Country Music Star Singles for Royals

Country music star Garth Brooks had a new hit Thursday. Brooks had fans on their feet and cheering after he singled in the Kansas City Royals' 10-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners. At

Friday, March 12th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Country music star Garth Brooks had a new hit Thursday.

Brooks had fans on their feet and cheering after he singled in the Kansas City Royals' 10-7 loss to the Seattle Mariners.

At Peoria, Ariz., Brooks came in as a pinch hitter against left-hander Mike Myers in the ninth inning, hitting a grounder to shortstop Adam Jones. The rookie covered some ground up the middle to field the ball, and first baseman Dave Hansen couldn't quite make the catch.

It was ruled a hit, boosting Brooks to 2-for-42 in spring training games for the San Diego Padres, New York Mets and Royals. He's 1-for-3 this spring.

``I was even more surprised than the pitcher,'' said Brooks, whose only previous hit was a single off Mike Sirotka of the Chicago White Sox on March 21, 1999.

Fans cheered, and someone flipped the ball to the 42-year-old Brooks as he removed his helmet and left for a pinch runner. He was limping slightly, saying later that he'd aggravated a hamstring he initially pulled last week.

``He might have a few days in the ice bucket,'' Seattle manager Bob Melvin said.

Myers was good-natured about giving up the hit.

``He's a friend of mine, from being involved with his foundation,'' Myers said. ``So it was one for charity. Hey, the fans had fun, and you're paid to entertain.''

Seattle minor leaguer Luis Ugueto hit a two-run homer, breaking a 6-6 tie in the sixth, then added a two-RBI single in the seventh.

In other games:

Orioles 10, Red Sox 8

At Fort Myers, Fla., Miguel Tejada drove in three runs with a homer and a double before leaving with a strained leg muscle. Tejada, who has the longest active consecutive games played streak in the major leagues at 594, said he'll play Saturday at home in Fort Lauderdale against the New York Mets.

Two other Orioles sustained minor injuries. Luis Lopez, Tejada's replacement, left with a leg cramp, and third baseman Melvin Mora was bruised above his left elbow when he was hit by a pitch.

Tejada, Jay Gibbons and B.J. Surhoff each hit a two-run homer while starter Rodrigo Lopez retired all nine batters he faced for the win.

Reds 6, Blue Jays 3

At Dunedin, Fla., Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first home run of the spring, a 440-foot drive in the sixth off Jayson Durocher that traveled over the indoor batting cages beyond the fence in right-center field.

The center fielder has been hurt each of his four seasons in Cincinnati. He has had five major injuries in the last three seasons, including a dislocated shoulder last April 5 and a torn ankle tendon on July 17 that required season-ending surgery.

Marlins 5, Twins 4

At Jupiter, Fla., Miguel Cabrera hit his second homer of spring training and Carl Pavano combined with four relievers on a five-hitter. The World Series champions are 7-2, outscoring opponents 61-26.

Indians 6, Braves 5

At Winter Haven, Fla., Atlanta's Jaret Wright, facing his former team for the first time, struck out six in three innings.

Cardinals 13, Dodgers 8

At Vero Beach, Fla., Reggie Sanders returned to the Cardinals following the birth of his daughter and homered twice off Kazuhisa Ishii.

Astros 5, Pirates (ss) 4

At Kissimmee, Fla., Andy Pettitte faced the minimum nine batters in his second outing of spring training. Pettitte pitched shutout ball, allowing one hit and striking out two.

Devil Rays 5, Phillies (ss) 4

At St. Petersburg, Fla., Robert Fick homered off Dan Giese in the 10th, and Jose Cruz Jr. also homered for the Devil Rays.

Pirates (ss) 6, Phillies (ss) 2

At Clearwater, Fla., prospects Sean Burnett and John Van Benschoten combined for five shutout innings.

Brewers 4, Athletics 1

At Phoenix, Mark Mulder made his first appearance since breaking his right leg last August, pitching three innings. Mulder, coming back from a stress fracture near the hip in his right leg, gave up one run and three hits.

Angels 5, Diamondbacks 0

At Tempe, Ariz., Bartolo Colon allowed one hit and one walk in 3 2-3 innings and struck out two. Troy Glaus sprained his right ankle running to third base on Adam Kennedy's fourth-inning single. Glaus tried to recover and reach third, but pulled up and was tagged out. He walked off the field and is day to day. Vladimir Guerrero was hit by an Elmer Dessens pitch in the first and left after the inning because of a bruised left forearm.

Rockies 13, Cubs 3

At Mesa, Ariz., Kit Pellow hit his third homer of the spring and added a two-run single.

Giants 5, Rangers 3

At Surprise, Ariz., Chan Ho Park gave up a home run and a run-scoring single to Pedro Feliz. Brian Jordan got his first hits since singing with the Rangers, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single.

Padres 5, White Sox 4

At Tucson, Ariz., Ben Risinger hit a tiebreaking triple in the eighth inning and Jose Nieves went 4-for-4.

Tigers 3, Yankees 2

At Tampa, Fla, New York Yankees' offseason aquisition Javier Vazquez gave up two hits in four shutout innings, but Bobby Higginson had an RBI double for Detroit.

Expos 3, Mets 2

At Port St. Lucie, Fla., Larry Broadway drove in two runs with a broken-bat single in the ninth inning to give Montreal a come-from-behind win.