HUNTSVILLE, Texas (May 22, 1977) - District VIII of the NAIA no longer has to hang its head like poor ole Tom Dooley -- they've finally, after 20 fruitless tries, gotten a representative in the National Tournament.
Lubbock Christian accomplished that here Friday, whipping sixth-ranked Sam Houston 6-2 in the finals of the Area II Tournament.
"I just can't say enough about this team," a dazed coach Larry Hays said afterward. "I still can't believe it. They've just stayed together and kept plugging, event when things looked dark.
"We certainly didn't do badly for a team that didn't have any pitching," he added, tongue-in-cheek. "Our starters did the job they had to do, but you can't overlook our bullpen. Randy Vinson came to the rescue Wednesday, and then Bob McNicol got the double-play ball today when we needed it. It certainly has been a strong point for us in the last half of the season."
Gary Swann notched his eighth win in 13 decisions and was sailing along easily with a 4-1 lead until the seventh when Sam Houston's Steve Ramsey bounced ack to the mound, Swann bobbled the ball and then threw it away.
Gary Wyatt walked and Rick Volz singled up the middle to narrow LCC's lead to 4-2. After a sacrifice and a walk to inch-hitter Bret Truehart, Hays brought in southpaw McNicol.
On the first pitch, McNicol got John Tumlinson to bounce into a second-short-first double play, and McNicol was in complete command the rest of the way.
The Chaparrals thus advance to the national tournament, which begins May 28 at St. Joseph, Mo. LCC will face the winner of the Area VIII Tournament at 5:30 p.m. next Saturday.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania, George Mason University of Fairfax, Va. and Monmouth College of West Long Branch, N.J. started Area VIII play Friday and will conclude today.
Swann threw six strong innings until his error unnerved him. He struck out three and walked only two in what was perhaps his best performance of the year.
But the first inning almost proved to be the killer for the second straight day. Tumlinson led off with a single and stole second. With one out, Bill Cheatham sent a ringing double up the left-centerfield alley and the Bearkats led 1-0.
However, the Chaps wasted little tie in drawing even. Richard Bowles reached on an error and Darius Copley singled him to third. Copley when to second when Tommy Inman hit to second. Tim Leslie bounced to second, and Bowles was thrown out at the plate, but Mark Lisle lined a single to right to knot the score.
LCC, which has won six straight and stands 43-25, went up 2-1 in the third when Inman walked, stole second and scored on Kenny Toney's two-out single to right. In the fourth, Copley and Inman blasted back-to-back two-out doubles off Bearkat starter Ron Nottebart and it ws 3-1.
Reliever John Hoke was greeted with singles by Lisle, Steve Brigante and Toney to make it 4-1, but then Hoke fanned Bowles to escape further damage.
After Same Houston's big inning, the Chaparrals put the game awa in the eight, as, with one out, Will Hunt -- the only senior in the lineup -- was hit by a pitch. Bowles singled and Copley singled in a run, and Inman's sacrifice fly got home the other.
In the top of the ninth, McNicol fanned Ramsey and Wyatt on nine pitches, yielded a single to Volz and then fanned Brad Wheeless to send a small thrown of die-hard Chap fans into ecstasy.
"This is just great," Swann admitted. "That was the biggest game of my life and I had them, but then I got rattled when I threw that ball away and couldn't gind it after that. But McNicol came on and did great. I didn't have any worries after that double-play ball."
