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

DATE: THURSDAY, July 6, 1990                   TAG: 9007050108
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: RAY COX SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

PULASKI HAS TWO SETS OF FIREWORKS

Two Pulaski Braves home runs and a wild brawl highlighted a festive July Fourth at the old ballpark. The Braves beat the Bristol Tigers 7-1 in the Appalachian League baseball game. Who won the fight was anybody's guess.

No problem identifying the source of animosity, though. After yielding homers to Hector Roa and Johnny Walker, Tigers reliever Luis Salazar hit Jamie Crump, who was mightily offended.

Overlooked by the combatants was the fact the beanball was a curve, which called into question Salazar's intent. In any event, Salazar, Roa and the Braves' Wallace Gonzalez, who was not in the lineup, were excused for the rest of the evening.

Pulaski (10-4) then put the finishing touches on a five-run eighth that settled the issue. The Braves scored their runs in the last three innings to overcome a 1-0 deficit.

"It was one of those games, as fast as it was going by, that it was going to be over and we'd lost 1-0 and wondered what happened," Braves manager Randy Ingle said. "I told the guys it's time to light a fire under their tails and bear down some."

Pulaski snapped the tie on Armando Rodriguez's RBI-triple in the sixth. Roa started the rout with a leadoff homer in the eighth.

"When I came up to the plate, the fans were yelling for me and I felt something," Roa, a native of the Dominican Republic, said through his interpreter, Gonzalez.

It was just as well for the Tigers (3-11) that Roa was dismissed early. The shortstop has been hard on them in more ways than one the past two games: 4-for-10 with a triple, homer and three RBI.

Walker, too, was rough on the Tigers. He had three hits, including his first homer of the year.

Braves pitchers again put in good work, combining on a one-hitter. Brett Grebe (2-1) pitched six innings, giving up the hit and run, striking out six and walking two. Then came Stewart Ford for the seventh and hard-throwing Barry Chiles for the last two.

\ BRAVES BRIEFS: Pulaski takes aim at first place in the Appalachian League when it travels to Burlington for a two-game set. Joe Roa (0-0) and Brian Bark (0-1) are scheduled to pitch. . . . Another attendance record for the season was set Wednesday with an unofficial gate of 1,100. Bristol 010000000-114 Pulaski 00001105x-7100

Waithem, Reinisch (6th), Salazar (8th), Stokes (8th) and Miller. Grebe, Ford (7th), Chiles (8th) and Jiminez. W-Grebe (2-1). L - Waithem (0-3). HR - Roa (P), 8th, none on; Walker (P), 8th, one on.