Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 17, 1990 TAG: 9005170233
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
You know the story.
The Salem Buccaneers take the lead. The Bucs blow the lead. That was the script again Wednesday night as Salem lost 9-8 to the Durham Bulls in a Carolina League baseball game at Municipal Field.
"Say the same thing as last night," said Bucs manager Stan Cliburn. "It was the same game."
Not quite, but for all intents and purposes.
The Bucs wasted two home runs by left fielder Darwin Pennye, a grand slam by right fielder Domingo Merejo and a solo shot by first baseman Ben Shelton.
With the Bucs leading 8-5 after Shelton's homer in the seventh, the wall began to crumble when reliever Tom Deller gave up a run on three hits in the eighth. But Salem still led by two.
Things fell apart for the Bucs in the ninth.
Deller (1-1) gave up two walks and a hit to load the bases with none out in the ninth. Then, Brian Champion doubled down the left-field line to drive in two runs and tie the score. Edwin Alicea followed with a sacrifice fly that brought in the winning run.
Dave Karasinski (2-1), who pitched a third of an inning, picked up the victory in relief. Rodney Richey put two Bucs on with one out in the ninth, but retired Pennye and Mike Huyler to pick up his second save in two nights.
Pennye hit his first homer of the season to put Salem up 1-0 in the second.
After Durham roughed up Bucs starter Paul Miller to take a 5-1 lead, Pennye homered again to lead off the bottom of the fifth. That ignited a rally in which the Bucs scored six runs off Durham starter Marcos Vazquez.
The biggest blow was a one-out grand slam by Merejo - Salem's first of the season. DURHAM SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Campbell lf5110 Sims cf2110 Mordecai ss3101 Schreiber 3b4130 Mitchell cf3221 Merejo rf4114 Todd rf4210 Morrison ph1000 Champion dh5022 Estep rf0000 Alicea 3b3112 Hines c5120 Deak c5000 Shelton 1b4111 Robles 1b4122 Raisanen dh4011 Maldonado ph0000 Romero ph1010 Johnson pr0000 Pennye lf5222 Castleberry 2b4120 Huyler ss5110 Bailey 2b4000 Totals36 9 11 8 Totals 39 8 13 8
Durham000 230 013-9 Salem010 060 100-8
E-Alicea 2, Bailey, Merejo. DP-Durham 1. LOB-Durham 10, Salem 9. 2B-Raisanen, Champion, Alicea, Castleberry. HR-Pennye 2 (2), Merejo (5), Shelton (3), Robles (2). SB-Campbell 2 (8), Huyler (4). SF-Alicea 2, Mitchell. IP HRERBBSO Durham Vazquez 487623 Tilmon 341116 Karasinski W, 2-1 00000 Richey S, 5 110001 Salem Miller 665513 Schlopy 00010 Deller L, 1-1 154421 Honeywell 00011
HBP-Castleberry by Honeywell. BK-Miller.
Umpires-Home, Irvin; bases, Langley, Vestal
T-2:56. A-1,488.
by CNB