Three ‘97 Indians Returning

Three members of the 1997 Spo kane Indians are among the first 11 assigned to the Tribe for the 1998 Northwest League baseball season.

The Indians announced Monday that the parent Kansas City Royals are returning shortstop Merrell Ligons, outfielder Franscisco Bautista and right-handed pitcher Cory Thurman.

The initial group will be coming to Spokane from the Royals’ extended spring training camp in Ft. Meyers, Fla. The Indians’ four-day mini-camp will open Friday at Seafirst Stadium.

Spokane, which opens its season June 16 in Boise, has its home-opener June 19 against Everett.

Ligons was the Indians’ starting shortstop for much of the 1997 season, hitting .224 with 12 stolen bases. Bausista played in 29 games and hit .278 with three doubles, a triple and four stolen bases. Thurman was 1-2 with a 5.16 earned-run average in five games and struck out 24 in 22 innings.

Right-handed pitcher Taylor Myers, a second-round pick of the Royals in 1996, who went to training camp with the Indians that year before sustaining an injury that forced him to miss the season, also was assigned to Spokane. He had a 5-4 record with a 2.41 ERA in the Gulf Coast League last season.

Also assigned to Spokane were pitchers Denton McDaniel and Tony Perez, catcher Pedro Herrera, infielder Henry Calderon, first baseman Erick Gomez, second baseman Willy Ruiz and outfielder Rafael Torres.

Legion season opens

They worked overtime, four innings to be exact, on opening night in AAA American Legion baseball at Al K. Jackson Field on Monday night.

Bryan Myers’ one-out RBI single in the top of the 11th drove in Steve Chamberlain to give the Pullman Patriots a 2-1 victory over the North Stars in the first game of a doubleheader. Justin Miller’s RBI double in the fourth tied it for the North Stars.

Ian Harty was 3 for 4, scored a run and drove in six as the Cannons beat the Blue Devils 10-8 in an opener at Whitworth.

Chris Eggleston had a three-run homer in the second for the Blue Devils, held scoreless the last three innings by Cannons pitcher Kris Allen.

Grinding it out

The Grinders of Spokane, who tied for ninth nationally last year, are the first team to qualify for the Amateur Softball Association Men’s A Modified National Tournament Sept. 4-7 at Franklin Park.

Coming back after losing a morning winners’ bracket showdown, the Grinders beat Western Wood twice Sunday, 12-9 and 8-6, to win a national qualifying tournament at Sports World at Liberty Lake and with it a host team berth.

Western Wood had the tying runs on base when the Grinders ended the final game with a double play.

E-Z Loader finished third.

Local aides in top 10

Michael Elmore of Coeur d’Alene (70-73-143) tied for sixth and David Christensen of Indian Canyon (74-70-144) tied for eighth in the Washington State Assistants Golf Championship at Tumwater, Wash., Monday Randy Fossum of Lynnwood had a four-stroke win with a 69-68-137.

Other golfers with area ties: Alan Jenkins, Esmeralda, 73-74-147; Stu Aden, Tumwater Valley (formerly Spokane), 76-71-147; Joe McEachran, Qualchan, 79-70-149; and Scott Rich, Indian Canyon, 82-76-158.

Shadow time changed

Game time for the Spokane Shadow’s first road game of the USISL Premier League soccer season Friday has been moved back an hour. The Shadow (3-0) face the Seattle Hibernians (0-3) at 8 p.m. The Shadow complete their first road trip Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Seattle BigFoot (3-0). Both are on KKPL (630 AM) 15 minutes before game time.