THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 19, 1996 TAG: 9608190166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HERB WHITE, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: FORT MILL, S.C. LENGTH: 41 lines
The Norfolk Tides fell victim to the perfect baseball combination - power and speed - as the Charlotte Knights prevented a sweep of the three-game series with a 4-3 victory Sunday.
The loss dropped the Tides (71-56) three games behind Columbus in the International League's Western Division, with East-leading Pawtucket in town for a three-game series beginning tonight.
On a day when Norfolk starter Rick Reed gave up an uncharacteristic three home runs, Charlotte's Jose Olmeda had the game's most important play, beating out a double-play grounder in the eighth inning to score Russ Mormon with the eventual winning run.
``It was a well-pitched game and they scored last,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``That ground ball at the end was a double-play ball, we didn't turn the double play, they scored a run and that was it.''
With the game tied 3-3, Mormon gambled and turned a single into a hustle double, then advanced to third on Jerry Brooks' single. After Norfolk reliever Mike Welch struck out Chris Sheff for the first out, Olmeda hit comebacker to Welch, who threw to second, forcing Brooks. Olmeda beat the relay to first as Mormon crossed to make it 4-3.
Don Pall worked the scoreless ninth for his 14th save, making a winner of Yorkis Perez (3-0), who got Kevin Roberson to fly out with the bases loaded in the eighth. Welch (0-1) took the loss.
What was supposed to be a pitchers' duel between Reed and Charlotte's Kurt Miller started out more like a home run-hitting contest.
The Knights had three home runs in the first four innings, and the Tides used a two-run homer by Roberson in the second to erase a 1-0 deficit created by Chris Clapinski's homer. Matt Franco's run-scoring single in the third made it 3-1 Tides.
Charlotte came back in the fourth with homers by Brooks and Olmeda to tie the game at 3-3.
The Knights had an opportunity to break the deadlock in the sixth inning, loading the bases with one out, but Reed, who had given up just nine homers before Sunday, retired Lou Lucca and Erik Johnson to quash the rally. by CNB