DATE: Tuesday, May 6, 1997                  TAG: 9705060452

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   58 lines

HAPPY-HITTING TIDES STILL A HIT NORFOLK HAS BATTED .321 AS A TEAM OVER THEIR LAST EIGHT GAMES.

The pitching staff is still short one starter. And the bullpen is thin on bodies. But otherwise, the Norfolk Tides are looking pretty healthy.

They won another game Monday night at Harbor Park, racing to a 12-0 lead before holding on for a 12-9 victory over the Richmond Braves.

In doing so:

First baseman Roberto Petagine hit his fourth home run in four games and went 3 for 3, raising his average to .277 - 98 points higher than a week ago - while moving into third place in the International League in RBIs with 26.

Shortstop Luis Lopez extended his hitting streak to 10 games while raising his batting average to .330, which is among the top 10 in the IL.

Outfielder Wes Chamberlain, who joined the team four games ago, is 7 for 16 and has added some serious pop to the middle of the Tides' order.

And the Tides (18-13) stung Richmond pitcher Chris Brock, who came in with a league-best 5-0 record, with his first loss.

``It's a great feeling when everybody gets in a good atmosphere with the bat,'' Lopez said.

``We've been swinging at good pitches lately and it seems Roberto gets us going every night.''

Was there any doubt Petagine wouldn't eventually turn it around?

Not in Tides manager Rick Dempsey's mind.

``I managed against him in the Pacific Coast League and he hit there, so I knew he could hit,'' Dempsey said.

``That's why I left him in the No. 4 spot and waited for this to happen.''

Norfolk struck for seven runs in the first two innings and chased Brock after 1 1/3 innings of work.

Much of Brock's trouble was self-inflicted.

He walked three, hit a batter and unleashed two wild pitches, one that let in a run.

But when he found the plate, the Tides made him pay, too.

Lopez and Jason Hardtke delivered run-scoring singles in the second and Benny Agbayani drove in two runs after Hardtke stole second.

Brock was done for the night after Petagine's two-run homer to right.

The Tides, who have hit .321 as a team over their last eight games, kept circling the bases against reliever Carl Schutz, scoring five more in the third.

Lopez had another run-scoring single, Petagine walked with the bases loaded to drive in a run and Chamberlain drove in two runs with a single to left.

The Tides' other run of the inning came when Schutz uncorked his own wild pitch.

Richmond scored all its runs in the last four innings, with seven of those against a tiring Juan Acevedo (4-1) in the sixth and seventh.

Jeff Tam came on to get the last nine outs and earn his third save. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Danny Bautista of the Braves leaps high, but in vain, as the Richond

rightfielder is unable to catch up with Robert Petagine's home run

in the second inning that gave the Norfolk Tides a 7-0 lead.

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