Familiar faces sit atop legion baseball standings

As the first month of this summer's American Legion baseball season draws to a close, the usual suspects have begun to assert their superiority.

Durango, Silverado, Cimarron-Memorial, Bishop Gorman and Green Valley -- five teams that sparkled during this past spring's high school baseball campaign -- are near the top of the standings.

But lurking among the leaders is a team that finished 1996 in the Sunset Division cellar with a 6-16 overall record: Western.

In a remarkably short period of time, the Warriors have turned things around. A current six-game winning streak has vaulted the squad into a third-place tie with Gorman, behind only Durango and Silverado.

With the exception of a few junior varsity call-ups, Western's summer roster is nearly identical. So what's gotten into the Warriors?

"The difference is we're playing with a looser attitude," Western Legion coach Justin Martinez said. "They're hungry and they're tired of losing."

That new attitude was never more evident than in the club's 5-4 victory over Silverado on Saturday. After watching the Skyhawks rally from a 4-0 deficit to knot the score, the Warriors responded in the top of the sixth, winning on graduated senior Phil Reardon's RBI single.

"That win lets them know where they stand in the league," Martinez said.

Spearheading the Warriors' attack have been the team's top two pitchers, graduated senior Pat Connors and sophomore-to-be Shaun Taylor. Taylor has been a reliable starter, while Connors has doubled as the club's closer and its No. 1 starter.

Connors also has led the way offensively, batting over .400 with three homers and 27 RBIs. Graduated senior Kyle Kennedy (.390) and soon-to-be junior Dalin Franklin (.420) also have come up with some big hits.

"We're a young team, but we have a lot of talent," Martinez said. "I think they should be competitive (next spring)."

* TIDBITS: Green Valley went 3-2 at last week's 16-team Cherry Creek Classic in Denver, Colo. The Gators, who haven't played a league game since June 8, return to action today against Chaparral. ... After starting the season with a perfect 8-0 league mark, Silverado has dropped two of its past three contests -- a 5-4 loss to Western Saturday and a 7-5 loss to Palo Verde. The Skyhawks snapped their brief skid with a 4-0 shutout against Basic Monday. ... Durango designated hitter Brian Bryant went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to help the league-leading Trailblazers to a key 12-6 win over Cimarron Monday. Bryant, who doubles as a left-handed pitcher, was ineligible to play for Durango this spring but is expected to return for his senior season in 1999.

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