THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604120753
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
In holding the Columbus Clippers hitless for six innings, Mike Gardiner relied at times on the fleet feet and soft hands of centerfielder Gary Thurman and rightfielder Alex Ochoa.
Then, when things got dicey in the seventh, the Norfolk Tides turned to the fellows who spend a large part of their time looking at Ochoa's backside.
After Gardiner yielded two runs on three hits in the seventh, relievers Derek Wallace, Brian Bark and Joe Ausanio finished what he'd begun.
Wallace and Bark pitched two-thirds of an inning each, and Ausanio came on in the ninth to preserve a 3-2 victory Thursday afternoon at Harbor Park.
The Tides ended their seven-game, season-opening home stand at 5-2 and immediately headed to Charlotte, where they will play a three-game series beginning at 7:05 tonight before heading to Ottawa, then Syracuse. They return to Harbor Park on April 22.
For Ausanio, it was a chance to make up for taking a victory away from Gardiner last Friday. Ausanio had come on in relief against Toledo, only to give up a game-tying run before the Tides came back to win 4-2.
``Mike pitched his tail off again today,'' he said. ``He deserved the win, and I'm happy I could help.''
Gardiner was near perfect through six innings, with hit batsman Tim McIntosh in the sixth the only Clipper to reach base. And, yes, Thurman and Ochoa played co-starring roles in those six innings of mastery.
Thurman made a lunging catch of a sinking line drive by McIntosh in the second inning. Ochoa made running grabs in the gap on line drives by Bubba Carpenter and Kevin Northrup to end the fourth and fifth innings.
Ochoa and Thurman helped at the plate too.
The Tides scored twice in the fourth off Columbus starter Kent Wallace. Ochoa led off with a single, and Matt Franco followed with a double to the gap in right. Kevin Morgan's sacrifice fly to center scored Ochoa, and Thurman singled to left to score Franco.
Roberto Petagine homered over the bullpen in right in the fifth, making it 3-0.
Columbus designated hitter Marc Marini broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff double to the gap in left. After Carpenter flied out to center, Ruben Rivera singled to left to score Marini. Gardiner struck out McIntosh, but Ivan Cruz followed with a run-scoring double to right, necessitating a call to the bullpen.
Ausanio earned his second save, both coming against his former team during the four-game series.
``No question it was in the back of my mind,'' said Ausanio, who was in the New York Yankees' organization the last two years. ``They basically got rid of me. I was out to show Columbus, New York and the Mets that I can get big-league hitters out. People are always out there looking for pitching.'' by CNB