Conference on Mound Proves to Be Costly Conversation

Can a baseball team score two runs without its opponent throwing a pitch?

Sounds impossible. Not really.

Damien High of La Verne did it in a Baseline League game against Glendora last week.

Damien, trailing 4-3, loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Glendora called a meeting at the mound, but the Tartans forgot to call a timeout.

So alert Kenny Korn of Damien broke from third and raced home with the tying run.

Glendora, assuming that the home-plate umpire had called time, started protesting, which allowed Damien’s Carl Jones to break from second to third.

When Tartan pitcher Ed Pierce hurriedly tried to throw out Jones at third, the ball sailed down the left-field line and Jones scored the winning run.

Score it as two stolen bases and one stolen victory for Damien.

Two former Cal Poly Pomona baseball stars, who led the Broncos to the 1980 NCAA Division II championship, have been reunited in Edmonton, Canada.

Pitcher Alan Fowlkes, who won an NCAA-record 21 games for Pomona in 1980, has signed with the Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League, the Triple A affiliate of the California Angels.

Fowlkes, who was released by the San Francisco Giants after spring training in April, joins former Bronco Chris Clark, who plays in the Edmonton outfield and is batting about .300.

Fowlkes and Clark were All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. selections in 1980. Fowlkes, named the Division II most valuable player that year, almost single-handedly pitched the Broncos to the title, and Clark was among the batting leaders.

It is starting to look like the Year of the Brahmas in CIF Southern Section sports.

Diamond Bar High has won two CIF championships this season and the Brahmas are strong threats to win at least two more.

The Brahmas won their titles in football and girls tennis. Diamond Bar won the 1-A Division tennis championship last November and the Southeastern Conference football title in December.

As the spring sports seasons wind down, Diamond Bar is ranked No. 1 in 2-A baseball and No. 2 in the final regular season 2-A boys tennis poll.

Not bad for a school in only its third year of varsity sports.

Diamond Bar is the only San Gabriel Valley team ranked No. 1 in CIF baseball, but several others are listed high in the rankings heading into final games of the regular season.

Edgewood is ranked No. 3 behind Gahr and Rio Mesa in the 3-A Division, Rowland is No. 3 in 4-A, Arroyo is No. 5 in 2-A and San Dimas No. 4 and Webb No. 6 in 1-A.