April 30 - Lady Cougars Continue Playoff Action Today

April 30 - Homer Beats Rangers: B.J. Surhoff hit a go-ahead homer as the Baltimore Orioles rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Texas 8-7 Monday night, their first win against the Rangers in seven games this season.
....Mike Devereaux also homered and Roberto Alomar had three hits for the Orioles, who had lost nine of their previous 11.
...Juan Gonzalez homered for the Rangers, vying for their first four-game sweep in Baltimore since 1972.

April 30 - PDogs May Not Have "Home" for Opener: The Abilene Prairie Dogs are scheduled to open their 1996 season in a little more than two weeks, but they're not sure if they'll have a stadium to play in.

....The Prairie Dogs play their home games at Abilene Christian University's Crutcher Scott Field. But ACU has made a bid to be the host site for the NCAA Division II south central regional baseball tournament May 16-19, the same dates as the Prairie Dogs' season-opening series against the Lubbock Crickets.

April 30 - Lady Bulldogs in Semifinal Game Today: Wylie, playing at full strength for the first time in the playoffs, tries to continue its winning ways when the Lady Bulldogs meet Boyd in a Class 3A regional semifinal softball game today in Stephenville.

....The 6 p.m. matchup is the first of two Class 3A playoff games. Comanche, 11-8, will meet Aledo in the second game of the doubleheader, scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

April 30 - Haas Signs with PDogs: Righthanded pitcher David Haas, an 8-year veteran of professional baseball who has spent time in the majors, has signed with the Abilene Prairie Dogs as a player/pitching coach.

April 30 - Clarkson Awarded Scholarship: Jennifer Clarkson of Abilene Christian University has been awarded an NCAA postgraduate scholarship of $5,000.

....Clarkson, a senior forward from Plano East on the ACU women's basketball team, helped lead coach Suzanne Fox's Lady Wildcats to a 31-2 record and third place in the NCAA Division II national tournament. Clarkson was named NCAA Division II Player of the Year by Women's Basketball College Association, College Sports Information Directors of America and Division II Bulletin after averaging 23.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

April 30 - HSU Pair Named Top Players: Hardin-Simmons University's Chris Koester and Ryan Jenkins have been named as Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Players of the Week.

....Jenkins, a senior outfielder from Pass Christian, Mississippi, hit .533 for the week with five runs batted in, seven runs scored, along with one double, one triple and one home run. Jenkins helped the Cowboys win the TIAA tournament title.

April 30 - ACU Moves up in Rankings: The Abilene Christian University baseball team is still rising in the weekly NCAA Division II rankings.

....The Wildcats, 38-14 overall and still leading the Lone Star Conference with a 12-4 mark, are ranked No. 13 in this week's poll, released by Collegiate Baseball newspaper. ....ACU was No. 16 in last poll, and 19th the previous week.

April 30 (early) - Texas Tech Enjoying Unprecedented Athletic Success

April 30 (early) - Lady Cougars in Playoff Game Tuesday: On a smaller scale, the Cooper softballteam will seek athree-peat when it takes on Midland High Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Coahoma in a Class 5A regionalsemifinal game.

....The Lady Cougars (17-9) have already beaten the Lady Bulldogs twice thisseason by scores of 16-6 and 3-1. A win today would put head coach ConnieFinn's team just two victories away from reaching the state tournament.

April 30 (early) - Potential Mav Buyers Want Kidd Input: The Ross Perot Jr. group wants to get Jason Kidd's advice before making any personnel decisions once they officially purchase the Dallas Mavericks.
....The All-star guard was in town Monday to talk to the Perot Jr. group, a sign the sale of the Mavericks could be announced later this week.
....Kidd wants the new owners of the NBA franchise to keep Dick Motta as coach. Current owner Donald Carter said Kidd's "input is very important" to the sale of the club.
...."I think we need coach Motta," Kidd said after the Mavericks completed their regular season. "I hope he's the coach next year."
....Carter said he is hopeful the sale can be finalized this week. Completion of the $125 million sale has been considered a formality since April 15, when the Perot group reached an agreement in principle to purchase the team.

April 29 - Robinson Awesome in Spurs' Victory

April 29 - Rockets Head Back Home to Resume Playoffs

April 29 - Spring Football Drills Important for Abilene High

April 29 - Defense is Key for Cooper's Spring Drills

April 29 - Rangers Edge Orioles in Extra Innings: Rusty Greer's bases-loaded RBI single through a drawn-in infield broke a 10th-inning tie and the Texas Rangers held on for a 5-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

....Texas scored four times in the 10th and then survived a Baltimore rally to defeat the Orioles for the sixth straight time this season.

April 29 - ACU Honors Women Baskeball Players: Jennifer Clarkston, Shalonda Bowden and Cheree Monden received the top awards Sunday at an awards program honoring the record-setting women's basketball team at Abilene Christian University.

....Clarkson, a senior forward from Plano East who received three NCAA Division II Player of the Year awards, was named the team's Most Valuable Player for the fourth consecutive season after leading the Wildcats to a 31-2 record and third place in the national tournament. She averaged 23.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 3.3 steals per game.

April 28 - Cooper Wins District 4-5A Baseball Title

April 28 - Cooper's Rhiddlehoover Breaks State Record at Regional Track Meet

April 28 - Cooper Boys, Girls Double Teams Win Region

April 28 - Deja Vu All Over Again for Cougar Fans (Al Pickett Column)

April 28 - Rangers Down Orioles, 4-2: Bobby Witt allowed four hits in 7 1-3 innings and the Texas Rangers scored three unearned runs in the eighth inning Saturday in a 4-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
....Kevin Elster hit a two-run double for the Rangers, who snapped a tie in the eighth and improved to 5-0 against Baltimore this season.
....Brady Anderson hit his American League-leading 10th homer for the Orioles, who have lost eight of 10 after starting the season 11-2.

April 28 - Rockets Lose as Magic Runs Wild: Magic Johnson, who griped about his role in the Lakers' playoff opener, had the run of the floor Saturday and scored 26 points in a 104-94 victory over the Houston Rockets, who played the final 10 minutes without Hakeem Olajuwon.
....The two-time defending NBA champions overcame an 11-point first quarter, their worst of the season, but the Lakers took command after Olajuwon, who hasn't fouled out of a regular-season game in seven years, drew his sixth foul with 10:05 remaining.
Los Angeles ran off a 14-4 streak in a three-minute span to take a 93-82 lead with six minutes left.
....The best-of-5 series is tied 1-1 and shifts to Houston for games Tuesday and Thursday nights.

April 28 - ACU Women Net 13th Title: The Abilene Christian University women's tennis team captured its 13th consecutive Lone Star Conference championship Saturday, while the ACU men's team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II midwest regional.
....The Lady Wildcats whipped Central Oklahoma, 4-1, in the LSC tournament finals at Tarleton State's courts. ACU is expected to be the top seed in the women's midwest regional. ....There isn't an LSC men's tennis tournament, but ACU played West Texas A&M on Saturday for an automatic berth in the regional tournament. The Wildcats won that match, 4-2.
...."Winning all three doubles was big," ACU coach Ron Elston said. "We were missing Wes Sheffy who is sick, and we just got Andrew (Cole) back from tonsillitis. But Chris Redman stepped in and did a great job."
....The highlight of the match for ACU, however, may have been Dustin Hawk's upset win over Ignacio Ruiz in the No. 1 singles, 6-3, 7-6. Ruiz is ranked among the top five in the nation and had beaten the freshman from Clyde earlier in the season.
Women

April 28 - All McMurry TIAA Women's Tennis Final: Riding upsets of the top two seeds in the field, Jennifer Pittman and Cristie Dukes, both of McMurry University, will meet in the final of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association women's tennis tournament.

....The first rounds of the tournament were played at Sul Ross State, but the final today will be at 9 a.m. at Rose Park Tennis Center in Abilene.
....The all-McMurry final came about when Pittman upset the tourney's second seed, Vanessa Blanco of Sul Ross State, 6-2, 6-1, and Dukes downed the top seed, Becca Oefelein of Hardin-Simmons University, 6-4, 6-2.
....Today's winner will earn a berth in the NAIA women's national championship tournament May 20 in Tulsa, Okla.

April 28 - ACU Loses Twinbill: Central Oklahoma pitcher Michael Fox had eight strikeouts and allowed just three hits Saturday to lead the Bronchos to a 7-1 win over and complete a Lone Star Conference doubleheader sweep of 16th-ranked Abilene Christian University.
....The Bronchos won the first game of the twinbill, 7-6.
....Despite the two losses, ACU's lead over Texas A&M-Kingsville is still three games after the Javelinas were swept Saturday by Eastern New Mexico.
....The Wildcats are now 38-14 overall and 12-4 in the LSC, while the Javelinas are 30-22 and 9-7, in second place. Both teams have four games left in conference, and the Wildcats need either a win, or a Kingsville loss to clinch at least a tie for the LSC title.
....Two ACU wins, or one and a Kingsville loss this weekend, will give the Wildcats the title.

