Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 29, 1990 TAG: 9004290199
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF MOTLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Either way, the Salem Buccaneers enjoyed the short and the long of it as they rallied to defeat Kinston 3-2 in Carolina League baseball Saturday night.
The game started fast. Both pitchers were perfect through three innings and took no-hitters into the fifth.
But with Salem leading 1-0 in the bottom of the sixth, it began to rain and the tarp was pulled onto the field. An hour and 20 minutes later, the tarp came off and the players came back. The game lasted just long enough for the Indians to go up 2-1 in the eighth inning and for the Bucs to respond with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
As the ninth began, the rain returned. While Salem manager Stan Cliburn argued that the field wasn't playable, the rain continued and the grounds crew went scurrying for more buckets of Diamond Dry to soak up the water. The chemicals helped little and the tarp was brought out again.
"It was really bad out there; it was the worst I've ever seen," Cliburn said. "After that second rain delay, I didn't think there was any way possible that we could finish this game through nine innings."
When the game was being played, the Bucs (8-9) were making every hit count - and they had to.
Chris Estep, the Carolina League's leading home run hitter, hammered his fifth of the year to break up Timmy Kramer's no-hit bid in the fifth inning. That staked the Bucs to a 1-0 lead.
After the first rain delay, Kinston (12-5) tagged Salem relievers Tom Deller and Mike Pomeranz for two runs in the eighth. Johnson led off with his second double that chased Deller. Pinch hitter Jamie Allison singled home Johnson to tie the score. Pomeranz's wild pitch moved Allison to second and Douglas Odor singled him home.
Greg Sims responded with a big blow for the Bucs in the bottom of the eighth. Sims sent the inning's first pitch over center fielder Nolan Lane's head. By the time Lane retrieved the ball, Sims was sliding belly down across home plate for an inside-the-park home run. After Tim Hines reached on a fielder's choice and moved up on a wild pitch, Estep singled off reliever Will Vespe to put the Buccaneers ahead to stay.
The game's length officially was 2 hours, 1 minute, but took 5:01 to play. It was Salem's shortest game this season in terms of official time.
KINSTON SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Odor 2b4011 Sims cf3111 Foster ss4010 Schreiber 3b3000 Gomez 3b3000 Merejo dh4000 Verdugo dh3000 Hines c4100 Zambrano rf3000 Shelton 1b2000 Lane cf3000 Estep rf4122 Johnson c4120 Pennye lf2000 Tepper 1b4000 Huyler ss3000 Falkner lf1000 McNabb 2b3000 Allison lf1111 000 Totals30 2 5 2 Totals 28 3 3 3
Kinston000 000 020-2 Salem000 010 02x-3
E-Foster 2, Tepper. DP-Salem 1. LOB-Kinston 6, Salem 7. 2B-Johnson 2. HR-Estep (5), Sims (2). S-Schreiber. IP HRERBBSO Kinston Kramer 511124 Vespe L,2-3 222124 Salem Schlopy 610022 Deller 111100 Pomeranz W,1-1 131110 McDowell S,2 00010
WP-Kramer, Pomeranz, Vespe.
Umpires-Home, Irving; bases, Vestal.
T-2:01. A-1,739.
by CNB