Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407080038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Salem Buccaneers fell behind in a Carolina League baseball game at Municipal Field early in the proceedings, then commenced to make a courageous comeback to keep the spectators entertained (and in their seats).
Depressingly for the home team, though, the gallantry had its limits and the comeback fell short. Just short, though. The tying run was aboard.
Those pretty much were the facts as Salem lost 6-5 to the Lynchburg Red Sox before a crowd of 1,736 on Wednesday night.
Similar scenes have been repeated throughout the season. At this point, the Bucs are 2-6 in the second half and have lost nine of their past 12 games.
Still, there was hope for the Salemites in the bottom of the ninth despite the fact Lynchburg had summoned closer Gettys Glaze, fresh from a brief tour with Class AA New Britain.
``He deserved to be there,'' said Mark Meleski, Lynchburg's manager. ``But some people came off the [disabled list] in Boston and Pawtucket and he got caught in a numbers situation.''
Glaze was in New Britain eight days, and for a time Wednesday, he looked as though his heart still was there.
Jay Cranford led off with a single, a feat matched by Jason Kendall, who followed him in the batting order. Then, Glaze uncorked a wild pitch that advanced the runners.
Jake Austin hit into a fielder's choice as Cranford came home to cut the Bucs' deficit to one run. In the subsequent activity, Kendall was hung up between second and third and thrown out. Another fielder's choice put Danny Clyburn aboard, but Chance Sanford ended it with a strikeout.
``We've had some guys slumping, but with three guys in the regular lineup hitting .300 [Austin, Kendall, and Dario Tena], we won't be south for long,'' said Trent Jewett, the Bucs' manager.
Salem had 10 hits.
``We've had one of the top offenses in the league,'' Jewett said. ``That, I'm not worried about.''
If there was any cause for alarm, it was the pitching of left-hander Matt Ruebel. Although the
Bucs' starter was accurate with most of his deliveries and walked none (as did his three successors, Manuel Santana, Chris Peters and Jose Sosa), Ruebel did give up 10 hits in 42/3 innings. That was worth three Lynchburg runs, two of which were earned.
``But again, we had so many chances, especially early, to score some more runs and did not do it,'' Meleski said. ``We needed those runs.''
You always do at Salem Municipal Field. Lynchburg didn't suffer as greatly as the Bucs would have liked, however.
The Red Sox got a lot out of the bottom of the order, where catcher Dana LaVangie had three hits - including a triple - scored a run and drove in another.
``He's been good for us all year,'' Meleski said. ``He's been slumping, but it's the kind of slump where he's still coming up with two well-hit line drives a game. This may get him out of it.''
Jose Zambrano, batting third, also had three hits and scored a run.
Lynchburg's biggest inning was the sixth, when it expanded a 3-1 advantage to 6-1. But Salem countered in its half of the inning with three runs to make the game interesting.
by CNB