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

DATE: FRIDAY, July 20, 1990                   TAG: 9007200287
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PRINCE WILLIAM CRUSHES BUCS

Welcome to the Carolina League's second-half outhouse. It's called the Northern Division, and all its members appear content to fly south.

Nearly a month into the second half of the schedule, the Frederick Keys are playing .454 baseball (10-12) and leading Lynchburg (11-14) and Prince William (10-13) by a half-game. And, despite winning only eight of 24 games, last-place Salem still is lurking three games back.

"It's pretty embarrassing, I must admit," said Gary Denbo, Prince William's manager.

And, to think, Denbo's team is on a roll. In the Northern Division, that's also known as one-game winning streak. Shoot, win two, three in a row and it may be time to start figuring out magic numbers.

"That's what we've been telling 'em," said the Prince William manager, after his Cannons steamrolled Salem 10-0 Thursday night at Municipal Field.

"Anybody who has a little streak might get away from the others. Just last week we were three games below .500 and in first place. I had never seen that before."

It's beginning to look like .500 may win going away in the North.

"I hope not," Denbo said. "That would be embarrassing. I'd rather not win it that way . . . but, I'll take it if happens."

The Cannons made short work of the Bucs. They roughed up Salem starter Tim Wakefield (6-10) for six runs and 10 hits in eight innings, then tacked on four in the ninth against shell-shocked reliever Mike Zimmerman.

Gerald Nielsen (6-6), Curtis Ralph and Rich Polak combined on an ugly shutout, allowing 13 Salem batters to reach base.

\ BUCSHOTS: The loss was Salem's third straight. The Bucs have been shut out five times in a 33-61 season. . . . It was Prince William's second victory in eight games this season at Salem. . . . The Bucs send Mike Pomeranz (3-6) to the mound tonight against Prince William's Cullen Hartzog (3-5). PRINCE WM. SALEM ab r h bi ab r h bi Silvestri ss3211 Sims cf4010 Howell rf4110 Schreiber 3b3010 Snow 1b4212 Romero dh4010 Davis 3b4011 Hines c2000 Obando lf4122 Pennye lf4020 Hernandez dh4112 Estep rf2010 Zazueta 2b5120 Shelton 1b4000 Ausmus c5220 McNabb 2b2000 Oster cf3022 Flavio 2b1000 Bailey ss4000 Totals36 10 13 10 Totals 30 0 6 0

Prince William210 101 014-10 Salem000 000 000-0

E-Silvestri. DP-Prince William 2, Salem 2. LOB-Prince William 7, Salem 10. 2B-Ausmus, Zazueta, Oster, Snow. 3B-Ausmus, Obando. HR-Hernandez (6). SB-Silvestri (26). SF-Oster, Silvestri. IP HRERBBSO Prince William Neilsen W, 6-6 550051 Ralph 200002 Polak 210011 Salem Wakefield L, 5-10 8106645 Zimmerman 24421 Williams 10001

HBP-McNabb by Nielsen. WP-Nielsen, Wakefield. PB-Ausmus.

Umpires-Home, Sweeney; first, Smith; third, Langley.

T-2:43. A-1,087.

Keywords:
BASEBALL

by CNB