Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 26, 1993 TAG: 9307260152
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium
Curtis Goodwin of the Frederick Keys - the jet-propelled outfielder, the runaway league leader with 52 stolen bases, and the circuit's best leadoff man now that former Salem Buccaneer Tony Womack is collecting a Class AA paycheck at Carolina - has suddenly found his power stroke.
Goodwin's two-run homer off strickened hometown hero John Hrusovsky of the Winston-Salem Spirits in the top of the seventh inning rallied the Northern Division past the Southern Division in a league All-Star game the Northerners won 6-3 at Ernie Shore Field.
"I just hit my first home run at home last night against Winston-Salem," said Goodwin, the game's most valuable player as voted by the media. "It was kind of surprising tonight that I went the opposite way with it. I've been lifting some weights back in Frederick."
Tate Seefried of the Prince William Cannons hit home runs in his last two at-bats to give the Northerners their last two runs, but that change any MVP votes.
The Southerners had a chance to get back into it in the eighth but Mike Brown of the Bucs, the king of the pregame home run contest, struck out looking to strand Mike Warner of Durham at third.
Just before the fatal pitch from Matt Dunbar of Prince William, Brown had socked a moonball that drifted foul as it crossed the fence in right.
"The next pitch, I was looking to hit the ball the opposite way," Brown said. "I got a curveball up and in. I knew it was ball three; the catcher [Jorge Posada of the Cannons] knew it was ball three. But [plate umpire] Joel [Fincher] rang me up anyway."
As it happened, another Buc, catcher Angelo Encarnacion, made the final out on a grounder to third.
Six Bucs played, with varying degrees of success. Esteban Loaiza pitched a perfect third. Doug Harrah gave up two hits and a run as the Northerners closed a 3-1 deficit to one run in the fifth. Jason Christiansen pitched his way out of a bases-loaded mess of his own making in the eighth. And Ken Bonifay, who started at third base, went 0-for-3 and grounded into a double play.
Loaiza pitched 6 1/3 innings to beat Wilmington on Thursday.
"I knew I would pitch only one inning tonight," he said. "I felt great and stayed loose. I tried to make them hit it on the ground and I tried not to overthrow."
Christiansen just rolled his eyes and smiled when asked about his labors. "I was trying to have fun. I was too busy talking to people."
The Northerners took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Lynchburg's Jose Malave in the first. The Southerners answered in the second on an RBI double by Durham's Joe Ayrault that plated Winston-Salem's Chad Mottola, who had also doubled.
Both would have gotten MVP consideration if the Southerners had won. Ayrault had a solo homer in the fourth that put his team up 3-1. Mottola ended with three hits.
Goodwin started the rally in the fifth with a one-out double. He went to third on a wild pitch by Harrah, then scored on a groundout by the Keys' Alex Ochoa.
"Love that speed," said Northern manager Ron Johnson of the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Goodwin said he felt a hot streak coming on.
"I'll be in Salem Tuesday to tear them up," he said. \
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB