Canyons Rests Its Aces, Leaves Butte Feeling Weary, 5-3

Perhaps the biggest question going into the California Community College Baseball Championships was whether favored College of the Canyons would have enough pitching to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.

Canyons has two excellent pitchers in 1985 state player of the year Frank Halcovich (13-0) and Darrin Beer (13-1). But in a tournament where a team might have to play as many as seven games to win the state title, two aces aren’t going to win any jackpots.

With that question lingering about Blair Field in Long Beach Friday, many believed Canyons Coach Mike Gillespie gambled by starting freshman Jeff Ward (5-3) against Butte in the opener. Ward, however, held the first six players in Butte’s batting order to just one hit before being pulled in the seventh inning of Canyons’ 5-3 win over the Roadrunners.

“I’m relieved,” said Gillespie, who goes into the tournament today with a win and his two best pitchers rested.

Ward, who had seven strikeouts, hardly did it alone. He was replaced in the seventh by another freshman, Chris Zavatsky, who, although he gave up a two-run double to tie the score at three, got the Cougars out of jam and improved his record to 3-0.

In the eighth, Andy Cutchall, who said he couldn’t remember the last time he homered, planted a Dave Kandra fastball over the left field wall to give Canyons the lead for good.

“It was a great feeling,” Cutchall said. “After I hit it, I was just hoping we could hold on and win it.”

Cutchall was 2 for 4.

“Andy just had a great day,” Gillespie said. “He hit the ball and made three tremendous plays at third. I can’t ask for anymore from the guy.”

Maybe he couldn’t ask for anymore Friday, but Gillespie will want the same kind of performance from the Cougars today when they play Sacramento City at 2 p.m. at Blair Field. Sacramento City defeated Long Beach City, 14-4, Friday night.

Butte (31-7), seeded seventh in the tournament, threw its two best pitchers, starter Jim Campbell (6-2) and loser Kandra.

But the Cougars, who have had great success all season with the long ball, used it again Friday to improve their record to 37-5.

Along with Cutchall’s solo shot, which traveled at least 380 feet, Canyons picked up its 71st home run of the season when catcher Scott Drury homered in the fourth, scoring Don Erickson and giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead.

“I think a lot of people thought this thing was going to be a blowout,” Gillespie said. “But Butte made us play hard. And Butte is a very, very good team. We weren’t about to underestimate them.”

Ward may have underestimated himself when he learned Thursday that he would be the starting pitcher in the tournament.

“I was surprised when I found out I was going to start,” Ward said. “I thought for sure that Halcovich was going to start. At first, I tried not to think about it. Then, last night, I was really nervous. But when I came out today I just put that all in the back of my head. I just went out and tried to do a job on them.”

Canyons got its final run when John Schmidt, who was running for Bob Clark, scored on a fielder’s choice. Schmidt left the game after being hit in the head with the ball on a Butte pick-off attempt.