Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 31, 1993 TAG: 9308310240
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem Buccaneers' French-Canadian right-hander probably was tempted to start cussing a blue streak after the Prince William Cannons flogged the Bucs bullpen unmercifully in a 15-3 Carolina League victory Monday night at Municipal Field.
For LaPlante, who turned over a perfectly good 3-2 lead to the pen in the eighth, the dictionary of French profanity might not have sufficed.
"The guy did his job," Salem manager Scott Little said. "Strong outing for him."
Not so for the pen, which imploded on impact in the eighth. Thoughtful parents might have been advised to cover the eyes of their youngsters.
First came Jason Christiansen, who succumbed to an apparently tightened strike zone, walking four and giving up five runs, four earned.
Christiansen has been a most reliable setup man this year.
"I'd bring Christiansen into that situation any time," Little said.
The next fall guy was stopper Marc Pisciotta, who did not record an out. He was tagged for four runs on two hits, none of the runs earned.
Kevin Rychel came in after most of the damage had been done and he finished the game with four runs, three of them unearned.
The pitching wasn't the only problem, obviously. Three Salem errors led to nine unearned runs.
Prince William had but 10 hits.
But that was more than the Bucs, who were held to five, one by former University of Virginia left-hander Keith Seiler, who worked the last 3 1/3 innings for the victory.
LaPlante pitched the first seven innings, giving up runs in the second - unearned - and sixth and scattering four hits. He also struck out five.
Little, who had been thrown out in the eighth for arguing balls and strikes, saw a glimmer of good news for LaPlante.
"He'll have the opportunity to bounce back from this when he pitches the last game of the season [Saturday]," he said.
There was no bouncing back from the nightmare eighth for the Bucs.
"I had come back to the office and I was reading the paper because I was [mad]," Little said. "I'd been doing that for a good while before I decided I better go back out so I could see our next at bat.
"Chance [Sanford] was just then throwing a guy out to end the ending. I looked up at the scoreboard and realized that that was the end of the inning I'd just been thrown out of."
Those 35-minute innings will get you every time.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB