Page Sixteen
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Friday, May 6, 1977
PageSixeenTHEMICHGANDAIY Fiday Ma 6,197
Blue nine ready for pennant drive
By PAUL CAMPBELL
The return to form of Rick Leach and
the emergence of freshman Steve Howe
as the ace of the pitching staff high-
lighted the action of the Michigan base-
ball team in the past two weeks.
The Blue nine have won seven of their
last ten games to raise their overall rec-
ord to 19-11, including three of four Big
Ten contests to raise their conference
record to 5-3, This puts them in third
place behind Ohio State (4-0) and Min-
nesota (10-2). The Wolverines face the
Buckeyes and Indiana in road double-
headers this weekend.
LEACH, HAVING finally pat the dis-
tracting rigors of spring football practice
behind him, broke out of his early season
slump in grand style. The centerfielder
from Flint collected eight hits in fourteen
at bats during the four conference games
to boost his Big Ten average to .391.
The sophomore also upped his overall
average 70 points to .260. He drove in
five runs and now leads the team in that
department. His slugging percentage for
the four games was 1.000.
FOR HIS PERFORMANCE, Leach was
named Spring Athlete of the Week by the
Big Ten.
Meanwhile, most of coach Moby Bene-
dict's worries about pitching staff depth
have been alleviated by Howe's surpris-
ing spurt. The freshman was hit hard in
his first game this season in Florida, but
since that time he has been the most
effective hurler on the staff.
HE HAS COMPLETED seven consecu-
tive games, winning six and losing only
one when Eastern Michigan managed two
unearned runs in the fourteenth inning
to win 3-2.
"He's my ace," Benedict confirmed.
"I've never had a freshman come in and
do what Steve has done. He just takes
control of the situation."
Howe's season slate is 6-2, with an ERA
of 2.06 in just under 60 innings. He leads
the staff in all three departments.
Michigan also swept Notre Dame, 6-1
and 8-3.
Ohio State
Minnesota
MICHIGAN
Wisconsin
Iowa
Northwester'n
Michigan State
Illinois
Indiana
Purdue
BIG TEN BASEBALL
BIG TEN
W L Pet. GB
4 0 1.000 2
10 2 .833 -
5 3 .625 3
7 5 .583 3
7 5 .583 3
5 5 .500 4
4 4 .500 4
5 7 .417 5
1 5 .167 6
0 12 .000 10
ALL GAMES
W L
17 18
22 9
19 11
16 18
34 10
19 12
16 20
17 21
18 17
9 22
Habs edge
76ers trip
Rockets in
opener,
128=117
ivy 'it Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA-Julius Erv-
ing scored 24 points and George
McGinnis 21 as the two super-
star forwards led the I~hitadet-
phi 76ers to a 128-117 victory
over the IHuston Rockets last>
night in the opening game of
their best-of-seven NBSA playoff
semifinal.
Philadelphia broke an 8-8
tie on a 20-footer by McGinnis
and never trailed in the shoot-
out of fast-breaking offenses.
H o u ton ' s Moses Malone
scored 32 points, 22 in the first
half, to lead five Rockets in
double figures. But the 76ersz
were generally successful in
shutting down the 6-foot-10 Ma- - a 4
lone in the second half.
Doug Collins added 23 points MOSES MALONE of the Houston Rock
for Philadelphia, Lloyd Free had just seen a ghost, but he's actually coll
18 and 6-foot-1'% Daryl Dawk- prepares to stuff one during last night's
ins scored 15. against Philadelphia. The 76'ers won, 128
Major League Standings
I
slanders 2-1
Gainey's two goals
lead Habs into Cup
tilt against Boston
By The Associated Press
UNIONDALE, N. Y. - Two goals by Bob Gainey - the first
coming after just seven seconds of play-carried the Montreal
Canadiens to a 2-1 triumph last night over the New York Islanders,
sending the Canadiens into the NtHL. playoff finals against the
Boston Bruins.
Canadiens' center Doug Jarvis won the game's opening faceoff
from Bryan Trottier and tapped the puck back to defenseman Guy
Lapointe. Lapointe bounced the disc off the left wing sideboard
for Gainey, who sneaked behind defenseman Bert Marshall and
sent a 20-foot shot into the net off the catching glove of New York
goalie Glenn Resch.
Gainey's second score came at 9:12 of the third period, when
the speedy left wing took a pass from Murray Wilson and wristed
the disc into the New York cage from five feet out.
Montreal goalie Ken Dryden stopped 27 shots, losing his shut-
out with nine seconds left in the game when a 55-foot shot by Denis
Potvin streaked past his right leg.
Join The Daily Sports Staff
-come to 420 Maynard Street
A Photo
ets may look like he's
ecting his energy as he
NBA semi-final game
-117.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
East -
W L
Milwaukee 14 8
New Yorw 13 10
Baltimore 11 9
Boston 12 10
Toronto 11 14
Cleveland 8 13
Detroit 0 14
Minnesota 15 10
Chicato 13 9
Kansas City 1 10
Oakland 14 11
Texas 11 9
California 9 15
Seattle 9 19
Yesterday's Games
Boston 5, Seattle k
Okiand 5, New York2
G
4'.
5'
it;
at;
lv'
NATIONAL LEAGUE
East
W L
Pittsburgh 14 7
St. Louis 14 8
Montreal 11 9
Chicago 10 10
Philadelphia 9 11
New York 9 12
West
Los Angeles 20 4
Cinocinati to in
Houston t0 a4
San F'rancisco' 9 14
San Diego 10 17
Atlanta 8 16
Yesterday's Games
Ciago 8,Houstons
Miontrrai 7, San Francisco 1
Hardship list announced;
King to turn pro early'?
GH
2%
3 %
4'
5
9
10
11%
12
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK-First team All-American Ber-
nard King of Tennessee headed a list of 13
undergraduate players who are now eligible
for the National Basketball Association's col-
lege draft June 10.
THE NBA ANNOUNCED yesterday the list
of players who have renounced their remaining
year or years of college eligibility for the lure
of pro riches.
The players can change their minds up to
24 hours before the start of the June 10 draft,
allowing them to return to their college pro-
grams.
Other top players who have declared them-
selves eligible for NBA selection next month
are Kenny Carr, an Olympic forward from
North Carolina State; Mike Thompson, 6-10
center from Minnesota;, Brad Davis, a slick
guard from Maryland, and Freeman Williams,
third-team All-American from Portland State
who led the nation in scoring with more than
30 points per game last season.
THE REST OF THE filing players were
Larry Belin, Seminole Junior College in Se-
minole, Okla.; Ray Epps, Norfolk State Col-
lege; Brad Holland, UCLA; Earl Holmes, Los
Angeles Mission College; Larry Moffitt, Na-
vada-Las Vegas; James Redwine, East Wash-
ington State; Frank Sanders, Southern Uni-
versity, and Ray Tatum, Malone College.
King, who led the Volunteers into the NCAA
playoffs last season, renounced his college-
eligibility last year but changed his mind be-
fore the cutoff date,
Kentucky Derby Bloodline
champions are Reigh Count,
1928 winner, and Pensive, 1944
champ. Reigh Count sired
Count Fleet, who won in 1943
and then sired Count Turf, the
1951 victor. Pensive sired Pon-
der, the first one home in 1949.
Ponder sired Needles, winner in
1956.
Two Super Bowl teams have
gone through an entire cham-
pionship game without incur-
ring a penalty. The Miami
Dolphins did it against the Dal-
las Cowboys while losing, 24-3,
in 1972. And Pittsburgh also did
it against Dallas in 1976 while
winning, 21-17.
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