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

DATE: SUNDAY, June 20, 1993                   TAG: 9306200222
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HITS KEEP COMING AS RED SOX SOCK IT TO SALEM, 12-5

Of course, that's assuming the books can contain Lynchburg's offensive exploits Saturday night.

The Red Sox went batty at Municipal Field, clubbing 19 hits and scoring in six consecutive innings to mash the slumping Bucs 12-5 in the final game of first half of the league's split season.

Salem lost four in a row - the last three in a Sox sweep - to finish the half 31-39, last in the Southern Division.

Lynchburg (32-27) won its last five to climb out of the cellar in the Northern Division.

Salem pitchers were murder on Bill Selby and Tim Carey, but were just murdered by the rest of the lineup. Selby and Carey each went 0-for-6 and Carey struck out five times. The other seven Lynchburg hitters were a combined 19-for-35 and each had at least one hit, one run scored and one RBI.

"These things happen," said Lynchburg manager Mark Meleski. "If everybody was hitting, maybe we would have had 22 or 23 hits and a few more runs. But that's why you have teammates, to pick you up."

The Sox's 1-2 hitters, Steve Rodriguez and Bob Juday, were 8-for-11 with three runs scored and four RBI. Felix Colon and John Eierman each swatted three hits, and Doug Hecker had two hits - including a long home run - and three RBI.

"We have a lot of explosive hitters in the lineup and the hitting just gets contagious," said Juday, who had nine hits in the series. "We have a lot of guys who are better with men on base. Obviously, this ballpark has a lot to do with it, but I think we're capable of scoring 10 runs in a lot of games."

The Red Sox scored in every inning from the second to the seventh. They scored three in the top of the third on three consecutive singles, including Hecker's two-run hit, to take a 4-1 lead.

Lynchburg broke open the game with four runs in the fifth. Hecker hit a solo home run against Salem starter Dennis Konuszewski, and Rodriguez added a two-out, two-run double off of reliever Eric Parkinson.

Konuszewski (1-9) gave up nine hits and eight runs in 4 innings. Parkinson struggled as well, giving up seven hits and four runs in his 2 innings.

Salem had 13 hits and several players had a solid night at the plate. Chance Sanford went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a homer, and Jon Farrell also had three hits, including a homer, and two RBI.

"We hit the ball real well, just about as well as they did," said Jack Lind, the Pirates' minor-league field coordinator, who was filling in for manager Scott Little. "We just didn't hit it in all the right spots.

"The two nights I've been here, there have been a couple of crucial plays that cost us runs. And the starting pitching is always in a hole.

"The guys have been here half a year. The good ones make adjustments. The ones that don't fall by the wayside."i

NOTE: See microfilm for statistics.

Keywords:
BASEBALL