SPORTS BRIEFS : 4 Local Baseball Players in Goodwill Series

Four area high school baseball players have been chosen to play for the United States against teams from Korea and Japan in the Goodwill Series VII, which begins Saturday at Cerritos College. Pitcher Steve Connelly (Wilson), infielder Nomar Garciaparra (St. John Bosco) and pitcher Greg Gregory and outfielder Dante Powell (both of Millikan) were chosen for the 18-man team from a group of more than 200 players from 10 Western states who participated in the recent Area Code Games at Cal State Fresno.

Play begins at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with a game between the national under-19 teams from Korea and Japan, followed at 3:30 p.m. by a game between the United States and Korea. The action shifts to the Riverside Sports Complex on Sunday with games between the United States and Japan (3:30 p.m.) and the United States and Korea (6:30 p.m.). The series concludes Monday at Blair Field in Long Beach with Japan and the United States playing at 12:30 p.m. and Japan against Korea at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are $3 at the gate; children under 12 are free.