Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 30, 1993 TAG: 9306300256
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For the second time in as many nights, Salem spotted the Kinston Indians a substantial lead, held them at bay with their pitching, then rallied for a Carolina League victory, this time 5-4 on Tuesday night.
In front of 1,218 Municipal Field customers, the embellishments included three home runs, the decisive one being Marty Neff's two-run shot in the seventh that put the Bucs up 4-3. Salem had trailed 3-0 after two innings.
Joe Ronca added a solo blast in the eighth to provide a two-run cushion that turned out to be very handy.
With stopper Jeff McCurry on in the Kinston ninth, the Indians exploited a Pork Chop Pough single and a Ronca error on a fly ball to the left-field wall by Rod McCall for another run. McCurry then recorded the last three outs to earn his league-leading 17th save.
McCurry struck out Paul Meade with McCall on third and one out.
"[Catcher] Marcus [Hanel] called for a fastball, but I shook him off twice and threw him a curveball in the dirt that I hoped he'd chase," McCurry said. "Fortunately, it worked out."
The Bucs (5-4) climbed into a second-place tie with the Winston-Salem Spirits, a game back of the Indians. It was Salem's second consecutive victory over the Indians. Monday, Salem erased a four-run deficit to win 8-7 in 11 innings.
Of Salem's three homers Tuesday, the biggest may have been by a guy who doesn't hit many, Hanel. He clobbered a one-out solo job to right to start a three-run seventh that gave the Bucs the lead.
"I've been struggling here for the last two weeks," said Hanel, hitting .196. "So I spread my feet out so that I wouldn't be moving around so much in there and looked fastball. When I got one, I whacked that sucker."
The impact of Hanel's homer was the talk of the clubhouse.
"That really picked us up," Salem manager Scott Little said.
So did the pitching in general and Michel LaPlante in particular. The right-hander made his first start after arriving from Augusta, scattering six hits in 6 innings while giving up one unearned run.
"I was throwing my off-speed pitches for strikes and that helped," said LaPlante, a French Canadian. "I was ahead in the count a lot."
The relief committee of Kevin Rychel, Jason Christiansen and McCurry gave up two hits and the ninth-inning run. Rychel got the victory with one scoreless inning of work.
\ BUCSHOT: While Little was being interviewed after the game by a Richmond television station on a feature assignment, trainer Tiny Zick orchestrated the old pie-in-the-chops gag. Marcus Ponder delivered the coconut cream to the kisser on camera. "It was awesome pie," Little said. "I saw it lying there on the ground and I was really disappointed." Zick had the pie on hand. "I knew they were coming yesterday and that was all the time I needed," he said.
NEXT UP: Salem's Doug Harrah (4-0, 3.30 ERA) vs. Kinston's Jason Fronio (3-3, 2.56) at Municipal Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Ticket prices: $5 (box); $4 (reserved); $3 (general admission); $1 off for children 12 and younger and senior citizens.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB