THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605170214
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
GREAT BRIDGE HAS the superstars, Indian River has the momentum and Deep Creek has the knack for delivering in the clutch.
That's a quick synopsis of the top three teams entering the Southeastern District baseball tournament Wednesday and Thursday at Oscar Smith.
Great Bridge held a one-game lead over Indian River in the regular-season race entering Friday's final games. The Wildcats were scheduled to play at Western Branch and the Braves at Oscar Smith.
The regular-season champion earns the top seed in the district tournament and an automatic bid to the Eastern Region tournament.
The Wildcats looked like a lock for both two weeks ago, but late losses to Indian River and Deep Creek put some suspense back into the race.
``We had the cat in the bag and let him out,'' Great Bridge coach Martin Oliver said.
The fourth spot in the tournament also remained up for grabs entering Friday's games with Western Branch leading Churchland by one game.
The Truckers were scheduled to play Deep Creek Friday. Should Churchland and Western Branch tie for fourth, the Truckers would qualify for the tournament on the strength of two victories over the Bruins.
A look at the field:
Great Bridge: Shortstop Mike Cuddyer is the supreme offensive force in the district with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in only 17 games.
The Wildcats also have a legitimate pitching ace in lefthander John Curtice, who hurled five no-hit innings against Oscar Smith in his last start.
The Wildcats averaged 10.8 runs in their first 13 district games, tops in the league.
But Deep Creek's Damon Knox shut out Great Bridge for six innings in the Hornets' 6-4 victory and Indian River's Jeremy Lawson and Keith Reynolds combined for a 4-0 shutout.
The ideal situation for Great Bridge would be for Indian River and Deep Creek to meet in the semifinals. That would likely pair Knox and Reynolds. One suspects Great Bridge would like another shot at Lawson, a soft-tossing freshman.
Indian River: The Braves took a nine-game winning streak, the longest in the area, into Friday's game against Oscar Smith. Reynolds (7-0, 0.56) and Lawson (5-1) have been a potent 1-2 punch, starting seven games during that stretch and allowing only seven runs.
Skip Harrison (.574) and Kevin Chamblee (.400) pace the offense. Reynolds, a second-team All-Tidewater outfielder last year, is hitting .317.
``We're playing with a lot of confidence,'' Indian River coach Steve West said.
Deep Creek: The Hornets are 8-3 in games decided by two runs or less, a surprising statistic for a team without dominant starting pitching or consistent defense.
``We don't have a Cuddyer or a Curtice or a Reynolds,'' coach Scott Hughes said. ``We just show up to play and do the little things. We've had a lot of guys come through.''
The emergence of Knox, who began the season sixth on the pitching depth chart, has given the Hornets a big lift.
``He throws three pitches for strikes,'' Hughes said.
When Knox pitches, Hughes can play his other pitchers - Richie McLamb and Tony Moore - on the left side of the infield, solidifying the defense.
McLamb and Moore also are two of the team's top hitters, along with centerfielder Wes Barnett and catcher/first baseman Nick Cuffee.
Western Branch: The Bruins, who allowed an average of 9.7 runs in their first nine losses, finally got some decent pitching from Bryan Full and Jonathan Tinkham down the stretch. Tinkham beat Deep Creek 5-4 and lost to Indian River 2-1. Full beat Oscar Smith 12-1 and Wilson 8-5.
Churchland: The Truckers lost four of five down the stretch to place their playoff hopes in jeopardy. The Truckers scored a combined five runs in three of those losses and the pitching was no better, giving up 12 runs to Oscar Smith and 10 to Great Bridge. Robert Jones leads Churchland in batting at .351 and has 26 RBIs.
The Southeastern District softball tournament also is scheduled Wednesday and Thursday. The games will be played at Indian River.
Entering Friday's action, only Oscar Smith and Norcom had been eliminated from a berth in the four-team playoffs. Western Branch and Great Bridge had clinched spots.
The regular-season champion and tourney winner (or runner-up if the league champion also wins the tournament) will advance to the Eastern Regionals at Princess Anne May 27, 29 and 31. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Keith Reynolds, a pitcher for Indian River, has a 7-0 record.
by CNB