April 27 - Cooper Tennis "Trifecta" Impressive at Region

April 27 - Cooper Thinclads Have Success at Region

April 27 - Wylie Track Girls in Good Position at Region

April 27 - Abilene Eagles Baseball Team Loses to Odessa, Finishes Third

April 27 - Spurs Have Little Trouble in Win: Vinny Del Negro scored 29 points, David Robinson had 28 and four other Spurs scored in double figures as San Antonio trounced Phoenix 120-98 Friday night in the opener of their best-of-5 series.

....San Antonio began pulling away in the second quarter, opening the period with an 18-10 run. Del Negro's layup at the halftime buzzer gave the Spurs a 58-44 lead, and they led by at least 20 through most of the second half.
....Robinson and Del Negro each scored 11 in the third as San Antonio built a 24-point lead and led 95-71 heading into the final period.
....The teams play Game 2 of the best-of-5 series Sunday in the Alamodome.

April 27 - Rangers Back on Track: Will Clark broke a tie with a two-run double in the seventh inning as the Texas Rangers ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 Friday night.
....Mickey Tettleton broke out of a 3-for-25 skid with three hits, including a homer, to help Texas improve to 4-0 against Baltimore this season. The Rangers were winless since sweeping the Orioles last weekend.

April 27 - Cooper Overpowers Permian: The Cooper Cougars used a pair of big innings Friday to beat Odessa Permian 10-4 and put themselves in position to win the District 4-5A championship.
....Cooper will play Midland Lee today at noon at Cougar Field with the district championship on the line. The Cougars and Rebels finished the regular season tied at 9-3 in district play.
....Darin Janssen continued his late-season surge on the mound for the Cougars as he picked up the win. Janssen (4-1 in 4-5A) went six complete innings, allowing four runs on five hits. Kyle Frush mopped up in the seventh for the Cougars.
....Trailing 4-3 after the fifth, Cooper scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to re-take a 7-4 advantage. The Cougars then closed things out with three more runs in the top of the seventh inning.
....Michael Anderson had a pair of doubles, and Miles Durham extended his recent surge at the plate with a double. James Rose also belted his district-leading fifth home run in the game.

April 27 - Lady Cougars Win in Area Round: It was just a matter of time before the Cooper softball team figured out El Paso Hanks pitcher Monica Almanza.

....The Lady Cougars scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings to seal a 10-2 win over Hanks in the area round of the Class 5A girls softball playoffs at Bill Williams Softball Complex.
...."After we saw her a couple of times, we said to ourselves 'no problem'," said Cooper rightfielder Lauren Wallace, who was 2 for 4 with three RBI. "Her speed was perfect, and when she got behind she would throw them right over the plate."
....Cooper will now face the winner of today's Midland High-El Paso Irvin game.

April 27 - ACU Edges CO, 5-4: Abilene Christian University needed an RBI triple and a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to edge Central Oklahoma, 5-4, Friday.

....The Wildcats, ranked 16th in the nation, then completed the sweep of the Lone Star Conference doubleheader with a 9-2 win over the Bronchos in the nightcap.
....ACU rallied form a 4-2 deficit in the final inning of the first game, scoring on Jeremy Monds' triple before Ronny Haring smashed his first home run of the season, a two-run shot down the rightfield line that lifted the Wildcats to the victory.
....Haring added another home run in the nightcap, as did Wildcat teammates Brad Bardin and Jerod Hyde, to break open a close game and help ACU to the easy win.
....Left-hander Mark Ferry and Brad Thomas both went the distance on the mound for ACU, which improved to 38-12 overall and 12-2 in the LSC.
....Central Oklahoma (20-23, 4-10) will host hte Wildcats in another conference twinbill at noon today.

April 26 - Wylie Tennis Twosome Makes it to State

April 26 - HSU Beats McMurry in Tourney: Hardin-Simmons University overcame a 2-0 deficit by scoring in five of the final six innings in taking a 14-4 win Thursday over McMurry University in the opening round of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association baseball tournament at Hunter Field.
....The win puts Hardin-Simmons into the winner's bracket semifinals at 1 p.m. today against Howard Payne.
....McMurry rebounded by pounding Austin College, 21-5, in the final game of the night. The Indians will face Sul Ross State at 4 p.m. today, needing a win against the league's round-robin champion to stay alive in the tournament.

April 26 - Rockets Win on Road Back to Title: The two-time defending champion Houston Rockets opened defense of their NBA title with an 87-83 victory over the Lakers on Thursday night, holding Los Angeles scoreless for almost eight minutes in the fourth quarter.

....Hakeem Olajuwon scored 33 points, including six in the key stretch of the fourth quarter when the Lakers were scoreless.
....Even after falling behind 84-74, the Lakers came back in the waning minutes to make it interesting, pulling to 86-83 with 3.5 seconds remaining before Clyde Drexler made a free throw for a four-point pad.
....The second game of the best-of-five series is Saturday at the Forum.
....The game was close all the way until the Lakers went stone cold from the floor after Magic Johnson had a three-point play to put Los Angeles up 69-65 with 11:12 remaining.
The Lakers didn't score again until Eddie Jones made a 3-pointer with 3:23 left. During that span, Los Angeles missed 11 shots in a row from the floor.
....Meanwhile, Olajuwon hit two consecutive hooks to put the Rockets up 73-69, then, after a three-point play by Sam Cassell, Olajuwon tapped in a rebound for a 78-69 lead with 4:30 remaining.
....Drexler added 21 points for Houston.
....Cedric Ceballos had 22 points for the Lakers and Johnson had 20 points and 13 rebounds in his first playoff game in more than four years.

April 26 - Four Losses in a Row for Rangers: Mo Vaughn homered twice and Tim Wakefield won for the first time this season on Thursday night as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 8-3.
....Troy O'Leary homered for the third consecutive game for Boston, which won two straight for just the second time this year. The Rangers had posted the best record in baseball before their current four-game losing streak.

April 26 (early) - Robinson Gets 5th IBM Award: David Robinson added the fifth IBM award to his collection on Thursday, getting the prize determined by a computerized rating measuring a player's overall contribution to his team.

....Robinson led the San Antonio Spurs to a 59-23 record and the Midwest Division title this season, averaging 25 points, 12.2 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, 3 assists and 1.35 steals per game. He ranked second in the league in rebounding, third in shot blocking and fifth in scoring.
....Robinson finished with 106.78 points, beating Grant Hill of Detroit, who had 105.86 point; Karl Malone of Utah, 95.70 points; Michael Jordan of Chicago, 94.27 points; and Alonzo Mourning of Miami, 94.01 points.
....Robinson also received the award in 1990, 1991, 1994 and 1995. He has won it more than any other player. Charles Barkley of Phoenix, who Robinson and the Spurs face in the playoffs starting Friday, has won the award three times.

April 26 (early) - Don't Count Out Rockets: Don't let the Houston Rockets fool you.

....They have done this before.
....The Rockets go into the NBA playoffs as just the fifth-seeded team in the Western Conference, without any home-court advantage and with a record that suggests mediocrity (48-34).
....They also start as the two-time defending NBA champions and with the confidence that they can make it three.
...."It won't be easy, and it's not going to happen by osmosis, but we do have some things going for us," guard Clyde Drexler said. "We've been there before. And we know what it's all about."
....The Rockets won the title last season from a similar position, a third-place finish in the Midwest Division and a No. 6 seeding. They won away from home like a traveling road show. They played spectacularly when they needed.
....The Rockets open their playoff chase this time in Los Angeles, against the puzzling Lakers, rejuvenated by the return of Magic Johnson but unsettled after the regular-season suspensions of Johnson and Nick Van Exel for bumping officials on separate occassions.

April 25 - Rangers Blow 7-0 Lead to Lose to Red Sox: Reggie Jefferson's third double of the game broke a seventh-inning tie on Wednesday night and helped the Boston Red Sox rally from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Texas Rangers 11-9.


....Kevin Elster hit a three-run homer in the Rangers' seven-run second inning and added a two-run shot in the third for a career-high five RBIs. But Rich Garces and Mike Stanton (1-1) shut Texas down the rest of the way.
....Garces, who was called up from Pawtucket earlier in the day, pitched 2 2-3 scoreless innings and Stanton retired the Rangers in order in the seventh. Stan Belinda pitched a perfect eighth and Heathcliff Slocumb struck out the side in the ninth for his fourth save.

April 25 - Wylie Nets Two in Semi-Finals: Wylie advanced both a girls and a boys doubles team to today's semifinals of the Region I-3A tennis tournament at Odessa College.

....The top-seeded boys doubles team of Parker Briley and Lee Livingston breezed Wednesday into the semifinals as expected with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Jamie Bird and Raymond Hubble of Reagan County and a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Tim Diven and Ben Fowls of Aledo.
....But the upsets of the day belonged to the Wylie's girls doubles team of Stephanie Osborn and Sunny Wu. The Lady Bulldogs' duo knocked off No. 2 seeded Cheryl Furr and Jennifer House of Vernon, 6-4, 7-6, in the first round and then edged Kemi Hand and Kristin Doss of Dimmitt, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the second round.

April 25 - ACU Track Teams Expected to Do Well: Abilene Christian University should challenge for relay titles in the men's and women's division beginning Thursday at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia.

....The ACU men won two relay races a year ago at this meet, and will be competing in five relays - 400, 1,600, 6,000, sprint medley and distance medley - this year.
....Individuals gunning for titles include distance runner Fallody Moonga, intermediate hurdler Richard Young, long jumper Kevin Dilworth and pole vaulter Jason Pearce.
....The ACU women will compete in the 400-relay, the 1,600-relay and the sprint medley relay. Top individuals competing for the Lady Wildcats include sprinter Mary Tombiri, distane runners Casi Florida and Karen Vann, hurdler Delloreen Ennis and jumper Lindsay Welsh.
....Action begins at 1 p.m. CDT today and continues through Sunday.

April 25 (early) - Eagles Win Coin Flip for 3-Way 4-5A Baseball Playoff

April 25 (early) - Campbell, Stallings, Haynie Join Hall: Football's Earl Campbell and Gene Stallings and golf's Sandra Haynie will be honored for their elections into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame at an official ceremony on Thursday, May 16.

....Each of these individuals was previously elected but unable to attend a ceremony in the past two years. The reception will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
....Stallings is currently head football coach at Alabama where he won a national title.
....Campbell won the 1977 Heisman Trophy while at Texas and was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his career at the Houston Oilers.
....Haynie won 42 LPGA Tour victories and was elected to the LPGA Hall of Fame in 1977.

April 25 (early) - Spurs Escaping Distractions: The San Antonio Spurs have headed to a favorite hill country haunt, intent on escaping distractions before their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns.

....The Spurs practiced intensely this week in Kerrville, 60 miles northwest of San Antonio, where their few diversions have been golf, fishing and waiting in line to eat at the new Luby's cafeteria.
...."We really got a lot accomplished," Spurs coach Bob Hill said. "I don't think it could have gone much better."
....Hill wanted his team in a "playoff camp" and away from family, friends and fans before facing the Suns in a best-of-5 first-round series starting Friday at the Alamodome.
....The Spurs, who have held training camps and playoff camps in Kerrville before, planned to return home Thursday.

April 25 (early) - Monroe Signs With P-Dogs: Darryl Monroe, a 24-year-old centerfielder, has signed with the Abilene Prairie Dogs for the 1996 season. The 6-1, 175-pounder bats and throws right-handed.
....This will be Monroe's third season in professional baseball after a standout college career at the University of Kansas.
....."Darryl will probably be our lead-off or No. 2 hitter," new Abilene manager Phil Stephenson said. "He can cover a lot of ground in center and has shown the ability to be a good offensive player as well. This guy could steal 20 or more bases this season."
....Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the ninth round of the 1994 draft, Monroe began his career in Class A with Jamestown in the New York-Penn League. In 1995 he was promoted to Class A Fayetteville of the South Atlantic League. There he hit .259 with 21 doubles, three home runs and 28 runs batted-in. He also stole 23 bases at Fayetteville.

April 25 (early) - TIAA Baseball Tourney Thursday: The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Baseball Tournament begins Thursday at Hardin-Simmons University's Hunter Field, with cross-town rivals HSU and McMurry University meeting in the feature game at 4 p.m.
....All five conference temas will compete in the tournament that could have a major role in deciding the seeding for the NAIA West Sectional Tournament next week.
....TIAA champion Sul Ross State is the No. 1 seed and received a first-round bye. The Lobos claimed their first conference championship in baseball since 1990.
....Howard Payne, the No. 2 seed, enters the tournament with a nine-game winning streak. The Yellow Jackets will face Austin College in the tournament opener at 1 p.m.
....McMurry is the No. 3 seed and Hardin-Simmons the No. 4 seed. The two teams splits a pair of one-run games in a doubleheader on April 8, and then McMurry beat the Cowboys, 10-2, in a single game on April 16.
....The loser of the first two games will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday.

April 25 (early) - Astros Sign Hernandez: The Houston Astros signed free agent right-handed pitcher Xavier Hernandez on Wednesday.

....Hernandez, 30, pitched for Houston from 1990-93 and had a record of 17-14. His career with the Astros was highlighted by a 9-1 season in 1992, when he appeared in 77 games.

April 24 - Abilene High Ends 24-year Baseball Playoff Drought

April 24 - Wylie Golfers Dominate I-3A Region Play

April 24 - Cooper Loses, Outright Crown Eludes Them: The Cooper Cougars let a big one get away Tuesday afternoon, and it cost them an outright District 4-5A baseball championship.
....Midland Lee used a pair of big innings, as well as some spotty Cooper defense, to post a 9-6 win over the Cougars at Cougar Field.
....The victory vaults the Rebels past Cooper and Abilene High in the district standings. Midland Lee, 9-3 and finished with district competition, leads the Cougars and Eagles by a half-game. Both those teams are 8-3, have qualified for the playoffs and will close out the regular season Friday.
....If both Cooper and Abilene High win on Friday to create a three-way tie, there would probably be some sort of doubleheader playoff Saturday. If one loses and the other wins that would create a two-way tie with Midland Lee and those two teams would play a one-game playoff Saturday to determine the district champion.

April 24 - Rangers Lose Again: Harold Baines homered for the second straight game and James Baldwin won for the first time in the majors as the Chicago White Sox beat the Texas Rangers 6-5 Tuesday.
....Tony Phillips went 3 for 5, scored two runs and drove in two for Chicago. The White Sox went 6-2 on their road trip to Kansas City, Oakland and Texas.

April 24 - Wylie Baseball Team Wins: Wylie's one-game baseball losing "streak" is over, but the Bulldogs may still be in a slump.
....Sophomore Grant Gregg tossed a four-hitter and drove in two runs to help lead Wylie to a 3-1 District 6-3A baseball win Tuesday over Ballinger at the Wylie High School field.
.....The Bulldogs were coming off a 13-8 setback against Merkel - Wylie's only loss so far in district play. Wylie, 16-8 overall, previously secured a playoff spot by winning the first-half title with a 7-0 record.
....The Bulldogs and the Bearcats are now 3-1 in the second half, while Merkel stayed unbeaten in four games with a 15-9 win over Coleman.

April 24 - Lady Eagles Finish Fourth: Shooting a 353, the Abilene High girls golf team fell off the pace and finished fourth Tuesday in the Region I-5A golf tournament at the Reese Air Force Base Golf Course.
....The Lady Eagles entered the day just two shots off the lead, but San Angelo Central, Amarillo High and Lubbock Coronado all shots sub-330 rounds to soar past Abilene High.
....Aron Herman shot an 86, Shanna Anderson fired an 88 and Allie Curry shot an 89 for Abilene High's sub-90 rounds. Angela Armstrong added a 90 and Andrea Gault carded a 99 for the Lady Eagles.
....San Angelo Central, led by winning medalist Kasi Alexander, shot a 328 Tuesday to win the I-5A title while Amarillo High was second.

April 24 (early) - Little Big Man Hitter Draws Attention: Pete Villanueva hates stereotypes.

....Villanueva bats .472 for the Laredo Community College Palominos, with serious intentions of batting down what he sees as a baseball prejudice.
....Somewhere between Martin High School and this sophomore season at LCC, Villanueva heard that many college coaches prefer tall, chiseled, giants with big arms.
...."I think what motivates me is showing that the little man can do the job," he says.
....Villanueva might not qualify for a free ticket to the Land of the Giants at 5-9 and 170 pounds, but his statistics put him well above midget status.
....Villanueva has 85 hits in 180 at-bats, with eight doubles, one home run, 42 runs batted in, and only four strike outs.
....It has been noticed.
....Villanueva is being recruited by Texas Christian, Texas Tech, St. Mary's, and more could follow.

April 24 (early) - Hearing-Impaired Fans Sue Spurs, NBA, Alamodome: Timed to coincide with the playoffs, a group of hearing impaired fans filed a class-action lawsuit today against the NBA, the San Antonio Spurs and the Alamodome seeking video captioning at games.

....The plaintiffs filed the federal lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, asking for captioning on big-screen television and smaller monitors already in basketball arenas.
...."We're not talking about a case that creates a financial burden on anybody. ... This is a very inexpensive proposition," said Jim Harrington, legal director for the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Austin-based group that filed the lawsuit.
....Captions would display game commentary, announcements and referee calls, according to Harrington. The lawsuit seeks to have captioning anywhere in the nation the NBA plays, including exhibition games in non-NBA cities.

