                                ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996                   TAG: 9607050104
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-6  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT

AVALANCHE SHELLED

SALEM IS SHOCKED by news that reserve first baseman John Fantauzzi is retiring from baseball and rocked by the Winston-Salem Warthogs 7-3.

The fireworks in this Independence Day game actually began before the first pitch.

Salem reserve first baseman John Fantauzzi dropped a bombshell when he announced that he was retiring from baseball, becoming the second Avalanche player to do so this season. Outfielder Brian Culp retired a couple of months ago.

Winston-Salem then rained fireworks on the Avalanche during the game, jumping out to a 6-1 lead and cruising to a 7-3 victory in a Carolina League game Thursday night in front of a whopping 9,002 fans at Ernie Shore Field.

Salem (7-7) led 1-0 in the first inning when John Giudice smacked his 14th homer of the season - a two-out solo shot to left, but things went downhill after that.

D.C. Conner got the Warthogs started in the first inning off Salem starter Chandler Martin with a bunt single, taking second on a throwing error by Salem third baseman Tal Light. Conner came home on Yuri Sanchez's single to tie the score at one.

Marlon Allen's one-out single scored Sanchez for the second run and James Lofton's two-run single to right three batters later gave the Warthogs a 4-1 lead. Winston-Salem sent 10 men to the plate in the inning and left the bases loaded.

The Warthogs (6-8) added a couple of runs in the third. Justin Towle scored on Andre King's two-out double to right-center field for a 5-1 lead. King then scored on an infield single by Amador Arias to give the Warthogs a five-run lead.

Kyle Houser, who was 3-for-4 , and Pookie Jones each had RBI singles to account for Salem's other runs.

Brian Lott (6-7) picked up the win for the Warthogs. Martin (0-2) took the loss, giving up six runs on six hits in just three innings.

LENGTH: Short :   46 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  (headshots) Fantauzzi

by CNB