Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 1, 1993 TAG: 9306010107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG LENGTH: Medium
Both of the league's entries in the Group AA Region III baseball tournament - including powerful and previously undefeated Tunstall - were booted with dispatch Monday at Liberty University.
Jefferson Forest scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat Tunstall 6-2, and Salem cranked Chatham 8-4.
Both winners advance to Wednesday's semifinals at the same site. Jefferson Forest, of the Seminole District, will take on Blue Ridge District kingpin William Byrd at 1 p.m., and Salem will play Seminole District champion Amherst County in the nightcap.
Delivered from a bases-loaded, one-out trap in the sixth by reliever Ryan Gilleland, Jefferson Forest celebrated by whacking Tunstall ace Bubba Scarce for five hits and five runs in the top of the seventh to rally past the Trojans.
Gilleland then retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to send Jefferson Forest (18-4) into the second round of the region tournament.
Tunstall (21-1), the Piedmont District champion, finished with a school record for victories and a hollow feeling. Jefferson Forest also eliminated the Trojans from the region tournament in 1992.
"When you lose, you don't care who you lose to," said Trojans coach Owen Shields, whose team seemed to have things going well after taking a 2-1 lead in the third on Mark Inge's sacrifice fly and Jerry Dallas' run-scoring single.
Scarce (9-1) had come on in relief of Todd Criswell with one out in the third and had managed to keep the Cavaliers under control for 3 innings. Jefferson Forest left the bases loaded in the fifth and had Carter Lee on third with one out in the sixth and stranded him.
It all came apart for Tunstall in the seventh when Brian Piccolo led off with a triple to deep right. Anthony Poindexter followed by belting one over center fielder Khris Law's head that one-hopped the fence. Gilleland, who had two doubles, then laced a run-scoring single, and the big inning was on. For Tunstall, it was Scarce or bust.
"When you have a guy like Bubba Scarce with nine wins and a low ERA, you're reluctant to take him out," Shields said. "Give me that situation again, and I'll take Bubba Scarce every time."
Jefferson Forest coach Jim Thacker said the same of Gilleland and Poindexter.
"With guys like Ryan and Anthony, they will never let the others give up," he said.
Seven players scored for Salem (12-9) as the Spartans won their fifth game in the past six outings. Chatham (12-10) has never won a game in this tournament since moving up to Group AA.
"We keep hitting the ball like we have been, then I think we're capable of playing with anybody in AA," Spartans coach Scott Atkins said.
Salem got a home run from Ryan Blevins, his third, and triples from Tommy Lee, Ryan Palmer and Jimmy Archer in a game that was delayed an hour and 20 minutes because of a thunderstorm.
Blevins' shot, which hit the top of the left-field fence and bounced over, staked the Spartans to a 3-1 first-inning lead. Lee then went about the business of tossing a six-hitter, striking out four and walking one.
"He mixed in the curveball and kept us off balance," Chatham coach Tommy Scalpini said.
Said Lee, "I had good defense behind me. I kept the ball down because the umpire had a low zone. My fastball has been better, too."
Lee also had three hits, scored twice and had an RBI.
Archer drove in two runs, and Palmer added another RBI.
"This comes from everybody hitting the ball, fielding cleanly and coming together as a team," Lee said. "It's not one or two people, it's the team." \ See microfilm for statistics.
by CNB