April 23 - Abilene High Girl Golf Team Faring Well at Region

April 23 - Wylie Boy, Girl Golfers Positioned Well After First Round

April 23 - Rangers' Streak Comes to an End: Harold Baines and Robin Ventura hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning and Ventura added a solo homer in the eighth as the Chicago White Sox halted the Texas Rangers' five-game winning streak, 12-4 Monday night.

....Baines' three-run blast, his fourth of the season, padded the White Sox lead to 8-2, and Ventura followed with his third homer of the year.

April 23 - Frush Vying for Top Honor: Former Cooper pitcher Jimmy Frush, who threw a one-hitter Sunday for Texas Tech in a 26-0 win over College of the Southwest, is one of four Red Raiders vying for national collegiate baseball player of the year honors.
....Frush, 8-3 on the season with a sub-3.00 ERA, is joined by Tech teammates Clint Bryant, Matt Kastelic and Dion Ruecker on the list for the Smith Award.
....Fans may vote for one of the four by calling 1-900-976-VOTE. Fan voting counts as one-third of the overall vote.

April 23 (early) - Long, Tough Road Ahead for Third NBA Crown for Rockets

April 23 (early) - Disappointing Season for Mavs Ends in Franchise Being Sold

April 23 (early) - Tom Kite May Shun Senior Tour

April 23 (early) - Texans To Be Featured In Six-Man All-Star Game: Texas likes to brag that it plays the best high school football in the world. Some six-man players are ready to try living up to the billing.
....On July 27, a Texas all-star team will take on a squad of stars from New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, Montana and Saskatchewan, Canada.
....The game will be played at Ranger College. The traditional-sized field will be marked down to six-man specifications, as was done this past year in Brownwood for a special game between teams from Texas and Colorado.
....Tommy Wells, who publishes "Six-Man Illustrated" magazine, sponsored that game and is behind this summer's contest.
....Each team will have 22 players. It's being called a North vs. South battle, although the South squad will be all Texans.
....The South will be coached by David Mixon of Mineral Wells Community Christian, which was a state runner-up in TCAL. Gary Rickard of Happy Hill Farm, a state quarterfinalist in TAPPS, will be Mixon's assistant.
....The Texas team will feature six-man football's all-time leading rusher, Petey Salaiz of Mullin. Another top standout, Dewayne Miles of Amherst, has been invited but has yet to respond.

April 23 (early)- Ex-Cooper Hurler Just Misses No-Hitter: Former Cooper standout Jimmy Frush, now the top pitcher for Texas Tech, just missed a no-hitter in Sunday's 26-0 victory over College of the Southwest.
....Only a weak grounder that just got by the second baseman prevented Frush from recording the no-hitter. Instead he settled for a one-hitter while improving his record to 8-3.
....Frush allowed three walks and struck out nine batters against the NAIA school as the Red Raiders improved to 37-9 on the season.
....The Red Raiders play a couple of non-conference games before returning to SWC play Friday against Houston.

April 22 - Texan Says Keyshawn Was Right No. 1 Pick

April 22 - Rangers Find Orioles to Their Liking Again

April 22 - Regional Week Hits Texas, Affects Local Athletes

April 21 - Cooper Cougars Clinch Baseball Playoff Berth

April 21 - ACU Men and Women Win LSC Track Crowns

April 21 - Rangers Relish Romp to Remember

April 21 - ACU Splits Tennis Doubleheader: The Abilene Christian University mens tennis team split a doubleheader Saturday to finish in second place in the University of Central Oklahoma Broncho Invitational.

....ACU defeated Northwest Missouri State 4-2 to earn a berth in the Championship Match of the tournament against the homestanding Bronchos. However, ACU was downed 4-2 in the finals.
....The split leaves ACU with a record of 10-6 on the season. However, the loss to Central Oklahoma, which was ranked second in the region, dropped ACU from first to second in the region.

April 21 - Astros Place Swindell on DL: The Houston Astros placed pitcher Greg Swindell on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday because of a strained left groin muscle.

Swindell, 31, injured himself while fielding a ground ball during the second inning of Houston's 13-5 victory over Cincinnati on Friday night. The left-hander, 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA in four starts, left the game immediately.

April 21 - Sul Ross Beats HSU for Title: Sul Ross State won the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association baseball championship Saturday with a victory over Hardin-Simmons in the first game of a doubleheader at Hunter Field.

....The Lobos won the first game, 10-5, on the strength of a three-run third inning and a five-run seventh inning. The Cowboys came back to win the second game, 12-2, in a game stopped after five innings because of the 10-run rule.
....The championship means the Lobos (22-14 overall and 9-3 in the TIAA) will be the No. 1 seed in the conference post-season tournament, which starts Thursday at Hardin-Simmons. Howard Payne will be the No. 2 seed, followed by McMurry and HSU.

April 21 - McMurry Wins Doubleheader: McMurry University swept a doubleheader from Austin College on Saturday to help the Indians finish above the .500 mark in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

....The Indians won both games by the 10-run rule, taking the first game 14-3 and the second game 10-0. The sweep enabled McMurry to finish 7-5 in the TIAA.
....McMurry is the No. 3 seed in this week's TIAA tournament and will play at No. 4 Hardin-Simmons on Thursday.

April 21 - HSU Netters Have Mixed Luck: It's hard to find any closer matches than the finals of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association tennis tournament Saturday at the Streich Tennis Center.

....Hardin-Simmons University saw its streak of seven straight trips to the NAIA women's national tennis tournament come to an end with a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Howard Payne. ....But the Cowboys rallied for a remarkable 5-4 win over Howard Payne in the men's final to earn their fourth straight trip to the national tournament, which will be held May 20-25 in Tulsa, Okla.

April 20 - Rangers Romp Past Orioles, 26-7!

April 20 - Cooper Wins Bi-district Softball Game, 26-0

April 20 - Cooper Can Clinch Baseball Playoff Berth Saturday

April 20 - Abilene High Girls Golfing A-Team Readies for Region

April 20 - Wylie Loses to Streaking Badgers: Although the game itself was somewhat ugly, the final score was a beautiful sight for the Merkel baseball team.

....The Badgers, who had lost all seven of their games in the first half of play in District 6-3A, improved to 3-0 in the second half with a 13-8 victory over Wylie Friday at the Wylie High School Field.
....The loss ended Wylie's winning streak at nine, as the Bulldogs slipped to 2-1 in the second half. Wylie, which won all seven games in the first half to secure a playoff berth, is 15-8 overall.
....Merkel (6-12) had 15 hits, including four doubles, while Badger pitcher Klint Doan held Wylie to just three hits through the first six innings.

April 20 - Wylie Girls Play Saturday Night: District 6-3A runner-up Wylie (14-12) will face District 5-3A champion Eastland in a Class 3A bi-district girls softball playoff game tonight.
....The game begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Brownwood High School field.

April 20 - Oilers waive Gary Brown: The Houston Oilers on Friday waived running back Gary Brown, who within two seasons rose from backup to star before sliding down the depth chart after signing a big contract.
....Brown had 293 yards and no touchdowns on 86 carries last year as rookie Rodney Thomas became the Oilers' top ball carrier. In five seasons, Brown ran for 2,115 yards and 12 touchdowns on 477 carries.
....By cutting Brown and the final year of his $5.25 million contract, Houston freed up money to help sign draft picks. The Oilers have the No. 9 choice in Saturday's draft, and they've been rumored to be interested in Eddie George, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back from Ohio State.

April 20 - McMurry Buries Austin College: Jim Wollscheid belted a solo home run and Zane Holmes hurled a complete-game four-hitter as McMurry University beat Austin College, 11-1, Friday. The game was called after eight innings by the 10-run rule.

....The victory improves McMurry's record to 24-14 overall and 5-5 in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Austin College falls to 4-23 and 0-10. The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. today to conclude the conference season.
....The Kangaroos scored their only run of the game - an unearned run - in the first inning off Holmes to grab a 1-0 lead. But McMurry countered with three runs in the third inning, and added single runs in the fifth and eighth innings and three runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings.
....Joe Fichera was 3 for 4 with two runs batted in for the Indians. Gus Beuershausen had two hits and three RBI, Brad Smith three hits, Lane Brannan two hits and scored four runs, and Jerod Brinkman three hits and two RBI to pace McMurry's 15-hit attack.

April 20 (early) - Oilers Set Draft Hopes on George: The Houston Oilers may be hoping history repeats itself as they target reigning Heisman Trophy holder Eddie George in the first round of Saturday's NFL draft.

