Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 23, 1990 TAG: 9006230272
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
Friday night at Calfee Park, that same right wing was stout enough to pitch six innings of one-run relief as the 20-year-old gained his first professional baseball victory. That gave the Pulaski Braves their first Appalachian League win of the season, 5-2 over the Bluefield Orioles.
"I thought I threw pretty good," said Williams, a 6-foot, 220-pounder from Marked Tree, Ark. "The breaking ball wasn't working very well in the early innings so I had to stay with the fastball.
"Later, the curve and offspeed stuff started to work, and I used that to keep the hitters off balance."
Williams would have had every excuse to be a little out of kilter in what was, except for extended spring training work this year, his professional debut. Coming to the Braves organization out of West Ark Community College, he arrived with an out-of-whack shoulder.
"Rotator cuff problems," he said. "I went to Bradenton [Fla.] last year and didn't pitch at all, just threw on the side and played long toss."
Even with that scant use, the shoulder didn't cooperate, and tendinitis set in over the winter. Down the tubes went most of spring training.
Williams' longevity in relief of starter Henry Werland - who had reached his pitch limit with 57 tosses after six strikeouts and no hits - was more than a little surprising.
"[Braves manager] Randy Ingle started asking me every inning after the seventh, `Are you OK?' And I kept telling him, `I feel fine,' " Williams said.
He looked fine. Williams yielded five hits, striking out five and walking none while giving up one run in the sixth.
"It was an outstanding pitching performance," Ingle said.
In contrast to their six-error performance opening night, the Braves played extremely well. Leadoff man Brian Kowitz had two hits, including a solo homer he sent over the fence in right. Shortstop Hector Roa doubled, tripled, scored and drove in a run.
Catcher Wallace Gonzales, in his second tour of duty at Pulaski, blasted a one-out homer to right to make the score 3-1 in the fifth. Gonzalez's shot came with two strikes.
"He battled the guy with two strikes," Ingle said. "We tell them to choke up with two strikes and just try to put it in play, and that's what he did."
Pulaski (1-1) played flawless defense. The Braves sealed the victory with two runs in the sixth.
\ BRAVES BRIEFS: Pulaski continues the series against the Orioles at Bowman Field in Bluefield the next two nights. Scheduled to pitch for Pulaski are right-hander Keith Morrison tonight and Brett Grebe on Sunday.
Bluefield 010001000-252 Pulaski 10101200x-580
Anderson, Egelson (6th), O'Connell (8th) and Zaun. Werland, Williams (4th) and Gonzalez. W - Williams (1-0). L-Anderson (0-1). HR - Kowitz (P), 3rd, none on; Gonzalez (P), 5th, none on.
by CNB