Newspapers / The Kings Mountain Herald … / March 10, 1981, edition 1 / Page 3
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North tizens, siness nions, ic and j give their iOF, 1 d, and le City tffixed North lay of if i Brent Bell tagged out at home ... Mounties Lose To Huskies The big inning continued to plague Kings Mountain High’s baseballers Friday afternoon as they dropped their second straight non-conference decision, 7-2 to the Hunter Huss Huskies. The visiting Gastonia nine scored three runs in the fourth inning and four in the sixth to post its first victory after an opening-season 4-4 tie with Shelby. Kings Mountain, playing its first game at Lancaster Field after opening w-ith a 5-3 loss to Ashbrook on the road, couldn't get any offense going against the Huskies’ ace righthander, Curtis Hopper. The Mounties scored both of their runs in the final in ning. Hopper held the Mounties to just tw-o hits over the first five in nings before giving way to Jeff Watson in the sixth. Huss Coach Don Saine had to call on Jeff Brackett to put down a mild Mountaineer rally in the bottom of the seventh. Kings Mountain starter Dar- rt herself, mayors jr City tennial tennial ive my her see er.” 1 not to d has it ock to sh. For ay is a ;oming vals in elebra- l> • a • Alan Van Dyke snags fly ... Junior High Patriots In Rebuilding Stage > • i • J!) Kings Mountain Junior High’s ba.seballers will be in a rebuilding year this spring under veteran coach David Heffner, who led the Patriots to the Western N.C. Junior High Athletic Association champion ship last year. Coach Heffner has 10 eight graders and 12 ninth graders on this year’s outfit, which opens its season March 16 with a non conference game at East Ruther ford. Heffner hopes two non-league bouts with East and another with Chase will quickly prepare the Patriots for a rugged 11-game conference slate which opens March 30 at Crest. “We have some good talent, but we’re going to have to do a lot of hard work,” .says Heffner. “It will be hard matching last year’s 104 record.” Heffner has only three players who saw part-time starting ac tion last year. They are out fielder Kevin Echols, first baseman Todd Cloninger and shortstop Thomas Putnam. Other ninth graders on the team are pitchers Brad Reynolds, Curt Pressley and Tommy Batchler, catchers Johnny Yarboro and Quinton Rikard, outfielders Shane Ab- sher and Russell Van Dyke.gfd’ third baseman Randy Whitaker. Eighth graders include pitcher 'Marty Bridges, catchers Jarvis Young and Kelly Stewart, out fielders Jeff Whisnant and Tim Biddix, first baseman Brad Jones and Maury Williams, second baseman Richard Gold, short stop Rodney Ballew and third ba.seman Gary Wyte. “Our infield looks pretty strong,” says Heffner, “but we have a lot of work to do in the outfield. We might have to move some people around out there. The pitching is not as strong as it’s been in the past, but I think it’ll be okay. The main thing is inexperience. But maybe after we play a few ballgames, we’ll be allright.” The Patriots will play seven games at Lancaster Field, which is equipped with new dugouts courtesy of the Kings Mountain Babe Ruth Leagues. All games will start at 4 p.m. SCHEDULE MARCH 16 - at East Ruth. 19 - East Ruth. 25 - at Chase 30 - at Crest APRIL 2 - West McDowell 6 - at Burns 9 - E. McDowell 131- at Shelby 23 - Chase 27 - Crest 30 - at W. McDowell MAY 4 - Burns 7 - at E. McDowell 11 - Shelby rell Sisk, a southpaw, was cruis ing along until the fourth, when he served up back-to-back homers to Eddie Dellinger and Hopper. Huss added another run on a double by Eddie Belk and an error. Ricky Proctor relieved Sisk and Huss collected four more runs off him in the top of the sixth despite getting only one hit during the inning. A walk to Robert Anderson and double by pinch-hitter Roy Mathis ignited a two-run rally for KM in the bottom of the seventh. Watson issued another walk to load the bases and then walked pinch-hitter Pat Melton to force in the first run. The se cond run scored when Alan Van Dyke was hit by a pitched ball, and Saine then called on Brackett, who fanned Terry Bullock and Kenny Mitchem with the bases full to end the game. The Mountaineers threatened only one other time, in the se cond inning when Brent Bell doubled and Leard Keeter got an infield single. Bell was thrown out at the plate attempting to score on a wild pitch and Bullocks’ sharp grounder bet ween second and first was knocked down by the second baseman and turned into an inning-ending putout at first. The Mountaineers finished with only three hits and also committed three costly errors. Huss had seven hits and played a flawless defensive game. The two teams square off again this afternoon in Gastonia, and the Mountaineers begin Southwestern 3-A Conference play Friday afternoon at Crest. LINESCORE By innings: R H E HH 000 304 0 7 7 0 KM 000 000 2 2 3 3 Hoppar, Watson (6). Brackstt (7) and Quean. Sisk. Proctor (4). Graana (7) and Kaatar. Rickenbacker Most Valuable ROCKY MOUNT — Priscilla Rickenbacker has done it again. The regular season NCAIAW Most Valuable Player and holder of the scoring title for the state has captured another honor. The sophomore hoopster was named the Most Valuable Player of the NCAIAW State Tournament this past weekend as the Battling Bishops upset the number one seed in the tourna ment, Bennett College, for the state title and the chance to play in the AlAW Region 2 Tourna ment, the winner of which will advance to the national finals. Rickenbacker had 15 points in the semifinal game against St. Andrews College which Wesleyan won 76-66, and she saved her best for the champion ship tilt against Bennett where she had 26 points and was high scorer for the game as Wesleyan took Bennett 68-63. North Carolina Wesleyan will play in the AIAW regionals in Virginia against :he best teams from Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, the