....The last time the Oilers tabbed a Heisman running back as their top pick, it was Earl Campbell in 1978.
....Campbell went on to consecutive MVP seasons in his first three years in the NFL.
....The Oilers have made running back a top priority in the draft and they consider George a top candidate.
....The Oilers brought Nebraska's Lawrence Phillips in for an interview but they don't anticipate him being around by the time they make their selection. George, however, still may be available when their No. 9 slot comes up in the first round.
....The Oilers don't see George having the same impact as Campbell, but they do see similarities since George rushed for 1,984 yards, scored 24 touchdowns and averaged 5.9 yards per carry last season for the Buckeyes.

April 19 - ACU Names Hays New Men's Basketball Coach

April 19 - Flag Football Tournament Scheduled: The 64th Comptroller Flight group is sponsoring a 4 on 4 flag football tournament at Reese AFB in Lubbock April 27 and 28.
....Each team should include six players and the cost for each team is $60. The deadline for entry into the double elimination tournament is Monday, April 22 and the number of teams is limited. All fees are due upon registration.
....For rules and registration, contack Duane Hurd at (806) 885-3781 or (806) 885-1878 after 5 p.m.

April 19 (early) - Trial Date Set for "Bam" Morris: A July 15 trial date has been set for the Pittsburgh Steelers' Bam Morris, who pleaded innocent Thursday in Rockwall, Texas, to two drug possession charges stemming from his arrest last month during a traffic stop.

....Morris, wearing a mustard-colored suit, entered a written plea during a brief hearing before state District Judge Bill Lofland.
...."I can't talk about it now," the 24-year-old running back told reporters. "There will be a time." ....Asked about the case's affect on his career, Morris replied, "It'll handle itself."

April 19 (early) - TIAA Tennis Tourney Friday, Saturday: The Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association tennis tournament will be played Friday and Saturday at the Streich Tennis Center on the Hardin-Simmons University campus and at the Rose Park Tennis Center.
....The first matches will begin at 9 a.m. Friday.
....The school that claims the conference championship will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA national tennis tournament in Tulsa, Okla. The HSU men's team will be looking for its fourth-straight trip to the NAIA tournament. The HSU women's team is looking for its eighth consecutive trip to the national tournament.

April 18 - ACU Signs Three for Football: Three more high school football players, including David Thompson of Abilene Christian High School, have signed letters-of-intent to attend Abilene Christian University.

....Also signing with the Wildcats were Sam Holt, an offensive lineman from Dallas Christian High School, and fullback/linebacker Nathan Pattison of Coppell. The addition of the three players was announced Wednesday by ACU head coach Jack Kiser.

April 18 - Cowboys Re-sign John Jett: The Dallas Cowboys announced Tuesday they had re-signed punter John Jett. Terms were not disclosed.
...Jett, a three-year veteran, averaged 40.9 yards per punt in 1995 for the Super Bowl champions. He placed 32.1 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line, the third best percentage in the NFC and eighth best in the NFL.
....He had at least one punt of more than 50 yards in 11 of 19 games last season and won NFC special teams player of the week honors after averaging a career-high 51.5 yards per punt on four kicks against Green Bay on Oct. 8.

April 17 - McMurry Golfers Hold off HSU for TIAA Crown

April 17 - Mavs Sold to Perot Jr. Group: The Dallas Mavericks have been sold to a group led by Ross Perot Jr., according to news reports Tuesday.
....Dallas television station KDFW and radio station KLIF, both flagship stations for Mavericks game broadcasts, reported Tuesday that Mavericks owner Don Carter had reached an agreement to sell the club to the Dallas developer.
....Citing unidentified sources, KDFW reported that Carter plans to retain 20 percent interest in the club and had returned an eight-figure "earnest money" check to Thomas Hicks, Perot's reported competition in bidding for the National Basketball Association club.
However, the station reported that Perot may invite Hicks to buy a minority interest in the team, with Perot retaining 50 percent.
....No official announcement is expected until early Thursday, KDFW reported. Nevertheless, Mavericks players were cognizant of the change Tuesday.
...."It's a sad day to see Mr. C. leave the organization because he's been a tremendous part of the organization. ... It's almost like being traded," said Mavericks player Scott Brooks.

April 17 - Local Baseball Results:
....ACU: Texas Wesleyan scored seven runs in the last three innings to take an 8-4 win over Abilene Christian University at Scott Field, snapping the Wildcats' 20-game winning streak.
....Abilene High: Abilene High took a huge step Tuesday toward its first berth in the state baseball playoffs in 24 years with a 16-6 win over Odessa Permian at McCanlies Field.
The win pushes the Eagles to 16-7 overall, but, more importantly, to 7-3 in District 4-5A. They are tied for second with Midland Lee, one-half game behind league-leading Cooper.
....Cooper: Cooper lashed out 17 hits and then sat back and watched as the Odessa Bronchos committed an unsightly eight errors in a 23-2 victory at Cougar Field. The game was mercifully stopped by the 10-run rule after the top of the fifth inning.
....Wylie: Wylie continued to mow through District 6-3A competition, claiming its ninth straight victory with an 11-3 win over Breckenridge.
....Grant Gregg was the winning pitcher for the Bulldogs and helped his own cause with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, including a home run.
....Wylie is now 15-7 overall and 2-0 in the second half of the district race.

April 17 (early) - Dallas Re-signs Schwantz: Jim Schwantz, a backup linebacker and special teams player, has re-signed with the Dallas Cowboys, the team announced Tuesday.
....Terms were not disclosed.
....Schwantz, a two-year veteran, saw most of his defensive action with Dallas' goal-line defense while backing up all three linebacker spots.
....The Cowboys have lost starting linebackers Robert Jones and Dixon Edwards to free agency this off-season, and face a possible holdout from other starter Darrin Smith. They recently signed free-agent veterans Fred Strickland and Broderick Thomas.
....Schwantz played in every game in 1995. He finished third on the team with 23 special teams tackles during the regular season, and he led the team in special teams tackles during the playoffs, with 10.

April 17 (early) - Oilers Nearing Final Hurdle: Early voting starts Wednesday in a referendum on whether public money should be used to build a $292 million stadium for the Houston Oilers.

....The highly anticipated referendum, which boosted Davidson county voter registration rolls by more than 15,000, is the Oilers' final obstacle to abandoning Houston for Tennessee.
....According to an agreement with the city of Nashville, the National Football League franchise would relocate in time for the 1998 season.
....State and local governments have already approved a $292 million deal to lure the team. The 300,000 eligible voters can cast early ballots until May 2. Final voting is May 7.
....The referendum concerns $80 million in bonds to help construct the 65,000-seat open-air stadium. Citizens opposed to the public funding plan gathered enough signatures on petitions earlier this year to force the vote.

April 17 (early) - Otwell Inks with HSU: Kathryn Otwell, who averaged 21.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season at De Leon High School, has committed to play basketball atHardin-Simmons University.

....Otwell was a first-team Class 2A all-state selection and was named to the Reporter-News all-Big Country girls Super Team. She was a four-time all-District 8-2A selection.

April 16 - McMurry, HSU Lead in TIAA Golf Tourney

April 16 - HSU Baseball Team Wins: A five-run fifth inning lifted Hardin-Simmons University to an 8-6 victory Monday night over Tarleton State in a non-conference baseball game at Cecil Ballow Field.

....HSU will face cross-town rival McMurry University in a Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association game at 7:30 p.m. today at ACU's Scott Field. It's a makeup of an earlier game which was snowed out.

April 16 - McMurry, Sul Ross Players Honored: McMurry University pitcher Zane Holmes and Sul Ross State second baseman Alan Chase have been named baseball players of the week in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

....Holmes, a freshman from Taos, N.M., picked up a 2-1 win against league-leading Sul Ross State, allowing just seven hits and one unearned run. He had two strikeouts.
....Chase, a junior from Midland, was 11 for 21 at the plate (.524) for the week with two doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs.

April 16 - Lady Cougars Lose to Lee: It may not be a hex that gives Midland Lee an edge on the Cooper softball team, but whatever it is it's effective.

....The Lady Cougars were facing the Lady Rebels for the seventh time in the history of the CHS softball program Monday, and Lee posted its seventh victory, 5-1.
....The win gives Lee (23-7) the second-place playoff berth from District 6-5A, while Cooper (15-9) will advance to bi-district as the third-place team. The two teams had completed their district slate tied for second behind Midland High, at 9-3.
....The Lady Cougars will take on District 3-5A runner-up Lubbock Monterey (3-23) at Redbud Park in Abilene at 5 p.m. on Friday. In Lee's bi-district playoff, the Lady Rebels will meet Lubbock High at 6 p.m. Friday in Lubbock.

April 16 (early) - Stars Learned the Hard Way: If the Stars have learned anything living in Dallas, it's that Texas summers are long and hot. This one, however, probably will be the biggest scorcher since leaving Minnesota three years ago.

