Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 17, 1994 TAG: 9407180159
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two Frederick Keys pitchers plunked him with baseballs.
Collier, not yet 20 years old, was a good sport and did not assume malicious intent.
``They weren't trying to hit me,'' he said. ``I don't think ... ''
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of Keys?
Actually, Frederick was left with not much more than heartburn after being abused 14-1 by the Bucs before a crowd of 4,817.
The lopsided triumph snapped a three-game skid that began and ended in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Collier was fresh from Augusta (Eddie Brooks was sent in return), and he immediately began to make his presence felt by walking in his first plate appearance. Collier's first of three runs followed when Jay Cranford brought him home with a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
Next time up, Collier drilled a two-run homer off laboring Frederick left-hander Matt Anderson. That was the second inning and the Keys were down 5-0.
Anderson drilled him next time up. The pitcher didn't exactly have pinpoint control (he'd already bonked Jake Austin before he'd gotten out of the first inning), but the third-inning delivery did come under suspicious circumstances.
Then again, Collier - the most valuable player in the recent South Atlantic League all-star game - was crowding the plate.
``I thought since they didn't know me, they'd pitch me in,'' he said. ``So I decided to stand close to the plate and look for a fastball down the middle.''
Meanwhile, the Salem starter, left-hander Jason Abramavicius, was pitching a slick one. He had a two-hit shutout through three, bolstered by a double play and sidetracked by a hit batter - Lincoln Martin - in the third inning. Abramavicius later drew an angry stare and complaints from Frederick manager Mike O'Berry when he threw behind batter B.J. Waszgis. Abramavicius admitted nothing.
``It's all part of the game,'' he said.
Abramavicius worked into the ninth inning with a 14-0 lead, but Roy Hodge's one-out double brought Salem manager Trent Jewett into the game. He pointed to Sean Evans in the bullpen.
``I was happy to have lasted as long as I did,'' Abramavicius said after his longest appearance of the year.
``Abro pitches,'' Jewett said. ``He proves that you don't have to be Nolan Ryan to be successful. ... You have to be smart and you have to have [courage].''
Abramavicius gave up five hits. The run scored when Evans surrendered a walk and a single to load the bases, then hit Matt Riemer. Evans was livid after hearing complaints about that from Frederick.
``Like I'm going to hit somebody on purpose, with the bases loaded and leading 14-0?'' he said.
Riemer, the shortstop, had a rough enough night as it was, committing three errors in the third inning. The Keys had four in all during that inning, which helped lay the foundation for the Bucs to score five runs - only one of which was earned. All told, Frederick had six errors, two by Gregg Castaldo, who entered the game after Martin was hit by the Abramavicius pitch.
The Bucs had plenty of offense to back the left-hander. Chance Sanford tripled and homered and scored thrice
``It seems like I go three games with some hits and three games without,'' he said. ``But I am hitting the ball hard.''
That was apparent after he smashed the triple to the deepest past of the ballpark and knocked the home run over the wall and into the night in right.
Danny Clyburn also knocked the stuffings out of one, a three-run homer to left in the fifth.
Nor did the defense rest, especially Jeff Conger in center, who made three fine-to-spectacular running plays.
``He's the best in the league,'' Jewett said.
BUCSHOTS Hall of Fame left-hander Gaylord Perry struck out nine in four innings as a team of Old Timers won a 2-0 exhibition game against a team of local celebrities before the regular game. As usual, Perry was under suspicion of imparting foreign substances to the ball. Umpire Delvis ``Mac'' McCadden examined one ball and gave it the rest of the night off. Al Holland of Roanoke pitched the final innings for the Old Timers.
by CNB