sadecki and AjIl Mahaffey for good showings. At the head of the Phillies will be former Duke star Dick Groat with able assistance coming from Tony Tay lor, Rich Allen and Cookie Rojas, all good hitters. Pittsburgh might offer a threat, however, the Pirates should be in second division along with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and New York Mets. LET’S TRY — 1. Atlanta, 2. San Francisco, 3. Los Angeles, 4. Cincinnati, 5. Philadelphia, 6. St. Louis, 7. Pittsburgh, 8. Chicago, 9. Houston, 10. New York. Robinsons Will Make Orioles Contender Frank Robinson, an outfielder acquired during the winter from the National League’s Cincinnati Reds, is ex pected to team with third baseman Brooks Robinson to bring Baltimore a tough 1-2 punch and a strong bid for the American League pennant. Curt Blefary and Boog Powell will also figure largely in the Orioles’ plans. If Baltimore’s pitching staff gets and stays in top form, the Orioles will be a solid bet to de throne the Minnesota Twins. The Chicago White Sox should also field a good team with catcher John Romano and the major’s top relief pitcher Eddie Fisher heading the long list of talented play ers. Don’t count the Twins out, however, because their great slugging can handle just about any pitching staff in the American League. Should Jim Kaat, Jim Grant and Camilo Pascual again be in top form the Twins might be up there again. Detroit, Cleveland and New York should make up the center of the AL standings, that is being around the four th, fifth and sixth places. Improved playing on the “part of the Tigers’ and In dians’ younger men should make both those teams a lot better. But it’s plain to see that the Yankees are going to have to move out most of , their veterans and play a young ball club. Washington, California, Boston and Kansas City will probably bring up the rear again this time. , HERE WE’LL SAY — 1. Baltimore, 2. Chicago, 3. Min nesota, 4. Detroit, 5. Cleveland, 6. New York, 7. Washing ton, 8. Boston, 9. California, 10. Kansas City. KMHS Golfers S^Matdli^Wth East Ruthezford And to first. Neither team threatened in the third and Lincolnton pulled the; game closer a( 3-2 in the fourtfi with shortstoji: Henry Robin.^on scoring an unearned run. The Mountaineers committed three errors during that frame with David Cline’s single being the Lines’ only hit. The Mountaineers threatened in the bottom of the fourth with Gladden getting a double and Go forth a single but the Wolves got out of the trap with a twin-kill ing. Goforth issued back - to - back walks to Proctor and Smith in the top of the fifth and Brackett uncorked a fast ball to center- field but Carroll let the ball roll by him and the speedster round ed the bases for a home i-un to put the visitors ahead, 5-3. With the help of three Moun taineer errors, a single by Smith and a double by Martin, the Lin colnton nine scored three more runs in the top of the seventh to make the score 8-3 and insure the victory. Tammy Goforth scored KM’s fourth run in the bottom of the seventh after being hit by a pitch, going to second when Tony Leigh got on by error, reaching third on a passed ball and com ing home on a sacrifice fly by Muilinax. Goforth gave up eight hits, walked three and struck out five in his first loss of the year. The two Cline boys gave up five hits, walked three batters and sent 10 back to the bench via the strikeout route. Gladden wyas KM’s leading hit ter with two hits in three trips to the plate and Smith, Brackett and Martin had two hits each for the winners. BOXSCORE GUEST SPEAKERS — Davidson All-America Dick Snyder (left) and senior teammates Phil Squier (center) and Ronnie Stone will be guest speakers at the first annual Kiwunis Club Basket ball Banquet tonight at the Kings Mountain Woman's Club. The bonquet is being given honoring the Kings Mountain high school basketball teams. Most Valuable Player trophies will be presented to the outstanding boy and girl eager. Blackett Rolls |12 Set; Plonk Oil Dumps Culbertson Team, 4-0 .High scores, 'domina’fed the scene at Mountain Lanes Bowl ing Center Monday night as the .men’s bowling league boiled the season down to one week. Ali-ert Brackett, captain of sixth place Morrison Loan Co., rolled a night high 112 set to lead his team to a'3-J. Win over Dilling Heating but in the big match of the ni.ght. Plonk Oil Co. movefi within two games of first plade with a -1-0 win over league-leader Clyde Culbertson. In the other match, City Paint Store moved into a tie for fourth place with a 3-1 win over Griffin Drug Co. Twcnty--three of the 28 bowlers prestmt Monday night posted 300- plus sets with all members of the Griffin Drug team accom plishing the fete. Brackett combined lines of 150, 142 and 120 for his 412 total and John Dilling was high man for Dilling Heating and runner-up for night scoring honors with a KiO line and a 395 set. Tom Gam ble placed second in scoring for Morrison Loan with a 354 set and Richar<3 Culbertson added a 358- set for th losers. Allen Myers rolled a 1.52 line and a 376 set to lead Plonk Oil Po. to a 4-0 win over league-lead er Clyde Culbertson. Bill Mulli- nax and Clarence Plonk chipped in 3te and 343 sets respectively and Mickey Robinson’s 12S line and Harold Barber’s 331 set were high marks for the losers. Plonk Oil’s winning margin over "the Oulbertson’s was 155 pins. The Plonk Oil team jjosted scores of .548, 564 and .583 for a 1695 set. Johnny Dye’s 137 line and a 378 set led the City Paint .Store team to a 3-1 win over Griffin Drug. Team captain Rann.s’ Blan- -ten added a 365 set fi'^r the Avin- ners and Furman Wilson vyas high for the losers with a 139 line and a 354 set. Team V\’ L Pet. Clyde Culbertson 39 2 Ploryk Oil Co. 37 3 Dilling Heating .35 3 City Paint .Store 32 3 Griffin Drug Store 32 3 Morrison Loan Co. 29 3' R-S Central, Errors, Beat Mountaineers, 3-0 R S Central took advantage of four Kings Mountain errors and several mental mistakes to turn in a 3 9 baseball victory over the Mountaineers here Tuesday after noon. Sophomore riglithander Darrell Whetstine went tlie distance for Coach Rill Bates’ Mounties and was laggef »«■ —■ 7^ Stine has fanned Innings that he Steve has also se frames. l1