
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990                   TAG: 9005160237
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ERROR-PRONE BUCCANEERS GIVE ONE AWAY

The hitting was there and, for the most part, so was the pitching, but the third component - defense - eluded the Salem Buccaneers in a 9-8 Carolina League baseball loss to the Durham Bulls on Tuesday night at Municipal Field.

The Bucs (14-20) committed three errors in the fifth inning - two of them critical - allowing Durham (19-14) to score six unearned runs and erase a five-run deficit.

"We gave them the game," said Stan Cliburn, the Bucs' manager. "Too many outs in one inning. You let them get back in the game and it'll come back to haunt you."

Taking a 6-1 lead into the fifth, Bucs starter John Latham walked Ken Harring. After Dan Snover singled, Salem recorded an out. But Popeye Coles reached on an error by first baseman Ben Shelton to load the bases.

Latham walked Mike Mordecai to force in Harring. The Bucs got the second out when Keith Mitchell hit into a fielder's choice, but Snover scored to make it 6-3.

Salem shortstop Mike Huyler booted Brian Champion's grounder, allowing Coles to score. Edwin Alicea, who was 4-for-4 with four RBI, followed with a three-run homer to left to give Durham a 7-6 lead.

The Bulls got just two hits off Latham in the inning.

The Bucs made it 7-7 in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Shelton and Huyler with two out.

Neither team scored in the sixth, but Durham struck again in the seventh.

Alicea got a two-out single off Bucs reliever Brent Honeywell. Then catcher Brian Deak crushed a pitch over the scoreboard in left field to put the Bulls up 9-7.

A solo homer by Huyler (3-for-4 with two RBI) cut the margin to one in the bottom of the eighth, and the Bucs looked as if they might rally again in the ninth.

Domingo Merejo beat out an infield hit to start the inning, but designated hitter Tim Hines hit a grounder to second baseman Kevin Castleberry, who tagged out Merejo then doubled up Hines at first.

Mandy Romero walked, but Durham reliever Rodney Richey struck out Chris Estep to notch his fourth save.

Eddie Mathews, who pitched the sixth and seventh innings and gave up just a single to Hines, picked up his first victory of the season. Honeywell (2-1) took the loss.

The Bucs jumped to a 6-0 lead after two innings. They scored five runs on five hits in the second and chased Durham starter Brian Cummings after just 1 innings.

\ DURHAM SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Coles rf4100 Sims cf3211 Mordecai ss4001 Schreiber 3b4110 Mitchell cf4211 Merejo lf5123 Champion 1b5110 Hines dh5021 Alicea lf4244 Romero c3000 Deak c5112 Williams pr0000 Harring 3b3110 Estep rf5000 Snover dh4120 Shelton 1b3110 Castleberry 2b3000 Huyler ss4232 McNabb 2b4110 Totals36 9 10 8 Totals 36 8 11 7

Durham000 160 200-9 Salem150 010 010-8

E-Mordecai, Huyler, Shelton, Merejo. DP- Durham 1, Salem 1. LOB-Durham 6, Salem 6. 2B-Sims, Shelton, Huyler 2, Mitchell. HR-Deak (2), Alicea (3), Huyler (2). SB-Sims (11). IP HRERBBSO Durham Cummings 144431 Watson 343216 Mathews W, 1-0 210002 Richey S, 4 221111 Salem Latham 547142 Honeywell L, 2-1 342212 Duncan 120000

HBP-Schreiber by Cummings. WP-Watson.

Umpires-Home, Irvin; bases, Vestal, Langley.

T-2:41. A-1,606.

by CNB