weekend of March 12,13 and 14. TuMday, March 10. IMl-KIMGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Pag* 3 Girls Softball Team Opens Against Shelby Kings Mountain High’s girls softball team opens Southwestern 3-A Conference play on Thurs., Mar. 13 at Shelby. The Mountainettes, Eastern Division winners in the SWC a year ago, have a mixture of ex perience and youth playing under first year coach Tim Echols. Echols, former head baseball coach at Ashbrook High, takes over the KM softball team from David Brinkley, who resigned recently. The Mountainettes finished 15-3 last year, their best record ever, and won the Eastern Divi sion title before losing to Chase for the overall conference cham pionship. Gone will be five starters from that team, including three of the four starting outfielders - Donna Myers, Debbie Appling and Pen ny Blanton - along with first baseman Susan Howze and cat cher Mary K. Plyler. But Echols has four of the six starting infielders returning, along with designated hitter Diane Williams and some key reserves and newcomers. The Mountainettes should have some of the best infielders in the conference in third baseman Bridget Gla.ss, short stop Tammy Bolton and second baseman Mary Ann White, and one of the league’s top pitchers in Kim Muss. Renee Cook returns to the outfield and Williams, who is currently nursing an ankle in jury, will also see action in the outfield. Others trying for a star ting outfield position are Heidi Hagans, Sandy Hovis, Leslie Hamrick, Dana Horne, Tina Forbes, Kim Leftwich and Cin dy Weaver. Ann Tate and Tammy Whit worth are competing at first base and Mary McClain and Robyn Ramsey are the catchers. Loretta TIM ECHOLS Oates joins Moss on the mound and Lisa Crawford is competing with Bolton at shortstop. Echols feels the team could again be a contender for the SWC championship. “Once we get the first string together I think we’ll have a good defensive team,” he said. “We need to work on different situations. There hasn’t been much of a chance to work in dividually because some of the girls have been playing basket ball and some have been practic ing track. “We lost some good players from last year,” he added, “but we have a good chance to push for the conference championship as long as they come along and don’t get injured.” The Mountainettes will be at a scheduling disadvantage early in the year as five of their first six games are on the road. “If we are better prepared than the other teams early in the year, it will be to our advantage,” he said. “Getting through the early schedule will be the key.” The Mountainettes play their first home game on March 19 against Burns and don’t play at home again until March 30, when Shelby visits. But the Mountainettes play four of their last five games at home. Hitting should be a strong point for the team, even though Echols says he has not found 10 solid hitters yet. “Some of them hit the ball hard,” he said. “They hit the ball on the line and make good con tact. There are no real power hit ters, though. “It’s really hard to tell anything this early,” he added. “But we have a good group of girls and they’re working hard. They act like they want to de fend their title.” THE SCHEDULE MARCH 12 - at Shelby 13 - at Huss 16 - at R-S Central 19 - Burns 23 - at Chase 26 - at N. Gaston 30 - Shelby APRIL 2 - E. Ruth. 7 - at S. Point 9 - E. Gaston 13 - N. Gaston 22 - Crest 23 - S. Point 27 - at E. Gaston v •‘’S'.'-,' ir / -I '■'3 ' • fir - KMHS track returnee Eric Spicer ... Mountie Tracksters Hope To Improve Field Events Kings Mountain High track coach Steve Foster is preparing 43 athletes for the Moun taineers’ 1981 season which gets underway with a non-confernce meet here on March 17 against Bessemer City and Cherryville. The Mountaineers will be in a rebuilding stage but should be competitive in several events. “We have some good athletes out,” says Foster, beginning his third year at the helm. “We’re going to be concentrating on im proving our field events.” The Mountaineers have only 11 lettermen returning, and lost several outstanding sprinters, in cluding Kevin Mack, who finish ed third in the state in the 100-meter dash. “Well be weaker in sprints than in years past,” says Foster, “but we have some good long distance runners back.” Bernard Womic, a three-sport standout, returns in the mile and two mile, along with Todd Bar rett and Terry Odums. Senior Jeff Lineberger should rank among the best in the Southwestern 3-A Conference in the 880. “We’re really in the process of getting into shape,” said Foster. “Some people are just joining us off the basketball team.” The Mountaineers will run three home meets, all beginning at 3:30 p.m. In addition to the non-SWC opener, the Mounties will host R-S Central and Shelby on March 26 and South Point, East Gaston, North Gaston and Bums on April 10. The Moun ties will run at South Point on March 20, Crest on April 3, South Point on April 24, at Crest in the pre-conference meet on May 1 and at Crest in the con ference meet on May 8. Team members include Frank Sp>ann, Travis Bell, Jeff Lang, Adrian Byers, Joe Smith, Demetrius Goode, Carl Smith, Bernard Womic, Jimmy Brown, Keith Pressley, Mark Scruggs, Jeff Lineberger, Todd Barrett, Terry Odums, Ron Oates, Mike Woodberry, William Short, Gerald Lutz, Curtis Foster, Todd Chastain, Todd Bell, David Bolin, Jeff Arrowood, Kerry Bell, Silvester Roberts, Todd Weaver, Larry Wilson, Garland Johnson, Cam Stewart, Eric Spicer, Alan Lawrence, Richard Ellison, Jim Barringer, Clinton Graham, Caje Etters, Max Brooks, Walt Frazier, Gerald Byers, Todd Wray, Ter rence Blalock, Paul Ingram, Tommy Toms, Mark Russell and Frank Parker.
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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March 10, 1981, edition 1
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