Legion Keeps Van Meetren sharp

It's been a dry, hot summer in Las Vegas, but Jason Van Meetren has still managed to learn a lot about clouds and their silver linings.

Houston's fourth-round selection in June's Major League Baseball amateur draft, the Bishop Gorman graduate has spent the past two months in trying contract negotiations with the Astros.

While local peers like Mike Nannini and Joe Orloski, have kick-started their professional careers, Van Meetren has been in a holding pattern, waiting his turn to prove what he can do at the next level.

Yet now, even as it seems unlikely that he will come to an agreement with the team that drafted him, Van Meetren remains upbeat about his summer.

In part, that positive attitude can be attributed to his "fallback" plan, an option that would make most high school students drool: an athletic scholarship to Stanford.

"Right now, I'm probably going to school, and I'm excited about going to play at Stanford," he said.

But to a large extent, Van Meetren's refusal to get down about his contract situation stems from the success he and his Bishop Gorman teammates have had during his final summer of American Legion baseball.

On Sunday, Gorman posted an 18-8 victory over Las Vegas High at UNLV's Wilson Stadium to improve to 2-0 in the state tournament and edge closer to a berth in the semifinal round.

Three more wins, and Van Meetren and Co. will return to regionals for the second straight season and the third time in four years.

"We're thankful he came back this summer," Gorman coach Tim Chambers said. "I don't think we could win it without him."

Although he's still the acknowledged leader of the team, Van Meetren's roll has changed slightly for his final run through the local circuit. He still plays center-field and bats third, but at his request, his days as a regular starting pitcher are over.

"I needed to play to stay in shape and to get some at-bats," said Van Meetren, who drew three walks and scored three runs Sunday. "But I didn't throw as often this year and that helped a little."

Still, Chambers knows that when he needs a big win or save, he can turn to Van Meetren. And that's exactly what he might do today, when Gorman takes on Silverado.

"We've had the chance to pitch guys we're going to use next year," Chambers said. "But if we need to win tomorrow (to advance), we might start Jason."

On Sunday, Chambers started junior-to-be Pat McBride, and the right-hander was up to the task early, allowing just five hits in the first five innings.

But with his team up, 6-3, McBride ran into difficulty in the sixth, when a hard-hitting Las Vegas lineup finally got going. Anthony Pluta's two-run double helped the Wildcats take a stunning 7-6 lead.

That advantage proved to be brief, however, as Gorman posted six runs in the bottom of the sixth and six more in the seventh to evoke the 10-run rule. Second baseman Justin Sibley (three doubles, four RBI) and catcher Cooper Fouts (3-for-4, three RBI) did a majority of the late damage for the No. 2 seeds.

* Reno 15, Cimarron-Memorial 11: The Knights rallied from an 11-4 deficit, scoring seven runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth. James Holcomb's three-run homer off Marcus Winder capped off the comeback and put the Knights ahead to stay. Cimarron needs a win over top-seeded Durango and a Western victory over Reno to advance. Jeremy Reece, Mike Esposito and Jason Ruiz all went 3-for-4 for the Spartans.

* Green Valley 8, Silverado 5: The Gators upset the No. 3 seeds behind a two-run single by Zeke Parraz in the eighth inning. The Skyhawks rallied to tie the score at five in the seventh, but Green Valley struck for three runs in the eighth to move within a win of the semifinals. Ben Schiess went 2-for-5 and earned the victory for the Gators, while Ryan Ruiz was 4-for-4 with three RBI in the losing cause.

* Durango 6, Western 4: The top seeds scored four runs in the seventh for the come-from-behind win. Eric Kitchen provided the big blow, a two-run single in the seventh, to help Durango climb out of a 4-1 hole. James Burgess had a big day for the Trailblazers, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and a stolen base.

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