BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: SAUGUS AWAITS WORD ON TIE.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

The Saugus High baseball team went undefeated at last week's Bishop Gorman tournament in Las Vegas. But two days after returning home, the Centurions were unsure exactly what their record was at the tournament.

``We're 11-3 and maybe a question mark,'' Saugus coach Casey Burrill said.

Saugus had its final game of the event called in the fourth inning because of a conflict on the field. The game against Bishop Gorman ended 5-5 in the top of the fourth, so the Centurions are counting the game as a tie in their record until they receive word from tournament officials and the Southern Section as to if the game counts officially.

Although a fight did not break out, the umpires ended the game after Saugus' players left the dugout. The incident started with a Saugus batter and the Bishop Gorman pitcher exchanging words and drawing a heated reaction from both teams.

According to the Centurions, both teams - each having entered the game 3-0 in the tournament - wanted to continue the game, but the umpires left the field.

The incident marred an otherwise impressive showing for Saugus at the three-day tournament. The Centurions scored at least seven runs in each of the three victories with a variety of players contributing.

``We just played some pretty good baseball all around,'' said Burrill, whose team is off until a nonleague doubleheader Saturday against Harvard-Westlake of Studio City.

Thomas Milone got Saugus started on a positive note as he had three RBI and earned the pitching victory in the opener against Cooper City of Florida on Thursday, a game the Centurions won 7-2. Steven Eaton had two hits and three RBI in an 8-7 victory Friday over Skyline of Utah. Travis Babin had three hits and Ian Bridges added a home run and four RBI in an 11-3 victory Friday over Brighton of Utah.

Milone was off to another solid game Saturday with two hits and three RBI before the game was called. If the statistics from that game count, Milone would have a team-high .400 average and 19 RBI.

--Impressive debut: Junior right-hander Ricky Killey was one of four Saugus junior-varsity players promoted for the trip to Las Vegas and he took advantage of the opportunity. He pitched six innings with five strikeouts, four hits and no earned runs to get the victory against Brighton.

``He looked great,'' Burrill said.

Despite the solid outing, the Centurions' depth means Killey is headed back to JV, where he is 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA in addition to being a good-hitting outfielder.

--Partially back: Foothill League play resumes today for Canyon and Hart, but Valencia and Saugus have a second week off from league. The Centurions and Vikings originally were scheduled to face each other twice this week, but moved the games to allow Valencia to participate in the prestigious National Classic, which runs through Thursday in Orange County.

Heather Gripp, [phone]

heather.gripp(at)dailynews.com