Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 17, 1994 TAG: 9405170150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The L-Sox stroked 11 hits including a pair of home runs (both probably given some extra juice by a stiff Municipal Field wind), a triple, and two doubles in an 11-7 Carolina League victory Monday night with 1,345 patrons in attendance.
The Bucs concluded a 1-3 homestand but didn't do a cadaver impression after falling 9-0 in arrears and actually rallied to within two runs. But the L-Sox scored a couple of more in the eighth, due in part to Bucs third baseman Jay Cranford apparently losing an infield chop in the lights, and that was that.
``They hit the ball well every time we've played them,'' said Salem manager Trent Jewett, whose club has dropped three of four to its neighbor to the east. ``They had a lot of two-strike hits tonight.''
Lynchburg has been rolling in recent games, particularly Sunday night when it required 21 hits to subdue uncooperative Winston-Salem 14-13.
The L-Sox (19-18) made Dave Doorneweerd's first turn in the Salem rotation an unhappy one. The lanky right-hander trailed 1-0 after Trot Nixon's run-scoring single in the first and 3-0 after three straight Lynchburg hits including John Eierman's RBI double and Paul Carey's run-scoring liner in the third.
Then Lynchburg really went to work in the fourth, scoring six. The main damage came from Bill Selby's opposite-field homer to lead off the inning, a two-run double by Pat Murphy to greet Doorneweerd's successor, John Ericks, and Nixon's two-run homer in the next at bat.
Ericks did well after that, giving up two more hits and striking out six over 3 1/3 innings, his longest stint of the season.
That gave Salem a chance to get back into the game, which it did with a six-hit, five-run fifth. Among five straight hits to start the inning were back-to-back homers by Jason Kendall and Jake Austin. Chance Sanford's sacrifice fly, a ground-rule double by Reed Secrist, and Daryl Ratliff's pinch groundout plated the other three runs.
Left-hander Gregg Kennedy finished the inning, meaning starter Chad Renfroe, the guy who once had a nine-run lead, would get a no decision. Kennedy pitched the rest of the way, making few mistakes, Jon Farrell's two-run homer in the seventh being the most prominent.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB