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

DATE: MONDAY, June 7, 1993                   TAG: 9306070103
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

KEYS SINK BUCS 4-3 ON HOMER

Devarez did have some housekeeping duties in the visiting dugout, and it was his turn to lug equipment from the field. But he no doubt wanted to soak in the atmosphere one last time this go around.

The Keys won't be back until July 27, and their catcher is going to miss the joint.

Devarez's sixth-inning solo home run was the difference in Frederick's 4-3 Carolina League baseball victory over the Salem Buccaneers. It was only his second dinger of the year, both here in the last three days.

"I like it here," he said. "It's a small park."

Even so, not everybody hits one over the fence, Municipal's longstanding reputation as a launch site notwithstanding.

Devarez's homer severed a 3-3 tie and it came with two men out. Gary Wilson, who otherwise put in a commendable night's work, served up the shot on a 1-1 pitch.

"He threw me a fastball inside," said Devarez, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder out of the Dominican Republic. "In that situation, I'm never looking for a breaking ball. Only something that's straight."

The Bucs had men on in each of the last four innings, including the ninth, when Mike Brown cracked a leadoff drive to the deepest part of the park only to have it bounce over the fence for a ground-rule double.

"That hurt us there," Salem manager Scott Little said of the ruling.

Marcus Ponder pinch ran, but made it only as far as third thanks to a Chris Lemp balk. Marty Neff, meanwhile grounded weakly to the mound and Trace Ragland and Jeff Conger both fanned. Marcus Hanel's two-out walk turned out to be only a cruel tease.

The Bucs certainly had the right guys at the plate in Brown, who ended with a pair of doubles, and Neff. Earlier, Neff had belted his 12th and 13th home runs of the season to drive in all Salem's runs.

But true to form in this series, the Bucs were blanked from the fifth inning on. Salem didn't score a run past the fourth while splitting the four-game series.

Salem led 3-1 before Frederick rallied for a pair in the fourth on Basilo Ortiz's two-out double.

Wilson pitched eight innings and scattered eight hits. With three doubleheaders in five nights (the Bucs face two seven-inning games Tuesday in Wilmington and the completion of a suspended game plus a nine-inning job Wednesday), the lengthy service was a plus.

Salem had one complete game and a starter who went six of seven innings in Saturday's double-header.

\ BUCSHOTS: Counting the Lynchburg-Durham matinee doubleheader, there were 11 home runs hit Sunday at Municipal Field. . . . Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league catching instructor Joe Lonnett was in town for the weekend. . . . Ragland continues to swing a hot bat. He's 11 for his last 24 (.458). . . . Chance Sanford, who batted second, extended a 0-for-14 string.

NOTE: See microfilm for statistics.