THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9506020688
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK NAEGELE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: MAUMEE, OHIO LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Missed opportunities and base-running mistakes proved costly for the Norfolk Tides, who dropped a 4-3, 10-inning decision to the host Columbus Clippers in an International League game Thursday night.
Don Sparks' single with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning scored Rich Barnwell with the winning run.
Barnwell led off the 10th against Bryan Rogers (3-1) with a single and was sacrificed to second. Rogers intentionally walked Todd Benzinger one out later before Sparks blooped a single just in front of centerfielder Carl Everett.
Dave Pavlas (2-1) got the final two outs in the top of the 10th to pick up the victory.
``We lost this game, we gift-wrapped it for them,'' Norfolk manager Toby Harrah said. ``We had the opportunity to put the game away two or three times. We haven't hit well with guys on base all season. We've had many opportunities, but we've only executed about half the time.''
The Tides stranded 10 runners on base, but that tells only part of the story.
Everett led off the 10th with a double, but Aaron Lesdesma failed to get down a sacrifice bunt, and Norfolk failed to score.
Ricky Otero singled and stole second with one out in the ninth but was left stranded.
Norfolk had runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the second, third and fifth innings but failed to score.
Even the Tides' big inning, a two-run sixth, ended prematurely when John Orton stopped at third base on Rey Ordonez's RBI single and was forced out when Otero went to third on the play.
``We should have been out of there after the ninth inning,'' Harrah said.
Ordonez's single in the sixth gave Norfolk a 3-0 lead. The hit followed Orton's run-scoring single.
The Tides took a 1-0 lead after Ordonez, who had singled, came home when Everett reached on an error in the first inning.
Norfolk starter Bill Pulsipher, meanwhile, was cruising with a two-hit shutout through five innings before Columbus tied in sixth with three runs. Jorge Posada's double to right-center drove in two, and Sparks' sacrifice fly scored Posada.
Pulsipher allowed six hits and three walks while matching a season-high with eight strikeouts in seven innings. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Boxscore [see microfilm]
by CNB