ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 21, 1994                   TAG: 9407210077
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-3   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: M.J. Dougherty
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long


DIXIE TEAMS IN PLAYOFFS

The Major League Baseball playoffs could be in jeopardy because of the dispute between the players and owners, but the Dixie Baseball postseason is going off without a hitch.

So far, The Burgs and Pulaski have won championships in the Region 5 playoffs. The Burgs (19-12) beat the host Pulaski Sox twice in three days at Calfee Park to claim the championship in the Dixie Majors (ages 15-18).

BYRON GATES pitched the Burgs to the championship with a one-hitter in the finale - a 10-1 victory for the squad that represents Blacksburg and Christiansburg.

Gates struck out 14 and walked only two.

The title was the second straight for the Burgs. They advance to the state tournament this weekend in Buckingham.

Pulaski had better luck in the Pre Majors (ages 15-16). For the second straight year and fourth time overall, Pulaski (24-3) captured the regional crown.

This year the Cougars had to win twice in two days to do it. First, NICK PHILLIPS shut out Giles 6-0 to get Pulaski to the finals.

The next night, Pulaski rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh - and last - inning to edge Carroll County 4-3.

SHANE CALLAHAN led off the inning with a single and moved to second base on a wild throw. MATT HULL followed with an infield hit. And RYAN BROCKMEYER and`RUDGE ARNOLD hit singles to bring home Callahan with the tying run and move Hull to third.

That set the stage for KENNY AKERS, who singled to right-center field to score Hull with the game-winning run.

The Cougars, which have won 51 of 60 games over the past two seasons, advance to the state tournament beginning Friday in Bedford.

SWIMMING ALONG: The Southwest Aquatic Team (SWAT) finished second to the Roanoke Valley Gators in the recent RVSI-Gator Invitational swim meet.

The Gators scored 1,794 points, while SWAT had 1,045.

Sixteen SWAT swimmers won events in the meet. GRAHAM GRAVLEY led the way with eight victories (Boys 13-14, 200- and 400-meter freestyle, 100- and 200-meter backstroke, 200-meter butterfly, and 200- and 400-meter individual medley; and Boys senior 1,500-meter freestyle.)

Also winning more than one event were GRANT THROCKMORTON (Boys 10-and-under, 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 breaststroke);SARAH DRYE (Girls 13-14, 100, 200 and 400 freestyle); WHIT HUGHSTON (Senior boys 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle); and RUSS THROCKMORTON (Boys 11-12, 50 and 200 freestyle).

Other winners included CHRISTY CHAVIS (Girls 13-14, 100 breaststroke); TRAVIS DICKERSON (Boys 13-14, 100 breaststroke); SCOTT DUNAWAY (Boys senior 100 breaststroke); SUSANNA GILMORE (Girls 11-12, 50 breaststroke); EUNICE KIM (Girls 10-and-under, 50 breaststroke); STEVEN LANK (Boys 13-14, 50 freestyle); ROBERT NEWCOMB (Boys 13-14, 200 freestyle); MARK STONE (Boys senior, 200 freestyle); COLE THROCKMORTON (Boys 11-12, 100 breaststroke); TINA TYNAN (Girls senior, 50 freestyle); and AARON WORKMAN (Boys senior, 400 freestyle).

Also, SWAT won the 200 medley relay in Boys senior and Boys 10-and-under, and the 400 freestyle relay in Boys and Girls senior.

nTRACY NG was named the swimmer of the month for June by the Blacksburg Sunfish.

The highlight of Ng's month was breaking an 11-year-old record in the 50-meter backstroke for Girls 9-10. Ng set the mark of 41.37 seconds in a summer league meet June 13. The record is more than one second faster than the previous standard.

The Sunfish emerged victorious from a four-team meet at Forest Hills in Roanoke.

Blacksburg scored 9981/2 points, outdistancing the host (5091/2), Hunting Hills (432) and Lake Drive (237).

Kim led the Sunfish. She set team records for Girls 9-10 in the 50-meter freestyle (34.13) and 100-meter individual medley (1:24.68). She was one of seven Blacksburg swimmers to win both their freestyle and medley events.

Five of the double winners were in the Gold Division (highest): PAUL MOORE (Boys 7-8), WILL BRUNNER (Boys 9-10), JACQUI MCLAUGHLIN (Girls 15-16), Lank and Kim

KARIN SOLBERG won two events in the Silver Division, while JULIA KAUFMAN did the same in the Bronze Division.

GOTTA GOLF: Registration continues through Aug. 4 for golf lessons sponsored by the Montgomery County Department of Parks and Recreation.

The youth (ages 12-17) and adult lessons will be held Monday-Wednesdays and Tuesday-Thursdays beginning Aug. 8.

Classes are at Cox's Driving Range in Blacksburg and Grip-It & Rip-It in Christiansburg.

The cost is $15 for youth and $20 for adults for six one-hour classes.

For more information, call TIM COONEY, the athletic supervisor, at 382-6975.

TENNIS TIME: Pulaski is holding two youth tennis tournaments - a Junior Closed on July 26-29 for county residents only and a Junior Open on Aug. 2-5.

Registration ends Sunday for the closed tournament. The cost is $3 per person and a new can of balls.

Registration ends July 31 for the open tournament. The cost is $5 per person and a new can of balls.

All matches will be at Pulaski County High School. Both tournaments will have boys and girls divisions for 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and under.

For more information or to enter, call JOHN FREEMAN at 674-2940.



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