ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, May 19, 1990                   TAG: 9005190172
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: MONTCLAIR, N.J.                                LENGTH: Medium


FERRUM DROPS PLAYOFF OPENER

Ferrum College was done in by a pair of bloop singles Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region baseball tournament.

Jim Fredo drove in two runs with one blooper in the fifth inning and three runs with another one in the eighth as Rutgers-Newark rallied for a 10-8 victory.

Ferrum plays a losers' bracket game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute today at 10 a.m. If the Panthers (27-8) win, they play again at 4 p.m. against the loser between Montclair State and Rutgers-Newark.

Darren Hodges, Ferrum's starting pitcher, had allowed one hit and led 2-0 with two out in the fifth when things unraveled.

Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and Hodges walked in a run to make it 2-1. Fredo, a senior shortstop, then blooped a hit into left-center field to score two runs and make it 3-2.

Rutgers-Newark (25-12) expanded its lead to 7-2 before Ferrum closed to 7-6 in the top of the eighth inning. Four walks, including two with the bases loaded, and run-scoring hits by Gerald Smith and Eric Owens fueled the comeback.

Fredo then put the game away in the bottom of the eighth when he blooped his second single into center field, where Ferrum's Mike Bryant slipped on wet grass and allowed all three base runners to score.

In the Ferrum ninth, Rusty Lang doubled to lead off and, with one out, Eric Owens walked. After another out, pinch hitter Bryan Coleman doubled home both runners to cut it to 10-8. Gerald Smith then flied out to end the rally and the game.

Ferrum 200000042-894 Rutgers-Newark 00003223x-1082

Hodges, Clawson (6) and Walton; Degrazio, Boker (8) and Lipinski. W - Degrazio (7-1). L - Hodges (8-5). S - Boker (2). HR - Burcher (F), 1st, one on.



 by CNB