Haney's Bat Booming For Cannons
Todd Haney continues his torrid hitting for the Calgary Cannons.
The hard-working second baseman, a 38th-round, 1987 draft choice out of the University of Texas, was 13 for 27 in six games through Thursday, raising his Pacific Coast League average 31 points to .417.
Haney batted .500 (28 for 56) and had six consecutive multi-hit games in a 13-game streak that ended Wednesday night in Las Vegas. He was back at it Thursday, going 2 for 4 in a 6-5 loss to the Las Vegas Stars.
Haney hit .252 in 25 games for Class A San Bernardino and .269 in 115 games for Class AA Williamsport last season.
An eight-game streak in which he was 14 for 28 helped Calgary first baseman Tino Martinez, another Williamsport graduate, hike his average to .349.
Tom Dodd, the Cannons' designated hitter, continued his steady run production, raising his RBI total to 28 in 23 games.
After eight relief appearances covering 17 2/3 innings, Calgary right-hander Jose Melendez (2-0) had yet to give up a run.
Cannon left-hander Ed Vande Berg (1-0, 5.06) was placed on the disabled list with a sore elbow. . . . Outfielder Mickey Brantley (.323) hit safely in six of his first seven games with Calgary.
STARGELL DELIVERS
Tim Stargell's batting average dropped from .268 to .240 as the San Bernardino Spirit infielder went 6 for 33 in seven games. But the six hits included three home runs and a triple, and Stargell had 12 runs batted in, increasing his season total to a California League-leading 28.
Spirit right-hander Rich Delucia (4-1, 2.05, 35 strikeouts, 3 walks) was promoted to Williamsport. . . . Third baseman Isaiah Clark leads the Class A California League in homers (eight) and hits (38), ranks third in RBI (24) and average (.339). . . . Reliever Scott Pitcher (1-0, 1 save) has allowed only one earned run in 18 innings, an 0.50 ERA. . . . Catcher Greg Pirkl had seven hits, including two doubles and two homers, and eight RBI in six games. He's batting .291. . . . San Bernardino outfielder Ellerton Maynard, who stole four bases in one game against Reno, has 23 thefts in 29 attempts. . . . Spirit left-hander Jim Bennett, 23, (0-0, 1.69) was sold to San Diego, which sent him to Charleston.
Ninth-inning home runs by Pirkl, Stargell, who hit a two-run shot, and Patrick Lennon lifted the Spirit to a 6-6 tie against Modesto a week ago Friday night. The game, still tied 6-6, was suspended after 13 innings because of a league curfew. It was completed the next night, with Modesto winning 7-6 in 15 innings.
AROUND THE FARMS
Designated hitter Jeff Hooper, one-time Newport High School and Washington State star, drove in three runs with a homer and two singles Thursday night, leading the Williamsport Bills to a 4-2 victory over Harrisburg in the Eastern League. Left-hander Lee Hancock (3-1, 1.50) allowed only four hits and struck out seven in 8 1/3 innings and Fernando Figueroa (0-2, 1.74) picked up his third save.
Figueroa, 25, also a lefty, played for the independent Miami Miracle in the Class A Florida State League in 1989. He was drafted by the Mariners last December.
The Peninsula Pilots, who began the weekend with a 5-16 record, had only one player above .250 on the Carolina League batting list - Lem Pilkinton at .292. Pilkinton hit .270 for the Pilots last year when they were an independent club. Peninsula catcher Jim Campanis is batting only .164 (10 for 61) but has a .338 on-base average.
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CALGARY STATS
(Through Thursday)
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BATTING AB H 2B 3B HR BI SB Avg.
