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

DATE: SATURDAY, May 15, 1993                   TAG: 9305150222
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Staff report
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Short

HOKIES FALL IN CRUCIAL METRO TILT

Jeff Pickich struck out 10 Friday in pitching Southern Mississippi to a 6-4 baseball victory over Virginia Tech in a critical Metro Conference game.

Pickich (7-3) walked none and blanked the Hokies over the final six innings as the Golden Eagles (31-23) moved into a second-place tie with Tech in the Metro standings.

Southern Miss jumped on Tech starter Bryan Hastings (2-3) for two runs in the first inning. Right fielder Shane Pullen doubled, first baseman Tommy Davis doubled to score Pullen and third baseman Jason Simpson singled home Davis.

The Hokies (33-12) got a run back in the second inning when catcher Denny Hedspeth slugged his fifth home run of the season.

Southern Miss added another run in the third, but the Hokies took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the third on Bo Durkac's run-producing single, a fielder's choice and a double steal.

Left fielder Andy Woodard tied the score for the Eagles with a home run to center field in the sixth inning, and USM scored the winning runs in the seventh on RBI-singles by Chris Logan and Pullen.

Tech left runners stranded on first and third in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Both teams have 10-5 records in Metro play. They will meet again today at 2 at English Field.

by CNB