....For starters, it's only mid-April and their season is over. The Stars made the postseason their first two seasons here, leaving their new fans believing the axiom that everyone in the NHL makes the playoffs.
....Reality hit hard this year as Dallas went 26-42-14 to finish 11th among 13 Western Conference teams. The Stars were among 10 teams not advancing to the postseason.
....Inconsistency was a big problem for Dallas. The Stars never won more than three straight, had losing streaks of five and six games, and won only twice between Dec. 5 and Jan. 17.

April 15 - Yanks Pound Rangers: Andy Pettitte won his third straight start, and Mariano Duncan drove in three runs Sunday to lead the New York Yankees over the Texas Rangers 12-3.

....Kevin Gross (2-1) was knocked out after 1 1-3 innings, matching the shortest start of his career. He gave up five runs and six hits.
....After opening the season with seven straight wins, the Rangers have lost three of their last four. Texas has lost nine of its last 10 games at Yankee Stadium.
Pettitte (3-0) allowed two runs and eight hits in eight innings, lowering his ERA to 2.57. He struck out five and walked two.

April 15 - Lady Cougars Begin Post-season: The postseason begins today for the Cooper girls softball team when the Lady Cougars travel to Cohoma to take on Midland Lee in a one-game tiebreaker to determine district seedings.

....The winner of today's playoff will take on the third-place team from District 3-5A, Monterrey High, while the loser will face the second-place Lubbock High.
....Cooper and Lee finished tied for second in the District 6-5A regular season standings with identical records of 9-3.

April 15 - HSU Tennis: The Hardin-Simmons University men's tennis team notched easy Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association wins over Sul Ross State and Austin College Saturday, while the Cowgirls split their dual matches in play at Streich Tennis Center.
....The Cowgirls were edged out by a 5-4 margin by Austin College in the second dual match of the day.
In conference play, the HSU men are now 5-0 and the women are 2-3.

April 15 - TIAA Golf Tournament in Town: The final two rounds of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's golf tournament will be played today and Tuesday at Fairway Oaks Country Club.

....It's a tight race for the team championship. Hardin-Simmons University has a 614 total and is in first place after the first two rounds at Brownwood Country Club. But the Cowboys own just a one-stroke lead on second-place McMurry University.
Howard Payne is in third at 621 and Austin College fourth at 628.
....McMurry's Jason Hutt from Breckenridge is the individual leader at the halfway point of the tournament. He has a 148 total, two strokes better than second-place J.D. Rankin of Hardin-Simmons.
....The tournament tees off at 8 a.m. both days.

April 14 - SATURDAY'S SPORTS RESULTS

AISD Netters Successful at 4-5A Tennis Tournament

AHS Baseball Team Passes Big Test

ACU Baseball: Abilene Christian University got solid pitching performances from Jason Schmidt and Casey Towery, and its defense turned seven double plays in two games Saturday at Scott Field as the Wildcats swept Texas A&M-Kingsville to run their winning streak to 20 games.

....The Wildcats won the first game, 4-1, behind Schmidt, then came back to win the second game, 8-3, behind Towery and a three-run home run from Brandon Sisco.
....The two victories push ACU to 33-9 overall and 8-0 in the Lone Star Conference. The Wildcats have now swept Eastern New Mexico and A&M-Kingsville, the defending LSC champion, in back-to-back weekends.

HSU Baseball: Oklahoma City University, ranked No. 13 in the nation among NAIA baseball teams, handed Hardin-Simmons University a pair of losses Saturday to extend its winning streak to 17 games.
....The Cowboys led 3-0 after one inning in the first game at Hunter Field, but OCU rallied for four runs in the third and three in the fifth for the win. HSU managed just five hits in the game.
....In the second game, the Cowboys were outhit by only a 12-9 margin, but the Chiefs erupted for an 8-0 lead in the first inning and added seven more in the third for a 15-4 victory.

McMurry Baseball: The McMurry University baseball team split its doubleheader Saturday against Sul Ross State, losing a 9-4 decision in the opener and taking a 2-1 win in the second game.

....McMurry is now 21-14 on the season and 3-5 in conference play. The Lobos lead the TIAA at 7-2, and are 21-12 overall.

McMurry Tennis: The McMurry University women's tennis team defeated both Austin College and Sul Ross State in Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association dual matches Saturday at Rose Park Tennis Center.

....The McMurry men, meanwhile, were swept by Austin College and fell to Sul Ross by a 5-4 margin.

Wylie Baseball: The second half of play in the District 6-3A baseball race started out as successful as the first half for the Wylie Bulldogs.
....Jason Cusick drove in six runs, including a game-ending grand slam home run, as Wylie downed Eastland 19-6 Saturday afternoon at the Wylie High School field. It was the first game of the second half of play for both teams, as the Bulldogs moved to 14-7 overall and Eastland dipped to 7-9.
....The game marked the seventh time in taking eight district wins without a loss that Wylie has won on the 10-run rule. The Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 12 games overall.

April 14 - PDawgs Taking Applications: The Abilene Prairie Dogs professional baseball club is currently accepting applications for a number of positions available this summer, including ticket takers, concessions assistants, and souveneir assistants.

....The Prairie Dogs are also in search of "Grounderettes," who serve as ushers and special on-field assistants to the team's mascot, Grounder.
....Applications will be taken at 401 Cypress Street, Suite 300 in the First National West building until Friday. Interviews will be held the following week on Tuesday, April 23.

April 13 - Rangers Lose Again: David Cone pitched seven strong innings and Ruben Sierra homered for the second straight game Friday night, giving the New York Yankees a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.

....Texas, which won its first seven games of the season, lost its second in a row. The Rangers swept a three-game series from New York last weekend in Texas.
....Cone (2-0) struck out nine and allowed one run on four hits. Jeff Nelson pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

April 13 - AHS, CHS Do Well in 4-5A Tennis: Abilene High and Cooper, playing their usual brand of high-quality tennis, locked up six of the available eight spots in the finals of the District 4-5A tennis tournament Friday at Odessa College.
....Two of those finals will be all-Abilene matchups. In the boys doubles championship, Abilene High's Dusty Oglesby and Adam Knight will meet Cooper's Chuck Haddox and Ryan Hughes, while the girls doubles final features Cooper's Heather Gibson and Kathryn Scott against teammates Lacy Johnson and Andi Wildner.
....In addition to those, Cooper's Matt Parkhill reached the boys singles final, while Lady Eagle Meiling Parks is in the girls final.

April 13 - AHS' Moore Leaving: Jimmy Moore says that leaving after just one season as the head girls basketball coach at Abilene High is strictly a career move - and that his heart remains in Abilene.
....The 28-year-old former Abilene Christian University assistant has accepted the position of head boys basketball coach at Lubbock Estacado. He will begin his duties there on April 22. Moore will be taking over for veteran J.J. Wood, who in March asked to be reassigned as a classroom teacher after 22 years at the helm.
...."It's definitely just a career move. I talked to the girls in the past about setting goals, and this has been one of my goals," said Moore, a former Lubbock Coronado boys assistant. "You've got to set goals and go after them."
....In his first season as a head coach anywhere, Moore led the Lady Eagles to the playoffs as the third-place team from District 4-5A last season.

April 13 - ACU Streak Still Alive: The Abilene Christian University baseball team has extended its winning streak to 18 in a row, sweeping a Lone Star Conference doubleheader Friday over Texas A&M-Kingsville at Scott Field.

....The Wildcats dominated the first game, 18-5, pounding out 18 hits.
....In the second game, ACU needed 10 innings to take a 14-13 triumph.

April 13 - Wylie Track Teams Win Title: Marcus Edwards said he was glad he wasn't two more yards behind when he got the baton on the final lap of the 1,600 relay. Thirty meters was enough to try and make up.

....But the Coleman senior did just that with a tremendous 48.7 anchor leg to give the Bluecats a narrow victory over Comanche and Clyde to bring a fitting climax Friday to the District 6-3A track meet at Elmer Gray Stadium.
....Wylie already had the boys title wrapped, but finished fourth in the race for 141 points. Coleman's 20 points for winning the relay gave it 90 for the meet and second place.
....The Wylie girls also repeated as champions, scoring 172 points to 114 points for Comanche.

April 13 - Mavericks May Be Sold Soon...But to Whom?

April 13 (early) - Stars Call Up Cote: The Dallas Stars called up left wing Patrick Cote from the Michigan K-Wings on Friday for the last two games of the season.
....Cote, 21, has four goals and six assists in 57 games for the International Hockey League affiliate. He led the team with 239 penalty minutes.

April 12 - It's Been Wacky Baseball Season for Wylie

April 12 - Rangers Streak Over: Mike Henneman didn't know what happened, except that the streak was over.
....Lyle Mouton hit a three-run homer with one out in the 11th inning Thursday to lead the Chicago White Sox to an 8-5 victory over the previously unbeaten Texas Rangers, ending their franchise-best 7-0 start.
...."Who knows how long the streak could have gone?" Rangers starter Bobby Witt said. "But tomorrow, we'll try to start a new one."
....Will Clark had put Texas ahead 5-4 with a 10th-inning homer off Matt Karchner, but Chicago tied the score in the bottom half on Ozzie Guillen's sacrifice fly off Mike Henneman (0-1).
....Henneman walked Frank Thomas with one out in the 11th, Harold Baines singled and Mouton hit a 1-0 pitch over the right-field fence for his first home run of the season.

