DATE: Sunday, June 15, 1997                 TAG: 9706150172

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C8   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE NEWMAN, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: OTTAWA                            LENGTH:   37 lines

TIDES WIN AGAIN TO RUN RECORD TO 41-26

The Norfolk Tides used 10 extra base hits and the pitching of Keith Shepherd to down the Ottawa Lynx 7-0 Saturday.

The Tides improved their International League-leading record to 41-26.

Jim Martin's solo home run off Melvin Bunch to rightfield got the Tides started.

``I'd faced him in Double-A, so I kind of had an idea what he was going to do,'' said Martin, who connected with an inside fast ball.

Norfolk hit three home runs to account for its first four runs.

The wind turned a routine fly ball into a two-run homer for Todd Pratt, after Benny Agbayani's third-inning double, and Wes Chamberlain followed with a solo shot in the fifth.

Shepherd was shaky but unscathed despite loading the bases with three walks in each of the first two innings. The two-inning total also matched his walks total for his previous start, against Charlotte, as he improved to 5-2.

``We've been going on a six-day rotation because of all the days off. That might be the problem,'' said Shepherd.

``I was overthrowing, but after that (first two innings), I threw all two-seamers. I changed my grip to get more movement, instead of speed,'' added Shepherd, who, ironically, has mustered two wins marred by control problems this year.

Shepherd then settled down and didn't allow a runner past second base in the next five innings while allowing Ottawa only three hits.

Ottawa reliever Tavo Alvarez entered in the sixth with two out, but gave up a first-pitch, RBI line-drive triple to Roberto Petagine for a 5-0 lead.

Petagine added a bases-loaded double in the eighth, as 10 of the Tides' hits went for extra bases.

Norfolk gets a chance to run its season mark to 5-1 over Ottawa in the series closer today.

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