Las Vegas Legion team keeps focus, has fun

Nick Christensen

Friday, Aug. 19, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

Sierra Vista High

High school season

Leaders

Legion season

Leaders

Legion World Series

Today's games

Dothan, Ala. (42-12) vs. Twin Cities, Wash. (45-18)

Brooklawn, N.J. (41-7) vs. Sierra Vista (41-14)

Enid, Okla. (56-10) vs. Woodbury, Minn. (32-8)

Rapid City, S.D. (57-21) vs. Branford, Conn. (34-6)

Saturday's games

Dothan/Twin Cities loser vs. Enid/Woodbury loser

Brooklawn/Sierra Vista loser vs. Rapid City/Branford loser

Dothan/Twin Cities winner vs. Enid/Woodbury winner

Brooklawn/Sierra Vista winner vs. Rapid City/Branford winner

Sunday's games

Losers of winners' games vs. winners of losers' games

Winners of winners' games

Just when Sierra Vista started playing focused baseball again in their three-game sweep to the American Legion regional title, the Lions arrived in Rapid City, S.D., to find all sorts of distractions.

They hadn't been off their plane from Las Vegas for more than a few hours when they were watching major league greats like Harmon Killebrew, Dave Kingman and Bobby Thigpen take on the alumni of the Rapid City legion team in front of a packed house at Fitzgerald Stadium.

Thursday night, they got more of Killebrew, listening to the Hall of Famer in a banquet at the host Best Western hotel. And early this morning, they had to be up to face Brooklawn, N.J., in the first round of the American Legion World Series.

"The kids are enjoying themselves, they're very excited," Lions coach Levi Gill said. "They have a special opportunity. I've been told only four teams from Las Vegas have made it to the World Series. They're really in a special place."

More importantly, they're in the zone.

Since fumbling away a 6-3 lead against Hawaii on Saturday night in the regional at CCSN, the Lions have been all but automatic.

First off, after giving up eight unearned runs on five hits last Saturday, the Lions have made just one error. More importantly, pitching, the mainstay of Sierra Vista's run to the NIAA state title in May and the regular-season Legion title in July, has been superb.

In 27 innings since Saturday, Lions pitchers have given up 14 hits, eight walks and two runs, both earned. Starters Justin Garcia, Justin Baca and Drew Leary have combined to fan 15 opposing batters.

On the other side, the offense has come alive. Runs haven't been plentiful, but they've been timely, particularly from the bottom of the order.

"It's really what you need -- guys to get on base, move them over, hit them in," Gill said. "It worked out nicely, but as far as a surprise, I really expect the kids to do that."

As for the Brooklawn team, Gill said the stats he's seen indicate a team that likes to keep the ball on the ground and rely on its speed and defense.

"Our approach is going to determine how well we do," Gill said. "If we go out there looking to hit the ball hard and up the middle, then we'll do fine. If we go out looking to put it over the fence then we won't, and I hope we do the first."

So what about those distractions, especially if Killebrew's advice at the banquet was to smack the ball out of the yard in the thin air of the Black Hills?

"I don't think they'll be distracted. We're going to have fun," Gill said. "I really don't think we'll have any trouble focusing. I don't think they're going to come out flat in front of a couple thousand people. They'll be very excited about that."