Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 28, 1990 TAG: 9004280254
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I've been dreaming of being in the big leagues since I was little. But everyone does or they wouldn't be in this business," DiPoto said.
If DiPoto keeps pitching like he has the first 15 days of the Carolina League baseball season, his dream will come true. He pitched his fourth strong game Friday night and beat Salem 5-1 in front of a crowd of 5,901 on Miller Beer's benefit night for the Big Brothers and Sisters program.
There were two big moments for DiPoto (3-0), who has a 1.03 earned run average.
One came after he gave up a long home run to Salem's Domingo Merejo leading off the fourth inning. The Indians' right-hander then struck out the next three Bucs and began the fifth inning by striking out Chris Estep.
The other came in the seventh and was the game's most dramatic moment. Down 4-1 with two out, Salem started a rally that put a stir in the crowd.
After Estep walked and Mike Huyler singled to left, Salem manager Stan Cliburn went to Keith Raisanen as a pinch hitter. On a two-ball, two-strike pitch, DiPoto's curve stayed up and Raisanen belted it. Foul. Raisanen then struck out.
"As soon as I let it go, I knew I had hung it," DiPoto said. "He got around on it so quick, but I knew it was foul as soon as it was hit. If I had put it more to the center of the plate, it would have been a homer."
Said Cliburn, "Keith hit it right off the end of the bat and it had a big duck hook at the end. Keith's the type who can bust one when he gets his pitch and we needed something like that."
\ BUCSHOTS: Kinston's Tommy Kramer (2-1) pitches against Salem's Butch Schlopy (1-2) in the third game of the series tonight at 7. There will be a Youth League Clinic at 4:30 this afternoon. KINSTON SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Oder ss4001 Sims cf3010 Bautista 2b5000 Schreiber 3b4010 Lavis c3221 Merejo lf4121 Verdugo dh4010 Morrison dh4000 Tepper 1b4130 Romero c4000 Lane cf3101 Shelton 1b3000 Zambrano rf4120 Estep rf2000 Ramos lf4011 Huyler ss3010 Foster 3b4010 Bailey 2b2000 Raisanen ph1000 Williams 2b0000 Totals36 5 10 4 Totals 30 1 5 1
Kinston001 201 010-5 Salem000 100 000-1
E-Huyler, Buckholz, Felix. DP-Kinston 1. LOB-Kinston 6, Salem 5. HR-Levis (1), Merejo (4). S-Oder. SF-Lane. IP HRERBBSO Kinston DiPoto W,3-0 751138 Kiser 200002 Salem Buckholz L,2-2 684301 Felix 321002
WP-Buckholz 2, Felix.
Umpires-Home, Vestal; bases, Irvin.
T-2:21. A-5,901.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB