Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 28, 1993 TAG: 9307280143
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Leadoff man Jeff Conger and Kevin Polcovich, who followed him, combined for five hits, two steals, four runs batted in and two scored and Angelo Encarnacion, batting ninth, added two more hits and two runs as the Bucs came from behind to beat the Frederick Keys 5-3 Tuesday night at Municipal Field.
After Salem (15-18) had rallied to tie the score 2-2 in the sixth, the Bucs broke it open in the seventh on Conger's three-run home run. It was his third hit of the night.
"That was my worst at bat of the night until I hit the home run," he said. "The guy [John Polasek] came way inside with a fastball, right inside my kitchen, then came back with a slider that made me look silly.
"The pitch I hit was a fastball right down the middle. You don't think much about those. Your eyes just get real big."
Conger's shot, his fourth of the year, departed the park in left field and brought home Joe Ronca and Encarnacion, both on with a single.
Jason Christiansen, in relief of Salem starter Dan Jones, worked a perfect eighth, giving him 13-straight scoreless innings. Marc Pisciotta came on in the ninth to allow a hit and a run, his first as a Buc since being called up from Augusta July 17, but it was unearned. Pisciotta claimed his second save.
Salem continued to tread water in the Carolina League standings, remaining five games behind Southern Division leader Kinston. Salem is in third place.
Jones got the win despite surrendering solo home runs to Basilio Ortiz in the first and Jose Millares in the fourth.
Jones also was involved in the game's scariest moment when he hit Ortiz in the head with a pitch in the fifth inning. Ortiz left the field under his own power and was taken to Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he was evaluated and released, a spokeswoman for the hospital said.
After Ortiz's homer and another long fly ball to center field, the question of intent arose.
"That's the last thing I was trying to do," Jones said. "That's just not how the game is supposed to be played. He was diving in hard over the plate and I was trying to get him off it, but no way. If there's a bigger taboo in baseball, I don't know what it is."
Jones scattered four hits but did not allow another after the fourth.
"The balls that were hit were up," he said.
\ see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASEBALL
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.