April 12 (early) - CHS, AHS Netters Ready for Title Chase

April 12 (early) - April 12 (early) - Tech Baseball Coach Inks Big Contract: Baseball coach Larry Hays, who led Texas Tech to the 1995 Southwest Conference championship, has signed a half-million dollar contract, the university announced Thursday.

....Hays, who was the 1995 Associated Press Coach of the Year, had three months remaining in his current contract before signing a new five-year pact.
....Texas Tech director of athletics Bob Bockrath also announced that Lady Raiders basketball coach Marsha Sharp signed a five-year contract worth $1 million in direct salary benefits.
....Hays last year directed his Red Raiders team to the first SWC regular-season crown in 28 years.

April 11 - Abilenian Charles Coody Remembers Masters Win

April 11 - Spike Owen Retires: Veteran infielder Spike Owen, unable to catch on to a major league roster this season, retired from professional baseball Wednesday, the Texas Rangers announced.
....Owen, 34, signed a minor-league contract with the club's Class AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City on March 25. He had gone 0-for-4 in two games this season, including a start Tuesday night against Omaha.
....Owen compiled a .246 average in 1,544 games over 13 seasons with Seattle (1983-86), Boston (1986-88), Montreal (1989-92), the New York Yankees (1993) and California (1994-95).
....A Cleburne native and Austin resident, he sat out most of spring training before signing with the Rangers organization.

April 11 - Cottondome Takes Step Toward Reality

April 11 - 6 Cougar Netters Sign Intent Letters: Six players on Cooper's three-time state champion tennis team put their signatures on the dotted line of their college letters of intent Wednesday, pledging themselves to four more years of education as well as tennis.
....All six Cougars will attend NCAA-affiliated schools.
....Cooper's No. 1 girls player, Kathryn Scott, is headed to Texas A&M; No. 2 player Heather Gibson will take up residence at the University of Houston; No. 3 player Lillian Lien is going to West Point, N.Y.; No. 1 boys player Ryan Hughes and No. 4 boys singles player David Galloway signed with Abilene Christian University; and No. 2 boys player Matt Parkhill is taking his talents to David Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn.

April 11 (early) - Mavs Owners Doesn't Want Alcohol: Dallas Mavericks owner Donald Carter is hinting that the reason he may be willing to sell the team after 16 years is because he doesn't want to move into a new arena where alcohol would be sold.
....The Mavericks - and fellow Reunion Arena tenants, the Dallas Stars of the NHL - have been negotiating with the city for several months to build a new facility that would be owned by the teams. In recent weeks, though, Carter has let it be known he's considering offers to sell his basketball team.
...."I'm not going to own an arena and have a liquor license," Carter said Tuesday in a speech to Criswell College, a 500-student religious school. "The Dallas Mavericks may own an arena, they may sell their beer, but the Carter family will not be in control."
....Carter, a devout Baptist, would not elaborate following the the speech.

April 10 - Texas Rangers Keep on Winning

April 10 (early) - AISD Physicals Set: Physicals for all incoming freshman, sophomore, juniors and seniors who play football, volleyball or basketball in the Abilene Independent School District will be given April 27 at the Abilene High's Eagle Gym.
....The cost is $10 per person. Parents should look for information sheets to be sent home with their child.
....Abilene High upperclassmen competing in football will have their physicals from 8-9:30 a.m. with AHS incoming freshmen football players getting theirs from 9:30-11 a.m.
....Cooper's upperclass football players will get physicals from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. with CHS incoming freshmen football players getting their physicals from 12:30-2 p.m.
....Cooper and Abilene High volleyball and basketball players will get their phsyicals from 2-3:30 p.m.
....For more information, Cooper parents may call Shawn Lindsey at 698-6619, and AHS parents may call Larry Walls at 677-6542.

April 10 (early) - SFA Hires Coach: Stephen F. Austin State named Derek Allister coach of its men's basketball team, the school announced Tuesday.

....He replaces Ned Fowler, whom the school fired after last season.

April 9 - Cougars throw 4-5A baseball into deadlock

April 9 - Bulldogs Clinch Playoffs: Wylie pitchers Jerrod Brown and Scott Bull combined on a two-hitter as the Bulldogs clinched a playoff berth with a 14-3 baseball victory over Comanche Monday.
....The game, rescheduled from Saturday because of wet grounds, gives the Bulldogs a perfect district mark entering today's 5 p.m. game at Wylie against Coleman - the final game of the first half. Clyde, the only other team that entered the day with a shot at tying Wylie for the first-half title, lost by a 12-0 count to Ballinger Monday.
....Wylie, 12-7 overall, is 6-0 in district. Comanche, 5-11-1, dipped to 2-4 in league play with Monday's loss.

April 9 - AHS Girl Golfers Earn Berth: Abilene High shot a final-round 365 and held off Midland High by four strokes Monday to earn District 4-5A's runner-up berth for the Region I-5A girls golf tournament.
....Midland High, which trailed AHS by six strokes entering the day, could do no better than a 363. San Angelo Central went unchallenged in winning the team crown by 56 strokes with a 1,371 total. Abilene High carded a 1,427.

April 9 - Wylie Boy Golfers Win Title: Wylie didn't take full advantage of ideal-playing conditions, but its 324 score was easily good enough to win the District 6-3A boys golf title Monday at PAR Country Club in Comanche.
....Wylie, which had a 311 first-round score, finished with a 635 total to finish 13 strokes ahead of second-place Breckenridges.

April 9 (early) - Who's Laughing Now? Everyone laughed at Texas manager Johnny Oates a few weeks ago when he said he expected 80 wins from his four starting pitchers, none of who had ever won more than 17 games in a season.

....A turn and a half through the rotation later, Oates' staff is living up to his lofty expectations.
....The Rangers are off to baseball's best start, and the club's 6-0 record ties a mark set in 1979 for the best start in franchise history. Each victory has gone to a starter.
....Ken Hill and Roger Pavlik each picked up their second wins Sunday as Texas swept a doubleheader against New York, 7-2 and 4-1. Kevin Gross and Bobby Witt are each 1-0 heading into starts Tuesday and Thursday in Chicago.
....The other 74 Ws may take awhile, but the way the Rangers are playing shows they may finally be headed in the right direction after 24 frustrating summers that have left them as the only AL team never to make the playoffs.

April 8 - Rangers Sweep Yankees to Stay Undefeated

April 8 - Bidders for the Mavs: Some of the six serious bidders for the Dallas Mavericks are not local interests, according Ron Carter, son of the team's owner.

...."But the first ones we'll be looking at are local," he said.
....Ross Perot Jr. is among those eyeing possible purchase of the NBA franchise, unidentified sources told The Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
...."There's one buyer that (owner Donald Carter) wants to sell to that isn't quite ready, another that is his second choice that's raring to go and a couple more waiting in the wings," a source told the Star-Telegram. "It's safe to say Perot's thick in the process."
....According to one team source, Perot has "been in the picture a long time" and recently renewed an offer first talked about as long as four years ago. Another source said Perot has tentative plans to continue talks with the team next week in Dallas.

April 7 - Suicide Squeeze Gives Rice Win: Jason Richards' suicide bunt scored William Ford in the bottom of the ninth, giving Rice a 6-5 victory over Texas Tech.

....The Owls added a 10-5 win in the nightcap for a sweep of the Saturday doubleheader.
....Rice (25-13, 4-9 Southwest Conference) ended a seven-game SWC losing streak. The Red Raiders (35-6, 10-4) dropped two straight games to one team for the first time this season.
....David Lindstrom's 3-run homer capped a four-run first for Tech in the first game, but Rice starter Shawn Onley allowed just two hits over the next five innings.
....Rice got back-to-back homers by Bubba Crosby and Lance Berkman in the third inning. The Owls took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth on Jacques Landry's two-run homer.
....Matt Kastelic homered with two outs in the seventh inning for a 5-5 tie that sent the game into extra innings.
....In the bottom of the ninth, Ford led off with a pinch-hit single off Tech reliever Jimmy Frush, advanced to second on a balk and went to third on Paul Doyle's sacrifice bunt. Richards laid down a bunt down the third base line, scoring the winning run.

April 7 - Abilene Invitational: Abilene High beats Cooper

April 6 (early) - Weather Cancels Showdown: Saturday's District 4-5A baseball showdown between Abilene High and Cooper is just one of many events that have been canceled or postponed because of Friday's surprise snowstorm.


