Reardon delivers for Western with 12 Ks

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001 | 10:19 a.m.

Given a chance to extend his team's playoff run and his own American Legion career, Western's Paul Reardon left nothing to chance Wednesday night.

The graduated senior struck out a season-high 12 batters and scattered six hits in seven innings, helping the Warriors to a 3-1 win over Cheyenne and the District Tournament championship Wednesday night at Basic.

"I was real pumped up for this game," Reardon said. "It means a lot to me, especially being a senior. I didn't want it to be our last game."

With the win, the Warriors (18-10) clinch the last remaining berth in the upcoming eight-team Legion State Tournament, which begins with two games Saturday at Durango.

"A lot of teams didn't think we were this good, but I believe we're right there with any team in town," Western coach Justin Martinez said. "The other teams in the State Tournament have had a 10-day layoff. Hopefully they'll be a little rusty, and we've got our game going."

Western broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning, when Josh Feinberg's two-out single platted both Glenn Phillips and Reardon, giving the Warriors a two-run cushion. That was all Reardon would need, as the Lassen (Calif.) Junior College-bound pitcher stranded two runners in the final frame to close out the complete-game win.

"(Reardon) showed a lot of heart out there today," Martinez said. "Our pitching coach said he was throwing extra-hard in the pen before the game, reaching the upper-80s and low-90s."

Phillips finished with two hits, as did Cheyenne's Nick Klein. Robert Kovacs went the distance on the mound for the Desert Shields (24-28), allowing just six hits and striking out seven in the loss.

The annual all-star contest has been renamed the Raven and Edi Gomez American Legion All-Star Game, in honor of the couple's 21 seasons of service to the baseball league. Edi Gomez held virtually every position within the organization, including a nine-year stint as commissioner from 1980-89, before stepping down after last season.