THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240601
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 56 lines
A little over a month ago, the only type of support Rick Reed found from the Norfolk Tides' bat rack came when looking for something to lean on between innings.
These days, those same Tides look like a bunch of Paul Bunyans swinging sequoias.
The Tides pounded Toledo Mud Hens pitching for 17 hits Tuesday night in a 13-2 victory at Harbor Park as Reed won his third consecutive start and Norfolk maintained its 1 1/2-game lead over Columbus in the International League West Division.
In Reed's last three starts, the Tides have scored 33 runs. In three starts in the middle of June, Norfolk mustered only two total runs.
``It catches up and evens out,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``We needed everything he gave us tonight. It was a 3-1 game until late. We were scratching and fighting before we broke it open.''
Reed went eight innings giving up two hits, one of those a home run by Tony Mitchell. It was Toledo's first hit and broke up a perfect game.
The Tides scored in the fourth when Kevin Roberson singled to right to score Matt Franco, who finished 4 for 5 with two runs batted in.
They added two more runs in the fifth when Shawn Gilbert drove in Luis Rivera with a single to left; Gary Thurman then scored when leftfielder Duane Singleton's throw to home sailed to the backstop.
Aggressive base-running and Gilbert's bat resulted in two more runs in the seventh. After Alberto Castillo walked and moved to second on a wild pitch, Thurman attempted a sacrifice bunt that turned into a base hit when he beat catcher Jeff Tackett's throw to first. Castillo, seeing Tackett out of position, scored from second on the bunt. Gilbert followed with a run-scoring double to left.
``Aggressive base-running got us to third,'' Valentine said. ``Heads up running got us to home.''
Toledo cut it to 5-2 in the eighth when Bubba Trammell walked to lead off, stole second and scored with two out when Terrell Lowery dropped a line drive by Tackett in the gap.
The Tides then sent 13 men to the plate in the eighth inning to break it open.
TIDAL WAVES: Roberto Petagine sat out Tuesday's game after being hit in the right elbow by a pitch Monday night. . . . Second baseman Jason Hardtke is ahead of schedule in rehabilitating a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He could be back in the lineup before the current home stand ends July 29. He was expected back Aug. 1. . . .
Outfielder Kevin Flora, disabled since May 28 because of surgery on his left wrist, could be back in the lineup before the end of this week. . . . Outfielder Jay Payton's surgically repaired elbow has been shut down throwing-wise, most likely for the remainder of the season, and he will be used as a designated hitter and pinch hitter for the rest of the year. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by BILL TIERNAN, The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk's Matt Franco slides home with the first of 13 Tides runs in
a win over Toledo Tuesday at Harbor Park. by CNB