THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 1994 TAG: 9407300418
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Most everybody got suspended after the last time these two teams met. Thankfully, nothing so nettlesome as that mini-skirmish at home plate July 17 between the Norfolk Tides and Richmond Braves cropped up during their contest Friday at Harbor Park.
Devoid of flaring tempers, most everybody this time just got wet as the clubs kicked off a three-game series that looms large for both. Sandwiched around a 59-minute rain delay in the top of the fourth inning, the Braves dumped the Tides, 5-3, to go back to six games ahead of Norfolk for the second and final playoff spot in the West Division.
Playing without suspended shortstop Aaron Ledesma and pitcher Kevin Morton - Richmond was without Anthony Telford, Jose Olmeda and Bobby Moore - the Tides (53-54) fell back from the .500 mark after finally reaching it Thursday. Richmond (58-47) scored three times in the fourth against starter Frank Seminara to pull away to its fifth victory in the last seven games.
Seminara (4-4), who saw the
Braves score a run in the first on his wild pitch, couldn't get out of the fourth in what amounted to his shortest and worst start of his 10.
Richmond broke a 1-1 tie when Luis Lopez, Mike Kelly and Ed Giovanola, who bunted safely, all reached base on singles. As the black clouds burst, Seminara walked Pat Kelly to force home a run, and Tyler Houston followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.
With men on first and third, Richmond pitcher Kevin Lomon then attempted a squeeze bunt that never had a chance to succeed. That was because Seminara fired his pitch way low and outside past catcher Joe Kmak as Giovanola, who was running on the pitch, received credit for a steal of home.
After waiting out the rain, Giovanola then scored the Braves' fifth run in the fifth by by blasting, what else?, his fifth home run. It came off Jonathan Hurst and landed against the back of the bullpen fence in rightfield.
Meanwhile, Lomon, who came back after the rain to pitch four more innings, was in the midst of a seven-inning effort that ran his record to 7-7. Three singles in the second inning, the third an RBI-base-hit by Greg Graham, produced the Tides' only run until the seventh, when Richmond's defense turned sloppy.
Errors by first baseman Lopez and shortstop Mike Mordecai helped the Tides score twice to close their deficit to 5-3.
A leadoff single by Quilvio Veras in the eighth against Brian Bark, the Tides' last hit of seven, went to waste when Doug Dascenzo grounded into an inning-ending double play.
The rest of the series will be played tonight and Sunday afternoon at The Diamond, where the Tides are unbeaten in four games. by CNB