Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 1, 1994 TAG: 9405010148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Bucs, the Carolina League baseball team for whom nothing comes easily, squirmed free of numerous perils en route to a 6-5 victory over the Lynchburg Red Sox on Saturday night.
Twice Lynchburg (11-11) loaded the bases with one out and scored no runs. The potential tying run was at second with nobody out in the top of the ninth. He never reached third. Another runner reached and was marooned at first. Twelve Red Sox were stuck on base.
A Municipal Field crowd of 2,246 finally was allowed a nervous cheer of relief as closer Marc Pisciotta, who made a rare appearance with two out in the eighth (he usually starts an inning) recorded the final out on a grounder to Chance Sanford at second.
Thus, the Bucs (8-15) snapped a three-game losing streak, winning for only the second time in their past nine home appearances.
"Hopefully, this will get us started," said Trent Jewett, Salem's manager.
Leading 6-1 after Jason Kendall's three-run homer in the seventh, the Bucs had to sweat out a four-run rally against setup man Rich Townsend in the eighth.
"Give them credit," Jewett said. "They went down and got some good pitches and dumped them into the outfield. I have all the confidence in the world in Richie. That's why I left him out there as long as I did."
Pisciotta came on with two out and a man on first and promptly walked Trot Nixon, before Ryan McGuire lined to shortstop Ramon Zapata to terminate the threat. After the Bucs went quietly in the eighth, J.J. Johnson opened the ninth by ripping a double off the right-field wall.
Pinch hitter Jim Crowley then tried to sacrifice him to third, but Pisciotta fielded the bunt down the third-base line and threw out the runner at third.
Kendall, a 19-year-old who was the Pittsburgh Pirates' top draft choice in 1992, was in the thick of a lot of the action Saturday. For one, he scored the Bucs' first run in the third on a riveting play in which he attempted to score from second on Cranford's single to right, overshot the plate and ran through the tag attempt by catcher Dana LaVangie. When no signal was forthcoming by plate umpire Wayne Kraus, Kendall scrambled back and tagged the plate safely with a hand.
"He didn't tag me," Kendall said. "I watched the umpire and he just stood there looking at the plate."
Kendall's three-run homer off Jeff Faino in the seventh was Salem's most lethal blow, and it came on a 3-0 pitch.
"It was a terrible pitch," Sox manager Mark Meleski said. ". . . Faino just lays it right in there. Can't do that in this ballpark."
Kendall, too, was surprised.
"At first, I thought they might be trying to put me on," he said.
\ BUCSHOTS: Salem first baseman Raul Paez sprained an ankle legging out an infield grounder in the ninth and was carried from the field. Another infielder, Alan Purdy, won't be back for at least 10 days with sore ribs. Jeff Conger is day-to-day with an aching back. Setup man Sean Evans will be out of action for four days with an ailing shoulder.
by CNB