Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 25, 1993 TAG: 9307250162
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CHRIS BACHELDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Jeff Smith's 20th save stranded the tying run at second base Saturday night as Wilmington beat the Bucs 4-3 for its third Carolina League baseball win in four nights at Municipal Field.
Smith preserved the victory for John Gross, who pitched 8 1/3 solid innings.
Before running into ninth-inning trouble, Gross faced 28 Bucs in eight innings, four over the minimum. He finished with no walks and one earned run surrendered.
Gross said he felt "a little shaky" in the first inning, when Jeff Conger led off with a double and Angelo Encarnacion followed with an infield single.
But the 23-year-old right-hander got Ramon Espinosa to ground into a 6-4-3 run-scoring double play, then allowed only one Salem player to reach third base until the ninth.
"It went smooth after the first," Gross said. "I tried to keep the ball down. It's a small park and they're a good-hitting team, so you just have to keep the ball down and move it in and out.
"I went after the hitters. Not walking anybody is the key."
Trailing 4-1, the Bucs threatened in the bottom of the ninth. Encarnacion led off with a double, Espinosa reached on an error and Michael Brown reached on a fielder's choice grounder, which forced out Espinosa at second.
With runners at first and third and one out, Smith relieved Gross and struck out pinch-hitter Jon Farrell for the second out. Joe Ronca lined a two-run double to left field to pull the Bucs to 4-3, but Chance Sanford struck out looking to end the game.
Salem starter Eric Parkinson ended up with his second loss. In 7 2/3 innings, Parkinson scattered 11 hits - 10 singles - and pitched through two errors and a couple of defensive miscues behind him.
"Parkinson was great, the best I've seen him all year," Salem pitching coach Dave Rajsich said. "He knows that on a different night, he gets different results. Progress is the key here.
"The linescore looks so-so, but we know better. You expect some bad breaks in the minor leagues. When we evaluate him, we have to imagine a better defense and a major-league infield behind him."
Wilmington took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Runners on second and third scored when Hugh Walker's infield single was bobbled by Sanford, the second baseman.
The Blue Rocks added two runs in the eighth with three hits, a walk and a throwing error on Brown. Parkinson's outing ended with tough luck as Andy Stewart lined a shot to left field that was misjudged by Conger and fell for an RBI double that gave Wilmington a 4-1 lead.
Marc Pisciotta relieved Parkinson and retired four straight to complete his third scoreless appearance since being assigned to Salem from Augusta last Saturday.
\ BUCSHOTS: The Carolina League All-Star Game will be played today at Ernie Shore Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. Representing the Bucs are pitchers Mariano De los Santos, Jason Christiansen and Jeff McCurry; Encarnacion, the catcher; third baseman Ken Bonifay; and first baseman Mike Brown. . . . Espinosa, who entered the game 14-for-his-last-28, went 0-for-4 and grounded into two doubles plays. . . . Salem returns to action Tuesday night at home for the first of three games against the Frederick Keys. Games start at 7 p.m.
\ see microfilm for box score
by CNB