THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 9, 1994 TAG: 9407090370
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MATT MICHAEL, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Maybe it was the heat - 96 degrees at game time.
Maybe it was jet lag. Both teams had arrived in town Friday.
Whatever it was, it was ugly. The two teams combined for 11 errors Friday night as the Norfolk Tides edged the Syracuse Chiefs, 8-7, before 3,729 fans at stifling MacArthur Stadium.
``I'll take the win,'' said Tides manager Bobby Valentine. ``There were some decent efforts lost in the sloppy play, but it really wasn't the kind of caliber of baseball you want to see at the Triple-A level.''
``They looked like two teams that were out in the bar too long,'' Chiefs manager Bob Didier said. ``They played hard; we played hard. It went down to the last at-bat.''
With Syracuse runners at first and second in the bottom of the ninth, Norfolk reliever Mike Cook caught Jason Townley looking to end the game.
``I was wishing for a strikeout there because the infield wasn't in good shape and it was so hazy in the outfield that I didn't want him to make good contact,'' said Cook, who notched his 11th save.
With the score tied at 5 in the top of the seventh, Syracuse reliever Joel Johnston (0-2) walked the bases loaded with one out. Quilvio Veras hit a ground ball toward shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who lifted his glove off the ground at the last second, allowing the ball to roll into the outfield for an error.
So instead of a possible inning-ending double play, Omar Garcia and Tito Navarro scored the tie-breaking runs. Butch Huskey scored on Doug Dascenzo's fielder's choice to make it 8-5.
The Tides, who have won four consecutive games, nearly handed the game back to Syracuse in the bottom of the eighth. With two out and the bases loaded, Gonzalez hit a catchable pop-up that fell between centerfielder Navarro, shortstop Aaron Ledesma and second baseman Veras. Two runs scored, making it 8-7. After Pete Walker walked Marty Pevey to reload the bases, Cook struck out Robert Perez to end the threat.
Norfolk reliever Jon Hurst (4-2) earned the victory with one scoreless inning.
Norfolk committed six errors; the Chiefs five.
Thanks to errors by Syracuse starter Scott Brow and centerfielder Rich Butler, Norfolk scored two runs without a hit in the top of the first inning.
In the bottom of the second, Tides leftfielder Dascenzo booted the ball after Joe Lis' single, allowing Howard Battle to score the Chiefs' first run.
Norfolk increased its lead to 4-1 in the top of the fourth on Dascenzo's run-scoring ground out and Ledesma's RBI single.
Syracuse made it 4-2 in the bottom of that inning on Lis' two-out, run-scoring double.
The Tides added a run in the top of the fifth on Garcia's RBI double. Norfolk loaded the bases with nobody out, but Huskey and Parker popped out, and Dascenzo lined out to Battle at third to end the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Tides second baseman Parker allowed Butler's leadoff grounder to scoot through his legs, opening the door for three unearned runs.
Brow allowed five runs (three earned) in five innings. Roa deserved a better fate as he allowed one earned run in five innings.
The Tides and Chiefs will conclude their two-game series at 7 tonight at MacArthur Stadium. Dave Telgheder (6-5, 4.45 ERA) will start for Norfolk against Joe Ganote (1-2, 4.31). ILLUSTRATION: STANDINGS
[For a copy of the chart, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB