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

DATE: MONDAY, June 4, 1990                   TAG: 9006040172
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BUCCANEERS BEAT CONNONS' ACE 6-2

Only 24 hours earlier, they had made virtually every mistake in the book, blowing a seven-run lead in an abominable 17-13 loss. And now they had the unenviable task of facing the best pitcher in the Carolina League.

If there was ever a game the Salem Buccaneers could simply mail in, Sunday's night contest against Prince William and ace hurler Frank Seminara figured to be it.

"No doubt, we didn't feel very good about it [Saturday]," said Salem catcher Tim Hines.

"But you know what? The neat thing about baseball is there's always the next day . . . there's always another tomorrow to wipe out what happened yesterday."

Charged by home runs by Hines, Domingo Merejo and Greg Sims Sunday night, the Bucs erased Saturday's absurdity with a sound 6-2 victory over the Cannons.

"It's good to see us bounce back like that from a tough loss," Salem manager Stan Cliburn noted.

Seminara (8-2), the league leader in wins and ERA (1.03) entering the game, came up with a new pitch Sunday. It's called the gopher ball. Salem's three homers, all hit to the opposite field, were the first the right-hander has allowed in 67 innings this season.

Merejo, who is 6-for-6 with seven RBI in the past two games, took Seminara deep in the first to make it 1-0. After the Cannons touched up Salem starter Mike Pomeranz (3-3) for two runs in the third, Hines made it 3-2 with a two-run shot to left.

Sims took care of the insurance in the seventh, when he lifted a Seminara fastball up into the right-to-left Municipal Field jet stream for a three-run poke.

Reliever Jim Czajkowski took over for Pomeranz after Paul Oster singled to lead off the seventh. Czajkowski retired all eight hitters he faced to register his club-high fourth save.

\ BUCSHOTS: It was Salem's final first-half meeting with Prince William (24-29). The Bucs (21-32) were 6-5 vs. the Cannons, 6-1 at cozy Muni. . . . In addition to another perfect night at the plate, Merejo stopped the Cannons' potential big third inning when he caught J.T. Snow's flyball in right field, then gunned down Sherman Obando at the plate for a double-play.

PRINCE WILLIAM SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Oster cf4010 Sims cf3113 Silvestri ss3100 Schreiber 3b4010 Davis 3b4120 Merejo rf2221 Obando lf3011 Hines c4112 Hernandez dh3011 Pennye lf4010 Snow 1b4010 Estep dh4000 Bridges rf4000 Shelton 1b4110 Ausmus c3000 Bailey ss-2b3000 Rodriguez 2b3000 Williams 2b3000 Zazueta ph1000 Huyler pr-ss0100 Totals32 2 6 2 Totals 31 6 7 6

Prince William002 000 000-2 Salem100 002 30x-6

E-Davis, Merejo, Williams. DP-Salem 2. LOB-Prince William 7, Salem 4. 2B-Schreiber. HR-Merejo (9), Hines (4), Sims (3). IP HRERBBSO Prince William Seminara L, 8-2 676337 Moody 100001 Salem Pomeranz W, 3-3 662141 Czajkowski S, 4 300001

Pomeranz pitched to one batter in seventh.

WP-Pomeranz 2.

Umpires-Home, Kraus; bases, Lehner.

T-2:28. A-1,993.

by CNB