Brantley 31 10 2 0 1 7 3 .323
Brundage 48 13 2 0 0 6 2 .271
Close 64 18 6 0 2 16 1 .281
Cochrane 55 16 1 2 1 9 0 .291
Dodd 92 30 6 1 2 28 3 .326
Fulton 40 12 5 0 0 4 0 .300
Haney 84 35 6 3 0 10 6 .417
Jurak 70 24 5 0 4 15 1 .343
T. Martinez 86 30 5 0 1 16 3 .349
McGuire 66 17 2 1 0 5 2 .250
Schaefer 95 26 6 0 0 9 8 .274
Vizquel 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 .333
Weaver 60 13 4 1 1 6 6 .217
Morales 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
PITCHING W L Sa IP H BB SO ERA
Bankhead 0 0 0 6.0 5 2 6 1.50
Blasucci 0 2 1 17.2 5 11 21 3.06
Burba 1 1 0 20.1 17 12 7 3.54
Clark 1 0 0 14.0 5 6 8 0.00
Harris 3 0 2 7.2 7 4 9 2.35
Helton 1 0 2 8.2 9 4 3 5.19
Lovelace 1 2 0 10.1 10 10 7 7.84
Melendez 2 0 0 17.2 11 6 12 0.00
Pacillo 0 0 0 9.2 10 6 8 4.66
Rice 1 0 2 12.2 9 4 15 2.84
Shaw 3 1 0 23.2 30 16 4 4.94
Taylor 0 1 0 25.2 29 14 25 5.61
Vande Berg 1 0 0 5.1 8 5 5 5.06
Walker 1 1 0 19.2 28 3 9 7.32
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BEST OF REST
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BATTING (minimum 35 at-bats)
Clark (San Bernardino, A) 38/112, .339; Kingwood (SB) 16/51, .314;
Letterio (Williamsport, AA) 15/48, .313; Pilkington (Peninsula, A) 21/72, 292; Pirkl (SB) 23/79, .291; Hooper (W) 12/44, .273; Pennington (W) 18/71, .254; eitges (SB), 23/92, .250; McDonald (W) 19/76, .250;
Kosco (W) 11/44, .250.
Doubles - Clark (SB) 7, Keitges (SB) 7,
McDonald (W) 5, Pirkl (SB) 5, Kingwood (SB) 4, Stargell (SB) 4.
Triples - Maynard (SB) 2.
Home runs - Clark (SB) 8, Stargell (SB) 5, Lennon (SB) 4, Pirkl (SB) 4, Hooper (W) 2, Keitges (SB) 2, Kingwood (SB) 2, Bailey (P) 2.
RBI - Stargell (SB) 28, Clark (SB) 24
Pirkl (SB) 17, Keitges (SB) 13, Magallanes (SB) 11, Lennon (SB) 10, Hooper (W) 8, Howard (W) 8, Turang (SB) 8, Pilkington (P) 8, Saetre (P) 8.
Stolen bases - Maynard (SB) 23, Tavarez (P) 6, Stargell (SB) 5, Pezzoni, (P) 5. King (W) 4, Clark (SB) 4, R. Williams (SB) 4.
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PITCHING
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Earned-run average (minimum 10 innings pitched) - Pitcher (SB) 0.50 (18 ip), Hancock (W) 1.50 (36 ip), Figueroa (W) 1.74 (10 1/3 ip) Woodson (SB) 1.80 (25 ip), Delucia (SB) 2.05 (30 2/3 ip), Salkeld (SB) 2.31 (11 2/3 ip), Furcal (SB) 2.49 (25 1/3 ip), Balabon (P) 2.57 (28 ip), Gardiner (W) 2.59 (24 1/3 ip), Jones (SB) 2.63 (13 2/3 ip) Gutierrez (P) 2.70 (30 ip). Wiggs (SB) 2.74 (23 ip).
Winning pct. (minimum 2 decisions) - Taylor (SB) 3-0, 1.000; Jones (SB) 2-0, 1.000; Balabon (P) 2-0, 1.000; Delucia (SB) 4-1, .800; Hancock (W) 3-1, .750; Blueberg (W) 2-1, .667; Furcal (SB) 2-1, .667; Wiggs (SB) 2-1, .667.
Saves - Newlin (SB) 6, Poissant (P) 4, Figueroa (W) 3, Wooden (W) 2, Wiggs (SB) 2, Ridenour (W) 1, Pitcher (SB) 1.
Strikeouts - Delucia (SB) 35, Wiggs (SB) 29, Woodson (SB) 28, Balabon (P) 27, Furcal (SB) 26, Evans (SB) 26, Newlin (SB) 26, Gardiner (W) 24, Hancock (W) 24.