Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 2, 1994 TAG: 9405020059
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Five home runs surrendered usually amounts to a lot of stiff necks from tracking balls over the wall, as well as another loss. So it was for the Salem Buccaneers, who were bombarded 8-6 by the Lynchburg Red Sox in a Carolina League baseball game Sunday afternoon at Municipal Field.
The Bucs (8-16), who halted a three-game skid with a 6-5 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday night, stubbornly came back and had the potential tying run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning. Gettys Glaze snuffed that threat to send Salem to another loss.
The Bucs dropped two of three to Lynchburg (12-11) and have been defeated 11 times in their past 14 games.
"This is the way it's been going," said Trent Jewett, Salem's manager.
The way it's been going is Lynchburg's No. 8 hitter - Bill Selby - hit back-to-back homers in the second and fourth innings. He hit both to the opposite field. And he hit them on 0-2 counts against Bucs starter Ted Klamm.
"What hurt us was we made some very bad pitches when we were ahead in the count," Jewett said. " . . . You can't do that."
Salem pitching served up 14 hits, seven for extra bases. Throw in a couple of walks and that makes for a lot of activity on the base paths.
It could have been worse.
"We needed those homers," said Mark Meleski, Lynchburg's manager. "Defensively, we made the plays when we had to have them, but we could have scored a lot more. We had the bases loaded three times and didn't capitalize."
The Red Sox stranded 20 in the past two games and left the sacks full five times.
A guy can clear them in a hurry when he hits it over the fence, though. In addition to Selby, Trot Nixon, Ryan McGuire and Jeff Martin also whacked homers.
Salem made it interesting when Jon Farrell banged a two-run shot in the eighth, but that was as close as the Bucs got.
"It was your typical game in this ballpark," Meleski said. "You never feel safe here, particularly when the wind is blowing out to left like it was.
"In the late innings, you just tell you pitchers to keep the ball down. The game is never over here, as Salem proved. A team could get 10, 12 runs here every single game."
The home team would be happy with that sort of production, if it could only get it. The Bucs, however, are seventh in the eight-team league in runs scored.
"Right now, our pitching is just average," Meleski said. "That's not good enough."
\ BUCSHOTS: Salem added a couple of players Sunday. Pitcher Matt Ruebel arrived from Carolina of the Class AA Southern League and was pressed into service in long relief. He gave up two runs on three hits and struck out three. Infielder Richard Luna came from Augusta of the South Atlantic League, where he hit .125 (3-for-25) in 11 games. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB