Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 31, 1994 TAG: 9405310107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MARTINSVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Some nails got gnawed to the quick as the Blue Ridge District gained a split in the Group AA Region III baseball tournament.
William Byrd had to come from behind, then hang on for its very existence in a 4-3 victory over Magna Vista in the opener, and Lord Botetourt threw a mighty scare into Brookville before falling 6-4 in the nightcap at Hooker Field.
Byrd (19-1) advances to Wednesday's semifinals where the opponent will be Seminole District regular-season champion Jefferson Forest, which drew a first-round bye. Game time is 5 p.m. Undefeated Tunstall takes on Brookville (18-4) in the nightcap.
The Terriers got three of their four hits and three of their four runs in the fifth inning against Magna Vista.
Magna Vista starter Jason Berry had been stout to that point and was leading 2-1, but a leadoff walk to Shannon Gray started Byrd on its way. Gray stole second and was sacrificed to third by Ricky Ellis.
Chris Carr, the Byrd pitcher, singled in one run before C.D. Polumbo singled. One out later, Jason Porter doubled in two runs.
"I was confident I could hit him," Porter said. "I'd been on him all night. I was just trying to hit it up the middle."
Carr was pitching a one-hitter and the two runs the Warriors (14-7) had scored in the third were unearned because of two errors by Porter, the catcher. But Carr immediately got into trouble with a leadoff double to Denard Taylor.
Then, with one out, Carr walked three in a row, the third to Brent Vartenisian scoring a run.
"I wasn't sharp," said Carr, who hadn't pitched in 10 days.
Byrd lucked out after that. With Carl Morton at the plate, Carr threw a pitch that would have hit the batter if the butt of his bat handle hadn't gotten in the way. With the runners frozen in place, the Terriers turned a catcher-to-first-tohome double play.
"Never seen anything like it," Magna Vista coach Ricky Ramey said.
Berry retired Byrd in order in the sixth. Then after two more Carr walks - he had five to go with two hit batters - he struck out Shane Grady looking to end the game.
The victory was typical of Byrd's season.
"Stay close and anything can happen," Byrd coach Rodney Spradlin said.
Lord Botetourt (11-9-1) got another terrific pitching performance out of Gabe Sander. He pitched into the seventh inning (he'd scattered seven hits) with a 4-2 lead but was unhinged by walking the first two batters of the inning.
Lord Botetourt coach Chuck Pound summoned Billy Arthur, who had been his top pitcher during the regular season.
"Billy pitched Friday [in the district tournament] and he usually needs four days off," Pound said. "He told me today that he'd be worth 100 pitches, but I told him Gabe was starting. He earned it."
Arthur walked Brandon Inge then allowed a two-run double to Patrick Muncher, whom the Cavaliers had knocked off the mound in the fourth. One out later, on a fielder's choice to second base, two more runs came in on an errant throw to the plate and that was that.
The Cavs' defense had been good to spectacular, especially Mark Sweeney's diving catch in the third that saved two runs.
Lord Botetourt had five hits, two by Sander, but all four of its runs were unearned.
Sander had a two-out run-scoring single in the first to put the Cavs up 1-0 then added an RBI double in the third that tied the score after Brookville had taken a 2-1 lead.
Sean Conner's sacrifice fly and Jack Johnson's groundout plated two more in the fourth to stake Lord Botetourt to a 4-2 lead.
Brookville's best pitcher, Brandon Inge, came in to relieve Muncher. Inge struck out eight and allowed no hits in 3 2/3 innings. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB