SALVATION ARM, BAT ST. PIERRE SAVED KENNEDY EN ROUTE TO MILLIGAN SELECTION.Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer Kennedy High of Granada Hills was struggling midseason when both a hitter and a pitcher stepped up to lead the Cougars to the No. 2 seed in the championship bracket of the City Section playoffs. In both cases, that player was Tim St. Pierre. When Adam Geery, the winning pitcher in Kennedy's City Championship victory at Dodger Stadium • • [ last year, went down with an injury early in the season, St. Pierre had to assume the role of staff ace. He responded with a 6-2 record and 1.52 ERA. With the team pressing at the plate and going 0 for 4 in the Bishop Gorman tournament in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , coach Manny Manny may refer to: In nobility:
n. 1. An opening play or move. 2. One that leads off. lead  off spot, where he's batting .386 with a .557 on-base percentage and 28 runs. The game in which St. Pierre moved to No. 1 in the order was the first of 10 consecutive wins. Although he wants to pitch, St. Pierre again is prepared to help any way he can in the 25th annual Daily News Bernie Milligan All-Star Game An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games on June 9 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium. He joins three other Kennedy players to make the East team, which will be coached by Alvarado. ``I think he totally deserves it,'' said outfielder Chad Shaw, one of the Kennedy players to make the team. ``(Catcher Phil Avlas) gets a lot of recognition when we win. Tim does a lot for the team and doesn't get much recognition for it.'' Alvarado tried to steer attention away from St. Pierre as he excelled. The coach is convinced a newspaper article on Avlas early in the season led to a batting slump. ``He's kind of been one of our secrets,'' Alvarado said of St. Pierre. ``I guess it's out of the bag.'' St. Pierre has pitched well under pressure, defeating No. 1 seed Chatsworth in the semifinals last year on the way to Dodger Stadium. He also limited Lancaster, a team that averaged more than 10 runs a game, in a 6-3 victory at USC's Dedeaux Field Dedeaux Field is a college baseball stadium in Los Angeles, California, and the home field of the University of Southern California Trojans baseball team. The stadium holds 2,500 people and was built in 1974, the year USC won its record fifth consecutive College World Series title. in the Daily News Invitational in·vi·ta·tion·al adj. Restricted to invited participants: an invitational golf tournament. n. An event, especially a sports tournament, restricted to invited participants. Adj. 1. championship game earlier this year. In that game, St. Pierre introduced a new pitch he had been working on - the knuckleball, which few high school pitchers throw. It became his strikeout strike·out n. Baseball Abbr. K or SO An out made by a batter charged with three strikes and credited to the pitcher who threw the strikes. Noun 1. pitch. ``When he broke out that knuckleball, it was a big change,'' said Avlas, who also made the All-Star game. ``After that, he was unstoppable. No one throws a knuckleball in high school. When he broke out with it, everyone was kind of shocked.'' The Cougars' season ended in disappointment when they were eliminated by Roosevelt in the first round of the playoffs. However, St. Pierre said the opportunity to play at Dodger Stadium once in his high school career is a cherished memory. Now, he looks forward to playing at The Hangar. ``My friend Danny drove past the stadium the weekend before I found out I made the Bernie Milligan Game and he said, 'Man, you've got to play there,' '' St. Pierre said. ``After playing at Dodger Stadium and Dedeaux Field, it's a good chance to play at another great ballfield.'' St. Pierre plans to show up to the game early to watch former Kennedy player and the coach's son, Manny Alvarado Jr., play second base in the Bernie Milligan Alumni Game. Alvarado Jr. is the Cougars' infield coach. ``He comes out there every once in a while to show us what to do at second base,'' St. Pierre said of Alvarado Jr. ``He makes hotdog plays out there, gets to balls in the hole I think he has no chance at. It will be fun to see him play.'' St. Pierre doesn't know what the future holds. He wants to pitch for a Division I school but probably will first attend a community college such as College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. or Pierce, although Alvarado has agreed to inquire in·quire also en·quire v. in·quired, in·quir·ing, in·quires v.intr. 1. To seek information by asking a question: inquired about prices. 2. at Loyola Marymount on his behalf. ``He's been a mystery,'' Alvarado said of St. Pierre. ``He's not out there in the media as much. But he was our workhorse work·horse n. 1. Something, such as a machine, that performs dependably under heavy or prolonged use: "the 50-year-old DC-3 ... .'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Kennedy High of Granada Hills' Tim St. Pierre gave the team a lift with his hitting and pitching this season. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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