Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 9, 1990 TAG: 9005090339
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
In the end, Darren Graham contributed with his pitching, bat and defense as the Blue Demons beat Giles 8-6 in eight innings to stay alive in the chase for the New River District regular season title.
Graham struggled while striking out seven batters in 4 innings, allowing 10 hits and four walks. He moved to center field in the fifth after being relieved by Mike Royal.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, runners at second and third and the score 6-6, Graham caught Stacy Hutchison's line drive and fired a one-hop strike to catcher Johnny Self. With John Hunt hurrying home from third, Self blocked the plate and tagged out the sliding base runner.
"I wasn't [scared]," Graham said. "I knew I had to get him. I just knew I had to get him, and I did."
That seemed to revive the Demons. Graham followed with a leadoff double off the left-field fence in the eighth. With two outs, Scott Lucas stroked a two-run single to center to provide the winning margin.
"I've been down on myself all year long, but I went up there to hit and I wasn't nervous," Lucas said.
The Demons moved into a first-place tie with the Spartans with a 7-2 district record. Each has one league game left.
If the tie holds, they will meet in a playoff game at a neutral site to determine the regular season champion, which would receive the automatic bid to the Group AA Region IV tournament.
Christiansburg scored four runs in the first inning on three walks, three singles and an error. The Spartans battled back to take a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth, but missed many chances. For the game, Giles stranded 14 runners and had two thrown out at the plate.
In the top of the seventh, Self and Toby Akers hit consecutive doubles to tie the score at 6 and set the stage for Graham's heroics in the field.
Graham and Self combined for five hits and two RBI. Donnie Eaton and Hutchison each had three hits for Giles.
Giles right-hander Andy Tawney lost his first game in seven starts this season.
In other baseball:
Left-hander Chad Phillips struck out 13 and did not walk a batter while pitching a four-hitter and Brandon Smith smacked a solo home run as Radford blanked home-standing Blacksburg 5-0 in the New River District.
Keswick Phillips came in in relief and improved to 9-0 as Bath County clinched the Pioneer District championship with a 6-4 victory over visiting Glenvar.
Lester Sears fanned seven and scattered four hits and Mason Bragg's two-run single in the fifth inning boosted host Narrows to a 3-2 victory over Grayson County, the first Mountain Empire District defeat of the season for the Blue Devils.
The Green Wave won its seventh district game in eight starts.
All of Floyd County's runs were unearned as it beat host Galax 8-7 in the Mountain Empire.
\ SOFTBALL: Mary Jean Crabb doubled twice and drove in two runs as visiting Carroll County beat Princeton, W. Va.
\ BOYS' SOCCER: At Bedford, Matt Neal converted a penalty kick in the second half to give Liberty a 1-0 victory over Brookville and a tie with the Bees for fourth place in the Seminole District.
Liberty (2-5-1 district, 3-9-2 overall) plays the Bees again today at 5 p.m. at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg to determine which team will advance to the district tournament Thursday against top-seeded Nelson County.
\ GIRLS' TENNIS: Martinsville's Leigh Counts and Adele Mattox whipped Fieldale-Collinsville's Sarah Patterson and Ledonna Hearn 6-1, 6-3 in a match that sealed the Bulldog's 5-4 victory for the Piedmont District tournament title in Collinsville.
The individual championships will be decided today.
\ BOYS' TENNIS: Martinsville lost only one set in a 9-0 demolition of Fieldale-Collinsville for the Piedmont District tournament title.
Both teams qualify for the Region III meet Monday and Tuesday at Magna Vista.
Martinsville also swept the individual results. Matthew Engel won the singles by beating Patrick County's Lee Bowling 6-0, 6-2. In doubles, Engel teamed with Jeff Austin to blank Carlos Sagrado and Ronnie Bennett of Fieldale-Collinsville 6-0, 6-0.
At Hot Springs, Lexington's Bill Old scored an easy 8-1 victory over Tony Ferguson of Parry McCluer to capture the Pioneer District tournament singles championship.
Mitch Semmones and Jamey Watt of Glenvar won the doubles title with an 8-6 victory over Greg Taylor and Ferguson.
Pulaski County fell to Patrick Henry 5-4 in the Roanoke Valley District team tennis semifinals in Roanoke. Cave Spring then defeated Patrick Henry 6-3.
by CNB