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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Braves Send Several Players To Higher Ranks

From Staff Reports

Norm Lochten, a left winger for the Spokane Braves, was drafted by the Great Falls Americans of the American Frontier Junior Hockey League.

Lochten, the first pick of the third round of the Frontier league draft, is one of 12 Braves who will attempt to move up in caliber this winter.

“It was a pretty good year as far as getting kids noticed,” said Braves coach Gary Braun. “That’s what we’d like to do, try to make this a jumpingoff spot for the kids around here.”

Besides Lochten, defenseman Craig Grote will go to camp with Great Falls and goalie Jason Stephen will go to camp with Billings, Mont., in the AFJHL.

Getting invitations to Western Hockey League camps were defensemen Casey Jewell (Moose Jaw) and Jonathan Braun (Lethbridge) and wingers Patrich Heinz and Brett Virostek, both Lethbridge.

Others: D.J. Brough, defense, Fernie, British Columbia, of the Rocky Mountain Junior A League; Adrian Wong, center, Calgary, Alberta Junior League; twin forwards Ben and Jason James, Weyburn in the Saskatchewan Junior A League; Tyler Ham, right wing, San Jose State; and Garrett Noel, right wing, who is bound for a Division III college in Minnesota.

“We have to reload,” said Braun, noting, “we’ve invited 150 kids to camp this fall. We’re going big. We should have a good team again.”

Baseball

In a dramatic final, the Indians defeated the White Sox 3-1 last Sunday to win the city Pony League championship for 13-14-year-olds.

John Petrie pitched the win and stole home in the bottom of the sixth inning with the game’s final run. Adam Farr doubled home one run and scored the other for the Indians.

During the league season, the Indians placed second in their division and the White Sox won theirs.

The Indians, coached by Jamie Stewart and Marty Hare, had players from Glover, Salk and Garry middle schools and St. Charles Parochial School. The White Sox, coached by Dean Sowards, represented Mead and Northwood junior highs.

Tate Seefried, who spent one year at Central Valley High School, has launched a bid to become the Eastern League’s most valuable player.

After a stretch in which he belted three grand slams in two weeks, the power-hitting first baseman leads the league in slugging percentage and ranks among the top six in four other offensive categories.

Seefried, formerly in the New York Yankees system, has a .661 slugging average for the New York Mets’ Double-A farm club at Binghamton, N.Y. He stands second in the league with 27 home runs and third with 74 RBIs in games through Monday. He’s also sixth in batting at .332 and fifth in on-base percentage at .420.

Longview, Wash., will be the site of the 1997 Babe Ruth Baseball World Series for 15-year-olds Aug. 16-23.

The 10-team, double-elimination tournament will be at Story Field at Lower Columbia College.

Info: (360) 636-0110.

Bicycle racing

The Q-Balls were the top fund-raisers and Environmental Waste was the fastest team during the Jimmie Heuga Toyota Mountain Bike Express fund-raiser last weekend at Lookout Pass.

Bruce Deming of Coeur d’Alene, Dave Mason of Spokane and Jason DeGiammarco of Hayden - the Q-Balls - raised $1,011 for the Heuga Center and multiple sclerosis research. The Lookout event raised a total of $3,448.

Environmental Waste - Joe Johnson and Heidi Piccirello of Hayden - completed 41 laps to win the racing segment. They raised $300.

Second in the fund-raising were the Rough Riders from Wallace with $338.

College scene

Jen Harrell of Veradale (Gonzaga Prep) earned her second track letter at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.

Harrell, a sophomore, had school season bests in the 100 hurdles (16.70 seconds), 200 (27.23), 400 (60.41) and long jump (14 feet, 2 inches). She also ran the 400 hurdles.

Colleen Standiford of Spokane has been hired as assistant ticket manager by the University of Oregon athletic department.

Standiford, a 1992 graduate of Gonzaga University, started her work in ticket management in ‘92 with the Spokane Indians. The last four years she has worked for the Richmond Braves, the Atlanta Braves’ top minor-league team.

Jody Sykes, a golfer at the University of Montana, will represent the Big Sky Conference on the NCAA Division I Management Council. She has a two-year term.

Motor sports

The American Motorcyclist Association Hot Shoe series visits Playfair Race Course this coming Saturday.

The Spokane stop is part of a 14-race national series and the culminating event of a two-day flat-track motorcycle race at Spokane’s horse racing track. Hot Shoe series riders are just coming from an event at Pikes Peak, Colo.

Ticket info: (509) 489-5023.

The Spokane Pro Gas Association will present the Pepsi Super Class Shootout Saturday at Spokane Raceway Park.

The race will feature three classes: Super Comp (8.90 index), Super Gas (9.90) and Super Street (10.90), all competing in heads-up racing.

Racers in that event will compete for one of the largest local purses ever offered to sportsman drag racers with $1,000 to win in Super Comp and Super Gas while the Super Street winner pockets $750.

Info: Rod Hoerner, (509) 326-4401.

Softball

Sullivan Scoreboard Masters of Spokane won the 23rd annual Stein Haus Classic men’s masters 35-and-over tournament in Great Falls, Mont., last weekend.

Sullivan Scoreboard, which plays out of Quad Park in Post Falls, went 5-0 in the 24-team tournament. Greg Hart of Sullivan was named the offensive most valuable player. He batted 20 of 24 including nine homers and 22 RBIs. Sullivan hit 41 homers in the unlimited homer tourney.

Sullivan had four other players named all-stars. They were: Kim Martin, Marlin Harris, John Neudorfer and Joe Lewis.

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