National Sports Festival : South Has the Stoppers in Baseball

Randy Pryor swept out of the bullpen like a Texas brush fire.

“Shoot no, I wasn’t nervous,” said the junior from Pearland High near Houston. “I was pumped. When Brad (Herrel) started to get tired and loaded the bases, it got me pumped.

“I came in with nothing but heat. I’ve been clocked in the 90s, but I average in the high 80s. I figured I was going to blow him down.”

There were two out in the top of the fifth when South Coach George Sykes summoned Pryor to the mound. The West, holding a 1-0 lead, was threatening to pad its advantage and take home a Sports Festival gold medal at Alex Box Stadium.

At the plate was Jim Campanis of Yorba Linda, the West’s cleanup hitter. Campanis didn’t get any breaks from the umpire, but he became the first of five Pryor strikeout victims.

“I didn’t even see the ball,” said Campanis, the grandson of Dodger vice president Al Campanis. “He short arms the ball, and you wouldn’t think he’d get a lot on it, but he’s fast.”

The strikeout sparked the South, which scratched out two runs in the bottom of the inning, the game-winner coming on a brilliantly executed safety squeeze.

“I was looking for a pitch I could put down,” said Mike Mordecai of Birmingham, Ala. “Dean (Decillis) was just supposed to watch me. I got it down pretty good because halfway down the line I knew I was going to be safe, too.”

That run proved to be more than enough as Pryor and Andy Cook shut down the West the rest of the way. However, in the ninth, pinch-hitter Anthony Pranno took Cook deep to right, but right fielder Bryan Barnes gathered it in on the warning track. Cook then struck out Rick Hirtensteiner of Ventura to end the game.

The West managed just three hits, one a first-inning home run by Dan Rumsey of Mt. Carmel in San Diego. The homer was Rumsey’s third of the tournament, which tied a record.

One of his homers earlier in the week cleared the second fence and a tree in right field, a shot of more than 400 feet

Surprisingly, the powerful left fielder was left off the 18-man team, which will represent the United States in the world junior championships Aug. 2-12 at Albany, N.Y. Campanis, Hirtensteiner and Pryor, however, were selected.

“I don’t know why I wasn’t picked,” said the 5-10, 160-pounder. “But I know I can hit. I guess they just didn’t like me. I’m disappointed, but it was nice to hit that one out.

“Man, Pryor was tough. He came on in a tough situation and really threw smoke. Their whole staff was tough. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone faster than he is.”

Baton Rouge has a $3 million investment in the festival and needs 44% attendance to break even. Deducting corporate contributions, they need to sell 300,000 tickets at $6 apiece.

Unlike previous festivals in Indianapolis and Colorado Springs, attendance figures have not been available on a day-to-day basis. Both cities drew nearly 250,000 people.

One of Baton Rouge’s biggest investments was in a $600,000 velodrome. Festival officials indicated Wednesday that attendance figures would be forthcoming today.

The West women took home a gold medal in volleyball, defeating the South in five sets, 15-9, 6-15, 15-17, 15-11, 15-8.

ESPN announcer Dick Vitale believes former UCLA basketball Coach Gene Bartow, now at Alabama Birmingham, is the leading candidate to get the job at Arizona State.

“What could be a better match,” Vitale said. “ASU has had a lot of problems with morale and allegations surrounding its athletic department. Who better than Clean Gene?”

Jimmy Moore of Mountlake Terrace, Wash., threw a one-hitter to lead the West team, the California Kings of Merced, to a 1-0 victory over the North in the men’s softball gold medal game.

Moore won four games for the second time in a Festival, tying a record. He retired the first 19 hitters before Steve Larson singled to right.

In 28 tournament innings, Moore allowed 12 hits, and one run, for an earned-run average of 0.25.