THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 28, 1996 TAG: 9605280163
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 105 lines
It was Patriots' Day on Memorial Day as both First Colonial and Denbigh battled into extra innings Monday to win games and advance to the semifinals of the Eastern Region baseball tournament Monday at Old Dominion.
Indian River threw a scare into the Peninsula champion Denbigh Patriots, breaking a 5-5 tie with a run in the top of the 10th inning. But Denbigh came back with two runs in the bottom of the 10th for a 7-6 victory.
Then the First Colonial Patriots, the No. 2 seed from the Beach District, erupted for five runs in the eighth inning to down Maury 10-5.
The two winners will vie on Wednesday at 5 p.m. for a state tournament berth. First Colonial is seeking a spot for the fifth consecutive year.
In the opener, played in rain throughout and under lights most of the way, Southeastern District runner-up Indian River twice was unable to hold on to leads.
The Braves jumped to a 4-1 advantage in the top of the fourth. But Denbigh struck back for four in the bottom of the fifth.
Indian River pushed over a run in the sixth to send the game to extra innings, and in the 10th, Braves shortstop Kevin Chambley doubled into short leftfield, reached third on an infield error and scored as designated hitter Mike Edwards grounded out to shortstop.
In the bottom of the frame, unbeaten Indian River ace Keith Reynolds struck out Hayden Lee, walked Chris Phaup and then struck out Chris McDonough. The Braves were one out - possibly one pitch - from victory but Reynolds walked the next two batters.
He gave way to sophomore Chris Taylor, who issued a bases-loaded walk to Dennis Champagne and then surrendered a game-winning single, poked into right field by Mike Mars.
The loss was the first of the year for Reynolds (8-1), who battled control but did not allow a hit in the last 4 2/3 innings he pitched. He struck out 15, raising his season total to 102 in 56 2/3 innings.
``He was just pitching on heart at the end,'' said Indian River coach Steve West. ``We had him counted at 155 pitches early in the ninth inning.
``The game was just an emotional roller-coaster and all I can say is that I was never prouder of a team that lost.''
Denbigh (20-1) garnered seven hits off Reynolds.
Mars, a .436 hitter for the regular season, banged out three singles. Mars also started on the mound for Denbigh but was chased by the Braves in the sixth on a leadoff double by Edwards.
Mark Bender moved in from shortstop to pick up the victory, his third without a loss. It was his longest relief stint of the year.
Chambley had three hits for Indian River. Reynolds had two.
First Colonial broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fifth. The Eastern District champion Commodores came back with four in the sixth.
In the eighth, First Colonial bunched three hits with a Maury error and a hit batsman for five runs. The big blow was a bases-clearing double by Brad Tetlow.
Tetlow also had a two-run single to centerfield in the fifth.
Mike Cave and Aaron Ambrose both had two hits for Maury. The loss was the first of the year for Rick Hart (5-1).
Chuck Coulombe, the third First Colonial pitcher, gained his third win without a loss.
BILL LEFFLER Bethel and COx win big, will meet on Wednesday
NORFOLK - Bethel capitalized on Mike Cuddyer's early wildness and six Great Bridge errors to score a season-high 16 runs and advance to the semifinals.
The Bruins will meet Cox, which stopped Lake Taylor 7-1, Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.
Bethel (17-4) scored six runs in the first inning on only one hit. Cuddyer walked five and was victimized by his defense, which botched a pair of double-play opportunities.
Cuddyer started in place of John Curtice, who suffered a bruised kidney and fractured rib in Thursday's Southeastern District final.
Curtice said he could have played, but Great Bridge coach Martin Oliver demurred.
``When we got down like we did, I decided I wasn't going to play John. He's disappointed. I hope he understands.''
Great Bridge (15-5-1) cut the margin to 6-2 in the second inning but Bethel added two runs in the third and three in the fourth to chase Cuddyer.
``It was just a bad game all around,'' Cuddyer said. ``Just pitiful.''
Craig Grainger, Josh Brantley and Norm Martel combined for nine hits and eight RBIs for Bethel.
It was Oliver's last game in a 31-year career at Great Bridge. He will become athletic director at the new Hickory High School this fall.
Cox's Jeff Tignor and Tim Lavigne combined on a two-hitter in a game halted after 5 1/2 innings by rain. The Falcons scored five runs in the first and posted their 17th straight victory. Every Cox starter except designated hitter Frank McDonnell either scored a run, batted one in or both.
Lake Taylor (12-8) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Robbie Hale walked and went to third on an error. Vershaun Brown intentionally was caught in a rundown between first and second and Hale scored before Brown was tagged.
Cox (22-1) responded with five runs on only three hits off Hale in the bottom of the first.
Levine singled and Ted Tignor reached on an error. David Wilson singled in Lavigne and Tignor scored when Paul Jimenez threw wildly to the plate. Jason Dubois walked and Aaron Strausbaugh followed with a single, driving in Wilson. Dubois scored on a wild pitch, with Strausbaugh going to third, and Jeff Tignor's groundout scored Strausbaugh.
ROBIN BRINKLEY ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
First Colonial's Parker Friske beats the tag of Maury's Fred Bertsch
to score in the fourth inning of his team's 10-inning, 7-6 win
Monday. by CNB