Legion race is tightening up as it heads into the stretch

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, July 15, 1999 | 10:25 a.m.

With only two weeks left in the American Legion baseball regular season, the race to make the state tournament's field of eight is tighter than ever.

Through Tuesday's games, only undefeated division leading Silverado (30-0) has clinched a postseason berth. With one spot set aside for the Reno Knights, six playoff spots are up for grabs among Las Vegas-area squads.

And there are certainly plenty of teams trying to grab them.

No fewer than 14 teams have a mathematical chance to join Silverado and Reno in the state tournament, although it's likely just a matter of days before Durango, Bishop Gorman, Cimarron-Memorial and Green Valley lay claim to four of the available berths and until Valley and Moapa Valley are eliminated from contention.

That should leave two slots remaining for Basic, Cheyenne, Western, Las Vegas, Bonanza, Eldorado and Palo Verde to play for. All seven of those clubs have between 13 and 16 wins, setting up a very interesting stretch run.

And though Silverado knows it's in the field of eight, the Skyhawks still have significant work to do before they can start preparing for the state tournament.

Because Las Vegas is the host city for next month's Region 8 tournament, the regular season champion automatically will qualify for that event, regardless of its performance in the state tournament.

The state tournament champion also will go to regionals, with the second-place regular season finisher slated to go if the regular season champs also win the state tournament.

"Seeding is very important," said Bishop Gorman coach Ken White, whose team still has a shot to finish first in the division. "Our goal is to finish first or second. If you finish second, you have two chances to go to regionals. If not, you have to win the state tournament."

Although Silverado is in the driver's seat, Durango (18-1), Gorman (20-3) and Cimarron (18-5) are close behind.

White, who recently took over for Tim Chambers as Gorman's high school coach, should have history on his side. Gorman has captured three of the past four state Legion titles (including the last two), and earned a spot in the elite Legion World Series last summer.

"We're playing well, and we're starting to jell as a team," White said. "(Being named head coach) has made it a lot easier. (The players) know who they're going to play for next year, and that helps."

Durango (18-1) has just one conference loss this summer, but the Trailblazers' travels to tournaments near and far have left them with a brutal remaining in-town schedule.

In an eight-day period from July 22-29, the Blazers are slated to play 15 games, including seven doubleheaders. With the state tournament scheduled to begin June 30, Durango's pitching staff could be stretched awfully thin come postseason time.

* STARS CONVERGE: Durango will host the annual Legion All-Star Night on Wednesday. Festivities kick off with the Junior Legion state title game at 4 p.m., followed by varsity skills competitions, including the home run derby. The nine-inning varsity all-star game is slated for 8 p.m.