Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 12, 1993 TAG: 9308120106
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A difficult Carolina League campaign became more so Wednesday as the Lynchburg Red Sox came from behind in the last two innings to defeat the Bucs 5-3 with 1,135 in attendance at Salem Municipal Field.
The Bucs (19-28) lost for the eighth time in 11 outings and tumbled into the Southern Division cellar, eight games behind front-running Kinston.
The Bucs led 3-2 in the top of the eighth before the game fell apart on them.
With one out and Lynchburg's Bob Juday on second base and Felix Colon on first, a ball off the bat of Doug Hecker nicked pitcher Dennis Konuszewski and dribbled to second baseman Don Garvey. Colon hesitated as the throw went to first to retire Hecker. With Colon hung up and a double play apparently in the making, first baseman Mike Brown threw wide of second as Juday chugged in to tie the score.
"Mike Brown was trying as hard as he could, but it just happened," Salem manager Scott Little said. "That's why guys are in Class A ball - to learn."
In this case, that's learning the hard way because with the door left ajar, the Red Sox sauntered through in the ninth.
With Konuszewski - one of the Bucs' more effective relievers in the second half of the season - still pitching, eighth-place batter Jose Zambrano cranked a one-out home run to left-center field to put Lynchburg ahead for the first time.
"It was a fastball right down the middle," the Venezuelan center fielder said. "It's the only thing I can hit."
Zambrano, a .254 hitter with eight homers was speaking only partly in jest, but he was trying to make a point.
"He's a streaky hitter," Red Sox manager Mark Meleski said. "When he tries to pull everything, he pulls off pitches and they get him with the outside pitch. But if he stays in there, like he did there, he can hit it very hard."
Zambrano just shrugged.
"The hitting coach tells me to keep my shoulder right on the pitcher," he said. "I have to listen to him."
Lead padding came with a two-out run-scoring single from Juday. Dan Gakeler, a former big-leaguer, came on to work the ninth and earn his eighth save.
Down the tubes for Salem went a 3-for-5, one homer, two-RBI effort from John Farrell and seven innings of six-hit, two-run pitching from Dan Jones.
"Jones should have gotten the `W,' " Little said.
That's not the only should-have-been these Bucs have had to live with this year.
\ BUCSHOTS: Salem's Joe Ronca, who went 1-for-4 with an error while playing third base, will be suspended for two games starting today for his part in a brawl in Frederick last week. The Keys' Basilio Ortiz also will be sidelined for two games because of his actions in the incident. Fines have not been announced. . . . Salem will be getting a third baseman or second baseman from Augusta today, identity unknown. He will fill in for Ronca and Chance Sanford, who is out (but not on the disabled list) with a twisted ankle.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB