THE 1987 PAN AMERICAN GAMES : Roundup : Granger Beats Canada and Then Makes Her Pitch to Start Tonight

Michele Granger loves to pitch in big games. She pitched in one Monday night. She just might do it again tonight.

Granger, a 17-year-old left-hander from Placentia, pitched her third straight shutout of the Pan American Games, a 1-0 victory over Canada Monday night, giving the Americans a 7-0 record in round-robin play.

The victory put the U.S. women against the Puerto Rico (6-1) tonight in a medal-round game.

“If I had to (start tonight), I could,” the high school senior-to-be said. “But I doubt if I will because we’ve got two other good pitchers (Ella Vilche and Rhonda Wheatley).”

However, Coach Carol Spanks said: “There’s a good chance she’ll pitch again.”

Granger, who earlier pitched a no-hitter and a one-hitter in the Games, ran her record to 3-0. She struck out 17 batters. She had a no-hitter for 6 innings before Kathy Fisher singled. Fisher’s grounder deflected off and under Granger’s glove.

“I made a pretty good pitch to her,” Granger said. “It was a drop that wasn’t too high. If I could’ve just opened my glove, it sure would have helped.”

In her other one-hitter, the only hit also went off Granger’s glove.

The only other Canadian baserunner was Marie-Claude Routhier, who walked in the third.

Granger ran the U.S. streak of scoreless innings to 46. U.S. pitchers did not allow a run in the seven games of the round-robin.

The United States scored the only run of the game in the top of the first when Dottie Richardson hit the first pitch thrown by Canadian Lori Sippel for a triple and scored two outs later on a wild pitch.

Sippel, who pitched for the University of Nebraska, allowed only three hits--Vickie Morrow had a bunt single in the sixth and Sheila Cornell a line single in the fourth--while striking out 10 and walking one.

In the only gold medal event on a light day of competition, Cuba won the men’s team saber fencing. The United States took the silver and Canada the bronze.

The U.S. water polo team trounced Mexico, 10-3, in its first game, and the women’s field hockey team beat Trinidad, 3-0.

Kamie Ethridge, starting point guard for the U.S. women’s basketball team, returned to Dallas for knee surgery, Coach Jody Conradt said.

Ethridge injured her right knee in the opening minutes of the first game last Wednesday while making a pass. The seriousness of the injury was diagnosed the next day, but she remained with the team.

Conradt said the University of Texas graduate will have arthroscopic surgery today.

U.S. sailors moved closer to gold medals in four divisions of yachting at Michigan City, Ind.

Chris Larson of Charleston, S.C., virtually clinched a gold medal in the 13-foot Laser class with a fourth-place finish.

U.S. sailboarder Michael Gebhardt of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., needs only a seventh-place finish today to win a gold.

In the 26-foot Soling class, John Kostecki of San Francisco finished first to take the overall lead from Canadian Hans Fogh.

Cuba routed Peru, 125-41, to set a Pan American record for points scored by a women’s basketball team.

MEDAL STANDINGS

G S B Tot United States 150 105 71 326 Cuba 60 46 41 147 Canada 26 52 68 146 Brazil 10 12 22 44 Argentina 10 7 19 36 Mexico 8 10 16 34 Venezuela 3 10 10 23 Colombia 3 7 11 21 Puerto Rico 2 3 11 16 Jamaica 2 3 7 12 Costa Rica 3 4 3 10 Dom. Republic 0 2 7 9 Chile 1 1 3 5 Bahamas 0 2 3 5 Ecuador 0 1 5 6 Peru 0 2 3 5 Uruguay 2 2 0 4 Panama 0 3 0 3 Nicaragua 0 0 3 3 Suriname 0 0 1 2 Trinidad 0 1 1 2 U.S. Virgin Is. 0 1 1 2 Net. Antilles 0 0 1 1 Bermuda 0 0 1 1 Guatemala 0 0 1 1 Paraguay 0 0 1 1