Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 28, 1994 TAG: 9405280062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Apparently easy victories frequently turn out to be more difficult than expected.
The Bucs sailed into the ninth inning Friday night, then the Frederick Keys rallied for four unearned runs before being subdued 8-5 in front of an audience of 1,126 at chilly Municipal Field.
"That's the way it's gone with Frederick this year," said Trent Jewett, the Bucs' manager.
Manuel Santana was on the mound when the Keys (23-24) stirred in the ninth. An error by Jay Cranford at third base, his 23rd of the year, started the rally. A wild pitch and an RBI single by newly promoted Harry Berrios and a walk to Billy Owens continued it. Then, a three-run homer by B.J. Waszgis got it rolling in earnest.
Another single by Eric Chavez and another error, this one by Chance Sanford, nurtured Freder- NEXT UP: Salem left-hander Ted Klamm (2-3, 6.70 ERA) vs. Frederick right-hander Jay Powell (2-2, 3.66) at Municipal Field. Game time is 7 p.m. Ticket prices: $5 (box); $4 (reserved); $3 (general admission); $1 off for children 12 and younger and senior citizens. ick's hopes. Lincoln Martin's pop to short terminated the affair.
"Manny's pitched better than that lately, but our defense didn't give him much help," Jewett said.
Until then, Bucs pitching had been quite effective. John Ericks, getting his first start since he injured his right shoulder in July 1992, pitched five strong innings, giving up one hit and one run, walking two and striking out four.
Ericks said he wasn't as strong as he looked.
"I'm tired," he said after throwing 58 pitches toward his limit of 70. "Actually, I felt weak the whole game. I got lucky. I wasn't throwing hard; my breaking ball was terrible. I don't know how I got away with a one-hitter. That was probably the hardest I've been hit all year. They just hit them at guys."
Jason Kendall, Ericks' catcher, saw events from a different angle.
"He had great location," he said. "I've seen him with better stuff, but if you can throw a one-hitter with not your best stuff, then you've got quite a future."
Ericks, 26 and a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988, had a bright future until the shoulder injury suffered when he was pitching for Class AA Arkansas. Reconstructive surgery and more than a year's rehabilitation followed, and now he's with a new organization in Class A ball.
"We're happy with the job he did," Jewett said. "As a starter for the first time, I think he was pacing himself."
The Bucs (22-26) had led 1-0 on Jake Austin's solo home run in the first, but the Keys tied it on Chavez's homer in the third. Then Salem put Ericks in position to win with a six-run fifth off Garrett Stephenson. The first five Salem batters reached, and the first three scored on a single by Dario Tena, a bases-loaded walk to Jeff Conger and Kendall's sacrifice fly.
Austin hit a broken-bat dinker over third - "The bat head went farther than the ball did," Austin said - and Tena was hung up and thrown out. Cranford then belted a three-run homer.
"It was a 1-1 count and he'd just thrown me a fastball on the outer half that made me look [bad]," Cranford said. "Then he threw a curve and hung it. I kept my hands back; that was the difference."
Austin also plated a run with a triple that left fielder Berrios apparently lost in the lights.
"Everything was going right for me," said Austin, who went 3-for-4. "That ball should have been an out."
Austin raised his average 14 points to .333 with his evening's labors. Austin is one of the reasons the Bucs achieved a just-completed 5-4 trip that could have and perhaps should have been better.
"We did a lot of things well on that trip," Austin said. "The morale's very good now."
\ BUCSHOTS: Right-hander Dave Doorneweerd is going on the disabled list with a stubbornly stiff shoulder. . . . Left-hander Terry Farrar has been assigned to Salem from Class AA Carolina and Matt Ruebel has returned to Carolina. . . . Jason Abramavicius pitched two perfect innings against the Keys in long relief.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB