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9-A
East Rutherford Downs Mounties 1
Mounties
Whip R-S
16-3 Friday
Chris Plonk's three-run homerun
highlighted a five-run first inning
rally which sparked Kings
Mountain's Mountaineers to a 16-3
victory over R-S Central in
Southwestern 3-A Conference
baseball action Friday night at
KM's Lancaster Field.
The win was the seventh in eight
conference games for the
Mountaineers, who improved their
overall record to 11-4.
Righthander Stuart Spires
worked the first five innings to get
the win, his fifth in seven decisions
overall and his fourth straight
against SWC competition.
R-S Central picked up an un-
earned run off Spires in the top of
the first for a 1-0 lead, but the
Hilltoppers' pitching and defense
could do little to stop the hot
Mountaineer bats. Kings Mountain
See R-S, Page 9-A
Kings Mountain High's girls fin-
ished second to Shelby in the annu-
al Cleveland County Track Meet
last Tuesday night at Crest, and the
KM ladies were running second to
Shelby again in a four-team
Southwestern 3-A Conference
meet Wednesday at Shelby when it
was rained out.
The Wednesday meet was called
after the 1600 meters. At the time,
Shelby had 61 points, KM 47,
Chase 35 and East Rutherford 15.
In the County Meet, the Lady
Lions compiled 89 points to 41 for
Kings Mountain. Crest and Burns
did not participate.
Kings Mountain picked up five
first places in the county run, with
Tracy Ward-Bell and Jackie Plonk
winning two each. Ward-Bell won
the 100 meter dash in 12.89 sec-
onds and the 200 meter dash in
Stuart Spires, righthand pitcher
for Kings Mountain's
Mountaineers, signed with the
University of Evansville Thursday
at the KMHS principal's office.
Spires, son of Millage and Libby
Spires, is 4-1 for the Mountaineers
this season and has won all of his
games against Southwestern 3-A
Conference opposition.
Spires has played football, bas-
ketball and baseball for the
Mountaineers but has concentrated
on baseball this season.
Spires has caught the eye of nu-
merous college recruiters the past
two summers at some of the top
college basketball camps in the
south.
"During my official visit at
Evansville, I was real impressed
with Coach Jim Brownlee," Spires
said. "I thought it was a real nice
college and a place that could help
( i
HIT THE DIRT - Kings Mountain High baseball coach, Bruce game with R-S Central at KM's Lancaster Field. The Mountaineers
Clark, left, tries to help first baseman Paul Brannon hit the dirt as he won 16-3. KM hosts Shelby Friday at 7:30 p.m.
slides into third base in Friday might's Southwestern 3-A Conference Photos by Gary Stewart
KM Girls Track Team
Second In County Meet
27.31 seconds. Plonk won the 3200
meter run and the 1600 meter run
in 6:54.0.
Adrienne Woods won the discus
with a throw of 93'10".
Adella Robertson finished sec-
ond in the high jump with a leap of
4'3". Adrienne Woods was third in
the shot put and Angela Woods
was third in the discus with a throw
of 82'8". Kathy Krueger ran second
in the 3200 meters and third in the
1600 meters, and Julie Denlinger
was third in the 3200 meters.
At Shelby Wednesday, Ward-
Bell won the 100-meter dash again
in 12.39 seconds, Adrienne Wood
won the shot put with a throw of
33'6", and Plonk ran first in the
1600 meter run in 6:36.0. Cheryl
See Track, 6-A
RECEIVES ATHLETIC GRANT-IN-AID-Stuart Spires, seated, signs grant-in-aid with the University
of Evansville to play baseball. From left are Coach Bruce Clark, Coach Ronny Funderburke, Stuart's par-
ents, Millage and Libby Spires, and Assistant KMSHS Principal Sherrill Toney.
Spires Draws An Ace
me. I especially liked Bosse Field,
the 5,500-seat stadium where the
team plays. It was once home to
the AAA franchise of the Detroit
Tigers."
Brownlee has rebuilt the
Evansville program to one of the
best in the midwest in past years.
Last year the Purple Aces set a
school record with 44 victories and
won the Midwestern Collegiate
‘Conference title. One of their vic-
tories was over top-ranked Arizona
State in the NCAA tournament.
Brownlee was chosen as Mid-
East Region Coach of the Year by
his fellow coaches last year, and he
has been Midwestern Conference
Coach of the Year two of the past
four seasons. Brownlee is 247-256-
3 in nine years at the Indiana
school.
Next year, the Aces will face
perennial powers such as Ole Miss,
ghiiet
HELPS LEAD KM WIN - Sandra Grant rips a basehit in recent
girls softball game at Kings Mountain's Lancaster Field.
Mississippi State, Southern Illinois,
and others, and will play in tourna-
ments which also feature the likes
of Notre Dame, St. Louis and
Xavier.
"I'm real excited about our
spring trip next year," Spires said.
"We will be going to New Orleans
and playing Mississippi State, New
Orleans and LSU and we may get a
chance to play in the Super Dome."
Evansville has a student body of
2,200 full-time students who repre-
sent 36 states and 32 foreign coun-
tries. It is United Methodist
Church-related. During Brownlee's
nine years as baseball coach, 95
percent of his players have earned
their degrees.
"I would like to express my ap-
preciation to all of my teachers,
coaches and friends for their sup-
port and motivation throughout my
education," Spires said.
KM Golfers
Shoot 298
Thursday
Kings Mountain High's golfers
continued their three-year unbeaten
string Thursday at Lakewood Golf
Course in Cramerton, shooting a
298 to defeat North Gaston, South
Point and Burns in a Southwestern
3-A Conference match.
The victory gave Coach Denny
Hicks' charges a final 6-0 regular
season record. They open their
quest for a third straight SWC
championship Thursday at 1 p.m.
in the first round of the conference
tournament at Kings Mountain
Country Club. The final round will
be played next Thursday at
Cleghorne near Rutherfordton.
Last week's 298 was the best
score shot over the last three years
by a Mountaineer team, and many
believe it's the lowest score ever
recorded by a KMHS golf team.
Junior Brady Goforth won
medalist honors with a one-over-
par 73. Ryan Broadwell, Rusty
Bumgardner and John Van Dyke
each shot 75 for the Mountaineers.
After next week's conference
tournament, the Mountaineers will
begin preparing for the regionals to
be played Mon., May 8 at
Cleghorne. The top four individu-
als and top three teams there will
qualify for the state tournament in
Chapel Hill.
KM Bowlers Win
Weekend Tourney
Kings Mountain bowlers domi-
nated the Open Handicap Duckpin
Bowling Tournament held last
weekend at Dilling Heating Lanes.
Jack Barrett won the men's sin-
gles, edging KM's John Dilling,
and Lib Gault won the women's
singles over Becky Sneed.
In mixed doubles, Dilling
teamed with Sneed to win first
place and with Gault to take sec-
ond place honors.
The winners shared prize money
of $252.
0-3
Shelby
At KM
Friday
Kings Mountain's Mountaineers
dropped their second Southwestern
3-A Conference game of the year
Tuesday night at East Rutherford,
10-3, but still managed to hold on-
to second place in the conference
race.
The Mountaineers, 7-2 in the
conference and 12-5 overall, are
two games behind unbeaten South
Point in the race for the regular
season title. The Mountaineers
hold second place by a full game
over East Rutherford and two
games over R-S Central.
Coach Bruce Clark's charges
hope to shore up their defense as
they head into the home stretch of
the regular season. The Mounties
host Shelby Friday at 7:30 p.m.
and travel to North Gaston next
Tuesday.
"If there's ever been a good time
See East, Page 6-A
KM Girls Softball Team
Loses, Still Tied For Lead
Kings Mountain High's girls
softball team dropped its second
Southwestern 3-A Conference
game of the season Monday at East
Rutherford, 9-5, but still managed
to hold onto a share of first place in
the SWC.
Coach Tony Leigh's ladies, now
5-2 in the conference and 11-3
overall, were scheduled to face
Lincolnton in a non-conference
game this afternoon. They travel to
South Point Thursday.
Kings Mountain will get another
shot at East Rutherford next
Wednesday at home, and will host
Burns in a doubleheader the fol-
lowing Saturday.
Kings Mountain outhit East 16-9
Monday but made some costly er-
rors. Sharon Lattimore of East hit a
grandslam homer with two outs to
key a seven-run fourth inning ex-
plosion which gave the Lady
Cavaliers the victory.
"We hit the ball real well, but we
just made a couple of errors at the
wrong time," Coach Leigh said.
"Hopefully we can hang on the rest
of the year and win the conference,
or at least get in the state playoffs.
We're in a good position to win it,
we just have to buckle down defen-
sively."
Sandra Grant and Paula Morris
each went 3-for-4 to lead the KM
plate attack Monday. Robin
Watterson was 2-for-3 with a
homerun and Velma Degree and
Nicole Barnes were 2-for<4 each.
The KM ladies swept North
Gaston 14-0 and 11-5 in a SWC
twinbill last Thursday.
Watterson went 3-for-4 with a
See Softball, 9-A
SCORES FOR PATS - Doug Bridges scores for Kings Mountain
Junior High's Patriots in recent game with Crest at Lancaster Field.
The Patriots are unbeaten and closing in on the Bi-County Middle
School Conference championship.
Junior High Baseballers
Defeat East Lincoln 9-1
Kings Mountain Junior High's
Patriots won their ninth straight
game Thursday at East Lincoln, 9-
Lk
Stephen Fisher went the distance
on the mound, scattering three hits
and fanning 10.
Todd Ware led the KM plate at-
tack with 3-for-3 and Robbie Ruff,
Fisher, and Damon Putnam added
two hits each. David Jenkins hit a
homerun.
Kings Mountain grabbed a 3-0
lead in the first inning. Jenkins’
homer followed Ruff's single to
make it 2-0, and the Pats added an-
other run when Ware singled in
Putnam, who had singled and
moved up on a passed ball.
KM added three more in the
third to make it 6-0. Fisher dou-
bled, went to third on Putnam's sin-
gle and scored on Chris Rider's sin-
gle. After Rider stole second to put
runners on second and third, Ware
singled in both runners.
The Patriots added their final
three runs in the fifth on Fisher's
triple, two East Lincoln errors, a
passed ball, and Johnny §
two-run single. : was