THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 18, 1995 TAG: 9508180545
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE WISEMAN, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: FORT MILL, S.C. LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
The sprinklers at Knights Castle were aimed at the wrong team Thursday night.
The sprinklers dumped water on Norfolk in the middle of a two-run Charlotte rally that helped the red-hot Knights win, 4-2, completing a three-game sweep. While last-place Charlotte has won six straight, the International League West-leading Tides have lost seven of their last 11.
The Knights may have been helped by a seventh-inning incident where the sprinklers came on and delayed play for eight minutes. The Knights led 2-0 at the time and Tides pitcher Paul Wilson allowed two more runs when play resumed.
``He was up around 120 pitches or so,'' Norfolk manager Toby Harrah said of Wilson.
``That might have had something to do with it. He got tired.''
The water came on with two outs in the seventh, dampening the infield. The mound's dirt turned to mud, requiring a healthy dose of Diamond Dry.
``I've seen it happen before,'' Tides third baseman Butch Huskey said, ``mainly when the pitcher is going good. I don't know if they did plan it because they had a two-run lead. He came out and I guess it messed his timing up a bit.''
Wilson returned to the mound and walked Rod Brewer. Russ Morman lined a run-scoring single. Bob Zupcic also grounded a single to centerfield.
Morman was caught between second and third and was tagged out, but not before pinch-runner Nick Capra scored for a 4-0 Knights lead.
Norfolk scored two runs in the eighth when Derek Lee slammed a two-run home run, his second pinch-hit blast of the series.
Kevin Morgan started the inning with a line-drive single that bounced off Charlotte relief pitcher Mark Davis. The ball hit the 1989 Cy Young Award winner on the left wrist. He left the game immediately and went to the hospital for X-rays.
Lee hit his home run off Mike Zimmerman. But the Tides managed only three hits the rest of the game. Charlotte starter Richie Lewis, just down from the Florida Marlins, allowed one hit over the first six innings.
``We're just not hitting the ball well right now,'' Harrah said.
Charlotte jumped ahead when Wilson struggled in the first inning, walking Doug Dascenzo, Brewer and Zupcic.
With two outs, Terry Jorgensen lined a double down the leftfield line for a 2-0 Knights lead.
Wilson allowed hits in six of the seven innings he started. But Charlotte never managed more than one hit in an inning until the seventh. by CNB