Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408190025
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem pitcher wasn't around when Jon Farrell's single scored pinch runner Dario Tena in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Bucs a 4-3 victory and a split of a doubleheader with the Winston-Salem Spirits in Carolina League baseball.
In the first game, Spirits pitcher Dave Tuttle, just down from Class AA Chattanooga, hurled a three-hitter and made a two-run homer by Toby Rumfield stand up for a 2-1 victory.
Parris, who has spent time on the 40-man rosters of Philadelphia and Seattle, gave up four four hits and one run in five innings. He left with a 3-1 lead, but that evaporated in the top of the seventh as Sean Evans issued three consecutive walks before Ricky Magdaleno stroked a two-run single.
``I'll take this anytime,'' said Parris, who was feeling no frustration as he iced his shoulder. ``To give just one run in five innings, this is probably the best I've thrown. I had my most consistent fastball. It was just one year ago today that I had shoulder surgery, so my shoulder is 1 year old.''
While Evans failed once again in his job as short reliever, the Bucs' pitching staff held offensive-minded Winston-Salem to two homers and five runs in the doubleheader. The Spirits had terrorized Carolina League pitchers for 185 homers before Rumfield's blast
``No one really hit the ball tonight. I know we hadn't had batting practice in two days and we had a day off before we came here,'' said Mark Berry, Winston-Salem's manager.
In the opener, each team had three hits. Salem just couldn't muster any offense until the seventh inning, when Reed Secrist slammed his eighth homer, a drive to left-center field with two out.
Tuttle, though, got Jeff Conger to bounce out, completing the Spirits' victory.
``He's been up and down, but he had a good fastball,'' Berry said of his pitcher, who was 2-9 in Class AA ball after going 3-2 with the Spirits this year.
Salem's Matt Ruebel, like Parris, deserved a better fate. He pitched 6 1/3 innings and worked his way out of a couple of sticky situations.
The Bucs' offense produced six hits in the first four innings of the second game, but Salem had to depend on an error to produce two unearned runs in the fourth inning.
The Bucs got a first-inning run when Chance Sanford doubled with two out and scored on a single by Jake Austin , who has been hot during this home stand that included a pair of bases-loaded homers against Prince William.
Winston-Salem tied it on a homer by Cleveland Ladell, before the Bucs scored a pair of runs in the fourth on an RBI single by Alan Purdy and sacrifice fly by Lou Collier.
In the seventh, Evans' wildness brought on Rich Townsend, who gave up a two-run single. On the play, though, Danny Clyburn threw out a runner at third, then Mitch House speared a liner at third and doubled a runner off first to get Salem out of the jam.
In the bottom of the inning, Austin singled to center, Clyburn dumped a short-fly single to right and Farrell delivered his game-winning hit.
``Parris should have gotten that victory,'' said Trent Jewett, Salem's manager. ``But I'm not worried. He's throwing the ball well and we got a chance for a couple of players [Clyburn and Farrell] to get clutch hits.''
There is one worry for Jewett. ``Sure, I'm concerned when our stopper doesn't throw strikes,'' he said of Evans.
BUCSHOTS:Salem closes the home stand with a single game tonight, when Dave Doorneweerd (5-7, 3.59) starts against the Spirits' Todd Egler (3-9, 7.63). ... Despite heavy rain in the morning, the Bucs' ground crew was up to the task and the doubleheader started on time at 6 p.m.
by CNB