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The Canadian Champion, Friday; May 1, 1998-,W S,- S RTS THE CANADIAN CHAMPION FRIDAY MAY 1, 1998 Photo by GRAHAM PAINE E.C. Drury base runner Melissa Parcels narrowly beats Mustang Candice Wrigglesworth's tag at second during the opening of girls softball season Wednesday at Brian Best Park. Drury edged Milton District 4-2. Harrold gets the win and the save By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Lindsey Harrold has one win and one save in.the record books afterjust one game in E.C. Drury's girls softball season. The Spartan hurler worked the first and final two innings of Wednesday's season opener at Brian Best Park, bringing enough juice for a 4-2 victory over the Milton District Mustangs. She allowed one run on two bits, fanned half a dozen batters and snagged a sixth-inning line drive by Jessica Simpson headed straight back to the mound. Harrold's teammates afforded her a 4-1 lead after the opening frame. Nicole May started things off by reaching second on a throwing error, stealing third and then coming home on an RBI double by Anne Jamieson. Michelle Rayner then walked before Mandy Huffman would drive her and Jamieson home with another two-bagger. A fielder's choice by Erin Rennie would then score Huffman. Mustang starting pitcher Elly Jo Dolan would get one back in the bottom half of the inning, launching a triple and then scoring Photo by GRAHAM PAINE • see DRURY on page 35 Lindsey Harrold takes a might cut for Drury. Focus, fun the keys to the nationals, says Carrigan By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Gregg Carrigan says the key to success at the Royal Bank Cup - surprisingly enough - is not to think about hockey too much. A trip to the national finals should be as much a reward as a challenge, stressed the president of the Jr. A Merchants. Otherwise off-ice boredom can quickly set in which often leads to a lack of focus on the ice - some- thing Milton can ill-afford. "That (potential boredom) was the one thing I experienced with Caledon when we went to the Gregg Carrigan Dudley Hewitt Cup tournament a few years back in Timmins, " Carrigan recalled. "There was nothing to do up there and after playing cards in their hotel rooms for a few hours the guys quickly got bored and then discouraged. "Once your players don't want to be there (nationals) anymore your game focus is surely gone." With the Royal Bank Cup in picturesque Nanaimo, BC Carrigan and company shouldn't have much problem keeping their charges occupied and in good spirits on their off days. They're already planning site-seeing excursions to Victoria and surrounding areas on Sunday and Thursday. "When they're not playing I don't want the guys sitting in the arena sizing up the other teams, that's the coaches' job. They should have some fun," he stressed. Early indications are that the Merchants will have to contend with a great deal of speed and scoring ability in Nanaimo - par- ticularly from South Surrey, BC and Brockville, Ontario who'll represent Eastern Canada. South Surrey, who lost to host Summerside, PEI in last year's gold medal tilt, have tremendous depth and a couple of premier 20-year-old defencemen who average two points a game. Brockville is just as balanced with three effective lines. They were virtually unstoppable through the tail end of the regular sea- son and in the playoffs. Weyburn, Saskatchewan - who along with South Surrey make their retum to the Royal Bank Cup - were not expected to repeat as Western Canadian champs but nevertheless did so with a highly physical attack. The tournament hosts Nanaimo were put out early in the BC playdowns and haven't seen competition in almost two months. "It's fortunate for us that we see Nanaimo in our first round- robin game. It'll help us ease into the tournament," said Carrigan. The Merchants battle Nanaimo tomorrow night and continue round-robin play Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday against South Surrey, Brockville and Weybum respectively. Four of the five teams will advance to the semifinal round next Saturday, with the finals set for the following night. TSN will air the championship game at l p.m. We've delivered a ton. let us deliver your message for as little as Cal, KÂREr at