Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 1, 1990 TAG: 9005010229
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Once again, Salem stumbled and Winston-Salem rallied to tie the score, but this time the Bucs were able to bounce back.
Domingo Merejo legged out an infield single with two out in the bottom of the 10th inning, allowing Greg Sims to score from third and giving the Bucs a 7-6 Carolina League baseball victory.
The victory was a welcome change for Salem (9-10), which opened its homestand by losing three of four games to Kinston.
"Kinston was a tough series for us," said Stan Cliburn, the Bucs' manager. "Those losses were really discouraging. Tonight, coming out with a victory in extra innings is a big win."
After stopping Winston-Salem (8-10) in the top of the 10th, the Bucs took advantage of Spirits mistakes in the bottom of the inning to win the game.
With two out and reliever Steve DiBartolomeo pitching for Winston-Salem, Sims drew his fifth walk of the game. Then third baseman Bruce Schreiber worked his count to 3-2.
Spirits catcher Dale Craig made a mental, then a physical mistake on the payoff pitch. He tried to throw out Sims, who was breaking on the pitch, at second on what turned out to be ball four to Schreiber.
The ball skipped into center field and the speedy Sims went to third. With Merejo batting, Schreiber advanced to second without a throw from Craig, eliminating the force play at second.
Merejo hit a chopper past the pitcher. Spirits second baseman Paul Blair ranged to his left to snare the ball, but since he had no play at second, his only option was to twist back toward first. First baseman Elvin Paulino stretched to reach Blair's off-balance throw, but Merejo beat it and Sims crossed the plate with the winning run.
"This might be a momentum builder that could get us going," said Cliburn, whose team won for just the fifth time in 15 games.
Salem erased a 3-1 deficit in the seventh when Merejo punched a two-out single into right field. That scored Mike Huyler and pinch hitter Tim Hines, who reached base on an error by left fielder Jim Murphy, to make it 3-3.
Things looked even brighter in the eighth.
Chris Estep led off the inning with his league-leading sixth home run. Ben Shelton walked and Huyler collected his fourth hit of the game. After Flavio Williams grounded out, Sims walked. Schreiber then drilled a shot to deep center that bounced off the wall. Shelton and Huyler scored easily, and, although Sims was thrown out at the plate, the Bucs still led 6-3.
However, the Bucs faltered in the ninth. Blair led off with a single off Tom Deller. Cliburn replaced Deller with Mike Pomeranz, who struck out Billy White. Pomeranz then yielded a run-scoring double to Paulino, and Gary Scott followed by blasting a 3-2 fastball over the left-field wall to make it 6-6.
\ BUCSHOTS: Sims has drawn nine walks in his past 11 plate appearances. . . . Right handed reliever Jeff Neely became the first Buc to be promoted when he was assigned to the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League. Neely was 0-1 with two saves in six appearances for Salem. He struck out 12 in 7 innings. . . . Paul Miller, 0-0 but with a team-low 1.80 earned run average, will start tonight for the Bucs against Bill Melvin (0-3). WIN-SALEM SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Blair 2b5220 Sims cf1100 White ss5121 Schreiber 3b4023 Paulino 1b4111 Merejo lf5023 Scott 3b5123 Morrison dh4000 Welch dh4000 Romero c5000 Roberson rf5010 Estep rf5111 Ramsey cf3100 Shelton 1b4110 Murphy lf3000 Huyler ss5240 Williams lf0000 Bailey 2b2100 Taylor c2011 Hines ph1000 Craig c3000 Williams 2b2100 Totals39 6 9 6 Totals 38 7 10 7
Winston-Salem210 000 0030-6 Salem001 000 2301-7
E-Murphy, Craig, Huyler 2. DP- Salem 1. LOB-Winston-Salem 9, Salem 10. 2B-Schreiber 2, Huyler 2, Paulino. 3B-Shelton. HR-Estep (6), Scott (4). SB-White (4), Roberson (2), Sims (7). IP HRERBBSO Winston-Salem Salley 663147 Gardner 133340 DiBartlmeo L,0-1 211021 Salem Latham 663243 Deller 111112 Pomeranz W,2-1 222212
Deller faced one batter in ninth.
WP-Latham. Balk-Latham, Salley.
Umpires-Home, Barket; bases, Dezelan, York.
T-3:23. A-865.
by CNB