Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 6, 1993 TAG: 9306060191
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Dennis Konuszewski was hoping with all his heart not to lose for the ninth time this season. Jeff McCurry was putting his heart into not losing it for him. Both had their wishes granted.
Although he did allow an inherited runner to score, McCurry got the last three outs to save Konuszewski's first victory of the season as Salem beat Frederick 3-1 to gain a split of a twi-night Carolina League doubleheader at Municipal Field.
In the first game, the Bucs got Jon Farrell's three-run homer in the first then were no-hit for the last six innings as the Keys rallied for a 4-3 victory.
Konuszewski, who had faced one batter more than the minimum for six shutout innings, gave up a leadoff double to Feliciano Mercedes in the top of the seventh. Scott Little, the Bucs' manager, almost bolted out of the dugout to get him.
"I wasn't [messing] around," Little said. "The kid threw a great game and I wasn't going to let him lose it."
Brad Seitzer greeted McCurry, the Salem stopper, with a double to right-center field. Mercedes was forced to hold up to see if Farrell could catch the ball and had to stay at third.
"I was sweating it out in here [in the clubhouse]," Konuszewski said. "I heard, `That isn't going to be caught . . . ' I didn't even want to watch anymore."
McCurry gave up a one-out sacrifice fly to Doug McConathy as the shutout was vaporized, but that was all Frederick could manage.
"I didn't think about Konuszewski's victory until Tony Womack threw the guy out for the final out," said McCurry, who nailed down his 12th save. "I sure was glad I didn't blow it for him. I'm glad to get that piano off his chest. Everybody is."
Konuszewski got nine ground-ball outs and struck out four. He lost his bid for a perfect game when Roy Hodge singled with two out in the third.
"That's the Dennis Konuszewski we knew we had all along," Salem pitching coach Dave Rajsich said.
Mike Brown hit his 11th homer, a three-run shot, in the first for Salem's only runs.
"I didn't think it was going to go at first," Brown said. "The base coach said, `Get two.' When I saw it bounce over, I slowed down a little bit."
Salem got only three more hits after that. Losing pitcher Scott Klingenbeck and Lee Cusey, who saw duty in the sixth, shut down the Bucs the rest of the way.
Klingenbeck struck out eight.
Similarly to the second game, Farrell's dinger in the first inning of the opener provided all Salem's runs.
After Brown followed with a single, Jimmy Haynes hurled no-hit, no-run ball the rest of the way. He struck out seven and walked four before giving way to John Polasek in the seventh.
Frederick took the lead in the second with three runs off Esteban Loaiza. Only two of the four runs the Keys scored were earned. The right-hander shut down Frederick the rest of the way to pitch only the third complete game of the season for Salem. Loaiza has two of them.
\ BUCSHOTS: Municipal Field has been given over to the Lynchburg Red Sox today so they can entertain the Durham Bulls in a doubleheader matinee starting at 11 a.m. The L-Sox were driven out of City Stadium when violent storms in Lynchburg collapsed the backstop and did other damage. . . . Saturday's doubleheader in Salem was a novelty in that the first game was worked by four umpires and the second by three. Kevin Miguez and Mitch Schwark came over from Lynchburg to join Travis Katzenmeier and Scott Stabler when the games in Lynchburg were wiped out. . . . Salem pitchers Jim Martin and Matt Ruebel were sent to Augusta and Eric Parkinson arrived from Class AA Carolina. Right-hander Kevin Rychel also came off the disabled list. . . . Womack shook off a terrific collision at the plate for the first out of the first inning in the second game. "I don't know where I got hit," Womack said. "All I know is I lost."
by CNB