Baseball in the new downtown stadium may still be months away, but Baltimore County Sheriff Norman Pepersack today was using the lure of free tickets to Opening Day as bait to trap fugitive fathers.

Pepersack last week sent out 360 letters to the best and most current addresses he had for 800 fathers delinquent on their county court-ordered child support payments.

The letters, from a fictitious organization named "Grand Slammers," notified the recipient that he had won two tickets to Opening Day and was eligible for two free season tickets for the 1992 season. All he had to do was show up today at the Towson American Legion Hall, off the 100 block of York Road, or mail back the enclosed postcard.

By noon today, Pepersack said, two men had reported to the hall, and deputies picked up two more who had returned the postcards. A fifth wanted man, not responding to the sting, turned himself in at the sheriff's office.

Pepersack said three of those arrested were taken to jail after hearings before Circuit Court Judge John Grason Turnbull 2nd, on bail equaling the amounts of money they owe. Two others were awaiting hearings.

Pepersack said one man of the five is $10,000 behind on his payments, another $8,000 behind, two more about $3,000 and the fifth slightly more than $1,000.