....The Eagles and Cougars were originally scheduled to play Saturday at 2 p.m. at Blackburn Field. The game, however, will be played Monday at 4:30 p.m. on the AHS campus.
....Abilene High leads District 4-5A at the midpoint of the season with a 5-1 record. Cooper is tied with San Angelo Central for second place at 4-2.

April 6 (early) - Cowboys Sign Boniol: The Dallas Cowboys signed record-setting kicker Chris Boniol, the team announced.
....Terms of the deal weren't released.
....Boniol, a two-year veteran, hit 27 of 28 field goal attempts in 1995. His 96 percent season kicking percentage was the highest in Cowboys history and second-highest in NFL history.
....Boniol also set a Cowboys record with 25 consecutive field goals made. The streak is intact.

April 5 - TCI to add Rangers to its lineup.

April 5 - ACU's Young Has Winning Adventure: Richard Young of Abilene Christian University won his heat of the college-invitational 400-meter hurdles Thursday at the Texas Relays. Then he didn't. Then he did.
....He was challenging Julian Vallin of Mexico for the lead as they came around the final curve, but Vallin and another hurdler fell. Young came on strong to win his heat.
....But when the official results were brought to the pressbox, Young was listed as "did not start." A check of the race video showed the first three places were in lanes 8, 7 and 6. Young was in lane five. Another check showed that he actually did win and had the second best qualifying time, 53.04.
....ACU had only two others compete Thursday, Kevin Dilworth in the men's long jump and Lindsay Welsh in the women's triple jump. Dilworth jumped 24-53/4 in the preliminaries, but didn't take any jumps in the finals after his leg tightened during a warm-up jump. He was sixth after the prelims, but wound up ninth.

April 5 - Prairie Dogs sign Hartung: Right-handed pitcher Mike Hartung has signed with the Abilene Prairie Dogs to return for the 1996 season. He is the third pitcher from last year's staff who will be back this summer.

....The 24-year-old Hartung was the 31st selection of the Chicago Cubs in the 1994 draft after playing college baseball at Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. He pitched for the Cubs' Class A team in Huntington, W.Va., in 1994.

April 5 - Four ACU athletes honored: Four student-athletes from Abilene Christian University, including Abilene High's Brad Bardin, are among the seven Athletes of the Week for spring sports honored by the Lone Star Conference.

....The others are Dontra Boykins, Tracey Barnes and Ranessa Crawford in track and field.
....Boykins, a junior sprinter from Crawfordsville, Ark., was named Athlete of the Week for men's track events after winning the 100 last Saturday in Stephenville and starting ACU's winning 4x100 relay, which set a Tarleton State Relays record of 40.03.

April 5 (early) - Cowboys Sign Garrett: The Dallas Cowboys signed backup quarterback Jason Garrett, the team said Wednesday.
....Garrett, a three-year veteran, played in one game last season. His claim to fame is his Thanksgiving Day 1995 performance against the Green Bay Packers. The third-stringer threw two touchdown passes in a 42-31 victory.
....The team's quarterback plan is the same as last season. Garrett will play behind starter Troy Aikman and backup Wade Wilson.

April 4 ... Wylie Dominates: Wylie advanced 10 players to today's semifinals in dominating first-day play iin the District 6-3A tennis tournament Wednesday at Rose Park Tennis Center.

....The Bulldogs were most convincing in doubles where they landed all four of their doubles teams in the semifinals.

April 4 (early)...Robinson, Hill Honored: David Robinson and Bob Hill, who led the San Antonio Spurs to a record-tying 16-0 mark in March, were named NBA Player and Coach of the month.

....Robinson, 30, averaged 25.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 3.19 blocks and 1.44 steals in March. He shot .520 (140-for-269) from the field and .804 (123-for-153) despite playing several games with stitches in his right middle finger.
....Hill led the Spurs to a franchise best 62-20 record last year during his rookie season. San Antonio leads the Midwest Division with a 53-19 record.
....San Antonio joined the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers (December, 1971; 16-0) as the only teams in NBA history to go undefeated in more than 15 games in a month. The Spurs are 22-4 since hosting the 1996 NBA All-Star game in mid-February.

April 3....Crane Crashes Moose's House: A huge crane toppled onto the house of Dallas Cowboys fullback Darryl Johnston on Tuesday, partially shearing off one of the exterior walls.

....Johnston, a newlywed, was away on his honeymoon. His mother told a neighbor she was the only one in the house when the accident occurred. Johnston's mother was uninjured.
....The crane crew was in the process of removing a tree from the star's backyard.

April 3....Eagles Back in 1st: The Abilene Eagles responded to their first loss in District 4-5A play by taking out their frustration on Odessa High and moving back into sole possession of first place.
....The Eagles banged out 12 hits and took advantage of eight OHS errors in a 20-0 victory that was stopped after five innings at Pressley Field.
....Abilene High's easy victory moved it to 14-5 overall and 5-1 in 4-5A. The victory, coupled with Cooper's 10-7 loss to Odessa Permian, pushes the Eagles back into first place by themselves.

April 3...Rockets Sign Moore: The Houston Rockets have signed guard Tracy Moore for the remainder of this season.
....Moore, who finished a second 10-day contract with the team on Monday, has played in seven games and started twice. He has averaged 10.4 points and 2.7 rebounds.
....Moore did not travel with the team for Tuesday night's game at Golden State because of back spasms.

April 2... Has Baseball Recovered? This year, it's the hard sell. After two strike-marred seasons dominated by hardball negotiations between owners and players, baseball opened its 1996 campaign Sunday with a renewed emphasis on marketing and making the ballpark fun for fans.

....The goal is clear: reconnecting with fans alienated by what many regard as the game's greed and arrogance. There's little doubt why baseball is so eager to please its customers. Last season was a business disaster. Attendance slumped 20 percent, television ratings dipped, and the sport staggered home with a $300 million operating loss.
....."More than anything else, we have to emphasize the fun of baseball," said Tom Schieffer, president of the Texas Rangers, who opened their season Monday afternoon with a game against the Boston Red Sox at The Ballpark in Arlington.
...."Over the past few years, there's been too much attention paid to the business of baseball," he said. "The business of baseball has not been very much fun."
....Baseball started the '96 season without a labor agreement, but the owners and the players' union expect to play a full, 162-game season for the first time since 1993.

April 2...Astro Tickets Short: Houston Astros fans stepped to the plate to provide a slight boost in season-ticket sales but they fell short of the goal set by owner Drayton McLane to keep the team from moving after 1996.

....Team officials, however, say they're still optimistic of breaking attendance records this season and keeping the club in Houston beyond 1996.
....McLane set goals of selling 17,200 season tickets and 2.5 million tickets overall - an average of nearly 31,000 per game - this season and has threatened to sell the club to out-of-town interests if the targets are not met.
....As the season dawned Monday with a home opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Astros had sold the equivalent of about 11,300 season tickets.
....That ranks the team 10th out of 13 National League teams that report totals. The San Francisco Giants declined to report season-ticket sales.

April 1...Bam Part of Investigation: A Lubbock bank provided running back Byron "Bam" Morris with an unsecured $1,000 loan after Morris' freshman year at Texas Tech, the Houston Chronicle reported.

....In its Sunday editions, the Chronicle also reported that Morris failed to repay the loan promptly, causing a collection suit against him in late 1992. The Chronicle cited court records of the lawsuit.
....The report comes as the NCAA conducts a preliminary inquiry into Tech men's basketball and football programs dating to 1991.
....Morris, then 21, obtained the loan from Lubbock National Bank, a major backer of Tech's athletic programs, in June 1992. That was six months after he finished his freshman season as the team's leading rusher, records showed.
....Morris left Tech after breaking Earl Campbell's single-season Southwest Conference rushing record as a junior in 1993 and winning the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top college running back.
He helped the Steelers reach the Super Bowl last season, but his future has been clouded by his indictment last week in Rockwall County on felony drug possession charges.

April 1...Spurs Perfect in March: The San Antonio Spurs completed an unbeaten month of March with their 17th straight victory Sunday, 97-83 over the Phoenix Suns, becoming only the second team in NBA history to go 16-0 in a month.

....The Spurs, whose winning streak began Feb. 29, matched the 16-0 record set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1972. Nine other teams have had undefeated months of 12 to 15 victories.
....David Robinson scored 22 points, Avery Johnson had 20, Sean Elliott had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Charles Smith scored 12 points.
....Kevin Johnson scored 19, Michael Finley had 16 and Danny Manning came off the bench to add 14 for Phoenix, which had its three-game winning streak snapped.

April 1...Astros Option Hartgraves: The Houston Astros on Sunday optioned lefthanded pitcher Dean Hartgraves to their AAA Tucson farm team and placed righthanded pitcher John Hudek on the 15-day disabled list.

Hudek's stint on the disabled list was made retroactive to March 22. He has been idled by a torn muscle in his neck.
Cordova gets second no-hitter in March

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