Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 28, 1994 TAG: 9405280045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In two games, the Eagles clubbed six homers - as many as they hit in the previous 18 games - and cruised over Cave Spring 10-2 for the Roanoke Valley District baseball tournament championship at Cave Spring High School.
Franklin County (16-4), which shut out William Fleming 10-0 in the semifinals, will play Gar-Field in the first-round of the Northwest Region tournament Monday at 7 p.m. in Rocky Mount. The Eagles have earned the home-field advantage through the regional tournament.
The Eagles also were regular-season champions in the district, and they received home-team privileges (final at-bats) in the district tournament.
Cave Spring had the distinction of batting first on its own field Friday. By virtue of finishing second in the district tournament, the Knights will travel to Hylton on Monday night and play the Cardinal District tournament champion.
Franklin County first baseman David Webster, a junior, provided the critical hit Friday. With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Webster broke open a 2-2 tie with a grand slam off losing pitcher Robey Caldwell.
"The pitch was right down the middle," Webster said. "I was just sitting on the fastball; I was expecting it."
First-year Eagles coach F.L. Slough said, "Webster redeemed himself. I was disappointed with him a couple of prior at-bats [with two runners on base each time, Webster popped a bunt to the catcher in the second inning and struck out in the fourth], but what can you say when a guy hits a grand slam in an important game?"
Said Cave Spring coach Roger White, "It was a good pitch, and he just hit it. Franklin County kicked our butts. They put the ball in play when they had runners in scoring position."
The Eagles added four more runs in the sixth. Two scored on wild pitches, and two more scored when normally reliable Knights outfielder Robert Kaczmarek lost Freddy McGhee's fly ball in the setting sun.
"The wheels fell off the cart," White said.
Cave Spring's Doug Kenney and Franklin County's Riley Hodges traded solo home runs in the first inning. Hodges hit homers in the last two innings of the semifinal, giving him three homers in as many innings. He also had an RBI-single in the fifth inning against Cave Spring.
Right fielder Kevin Davis scored Cave Spring's second run when David Dunston hit into a force play.
Eagles pitcher Jeff Hawkes limited the Knights to seven hits. Although he struck out just one batter, Hawkes held the Knights' bats in check.
"Jeff threw a whale of a game," Slough said.
After the Eagles mounted a 10-run lead in the semifinal game against Fleming, the slaughter rule was invoked in the sixth inning. In addition to Hodges' two homers,Webster and center fielder Isaac Medeiros hit home runs for the Eagles.
Webster and Medeiros also combined on the mound to limit the Colonels to just three hits.
Brent Shorter and Steve Burtis were the heroes in Cave Spring's come-from-behind 6-5 semifinal win over Pulaski County. Shorter was the winning pitcher and went 3-for-3 at the plate. Burtis hit a home run as a pinch hitter.
by CNB