Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 25, 1994 TAG: 9404250040
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Wilmington Blue Rocks arrived April 18 with a sub-.500 record and left with a four-game winning streak and ownership of first place in the Carolina League's Northern Division.
The most recent group to discover the mysterious curative powers of Salem - for all, apparently, but the full-time tenants - was the Durham Bulls.
After arriving with a threadbare and hangdog look, the Durham Bulls were patting each other on the back and gorging on fried chicken after taking two of three from the Salem Buccaneers, the last an 11-4 pasting Sunday.
Apparently, the soft breezes and warm sunshine of a Sunday matinee don't agree with the Bucs (6-11) as much they do the Bulls (7-10).
"We were hitting on all cylinders," said Matt West, the Bulls' manager.
The Bucs didn't do much at the plate, totaling seven hits - two of which were home runs by Jeff Conger and Danny Clyburn.
Salem didn't play a whole lot of defense, as is its custom.
"The key to the game, as far as I'm concerned, was the four or five double-play balls [starting pitcher] Matt Chamberlain threw that we only got one out or none," said Trent Jewett, Salem's manager. "We teach these pitchers to throw pitches for double-play grounders and we get that."
The Bucs didn't pitch very well, either, giving up eight walks and 12 hits. Reliever John Ericks walked four, leading to three Durham runs.
"To tell you the truth, some of the walks were us pitching around guys when we got so far behind," Jewett said. "Ericks was about due for a bad outing. He's pitched very well so far."
Only one of Durham's hits went for extra bases, which for Salem was a lot like being nibbled to death by chipmunks. The one big bop was a whopper, though - Tom Waldrop's grand slam in the fifth inning. It was Waldrop's first homer of the season.
"I was just looking to play a little pepper and hit it up the middle," Waldrop said. "But [Chamberlain] gave me exactly the same pitch he'd given me my first two times up - a fastball away.
"When you look for a pitch and you get it, it makes things quite a bit easier."
Almost forgotten in the wreckage was the Bucs' 2-1 lead after Conger whacked his homer in the third. Durham tied the score when Julian Trapaga hit one over the left-center field wall, and matters deteriorated rapidly from there for Salem.
Durham routed Chamberlain with five hits - Waldrop's homer was the biggie - and six runs in the fifth and kept it up against Ericks with three runs in the sixth.
"It's nice to put a six-spot on somebody," West said. "I know what it's like. People have done it to us."
\ BUCSHOTS: Shortstop Juan Segura is being demoted to Augusta today. He went hitless in his last 11 at-bats. Segura's place on the roster will be taken when outfielder Jake Austin comes off the disabled list. . . . The Bucs finished the home stand 1-6. They visit Prince William for four games, before returning home for a 10-game set starting Friday.
by CNB