Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 20, 1994 TAG: 9404200062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Gonzalez ripped a 1-1 fastball from Marc Pisciotta into the pleasantly warm spring air and off into the distance over the left-field fence as the Wilmington won an 11-inning Carolina League baseball game 3-2 Tuesday night.
Gonzalez gave 3,688 Muncipal Field customers a late case of digestive distress and Rocks designated hitter Rodney Myers a light heart.
"They'd told Myers that if I got on, then he was going to have to sacrifice me over," said Gonzalez, an outfielder with a Villa Carolina, Puerto Rico home address. "He told me, `Hit a triple - anything so I don't have to bunt.' "
Not accustomed to power stroke on demand, Gonzalez had other ideas.
"I wasn't looking to hit a home run," he said. "Most times you try to hit a home run, it doesn't work out. I was just trying to hit it. It was a fastball right down the middle of the plate, though - a perfect pitch to hit."
That left the Blue Rocks 2-2 in extra-inning games after 11 outings.
"Just another extra-inning game," Rocks manager Mike Jirschele said. "I would have liked to have scored some more runs in that last inning, though."
Instead, Manuel Santana came on to relieve Pisciotta and pitched his way into and then out of a two-men-on jam. Dario Perez, a younger member of the family that sent brothers Pasqual and Melido to the big leagues to pitch, worked the last two innings for the Blue Rocks for the win.
Perez yielded a leadoff single to Reed Secrist in the Salem 11th, then a wild pitch sent Secrist to second with no outs. Salem manager Trent Jewett let Jon Farrell swing away, but the cleanup hitter struck out. A fly ball to Jay Cranford and a strikeout of Danny Clyburn ended it.
Jewett had no thought of sacrificing Farrell.
"I don't know many managers who'll bunt the guy in the four hole," he said.
After Monday night's five-error, 10-2 loss, the Bucs' performance was refreshing in most respects except the outcome. Salem lost for the fourth time in its past five games.
The Bucs had no errors and turned four double plays. After trailing 2-0 after two innings and 2-1 after four, the Bucs rallied to tie the score in the eighth on Rocks relief ace Jeff Smith.
Alan Purdy reached on a walk after falling behind 0-2 in the count, then after Daryl Ratliff's single, scored on Jason Kendall's hit to left.
The pitching of starter Matt Chamberlain was sound, as was the relief work of reliever Rich Townsend (no runs in two innings).
"Chamberlain didn't have his good stuff, but he battled," Jewett said. "He struggled, if you can call giving up two earned runs in seven innings struggling. A lot of guys would have gone home after that and had a party, but he's not that kind of guy."
\ BUCSHOTS: Damon Allen, the Canadian Football League star who was attempting to forge another career, retired Tuesday after his third minor-league pitching appearance. Allen finished with a 19.64 earned run average in 3 innings. His numbers: nine hits, eight earned runs and two homers. "It was his decision to retire," said Pittsburgh Pirates farm director Chet Montgomery, in Salem to watch the Bucs.
by CNB