Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408160067
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
No, the 20-year-old Venezuelan catcher had not just been married at Salem Municipal Field on Saturday night in front of 2,489 witnesses. Instead, he'd put the Cannons in a celebratory mood for other reasons. Primary among them was his going 6-for-6 with three home runs, including a grand slam, six runs batted in, five runs scored and 15 total bases as the Cannons took a belief-straining 16-9 Carolina League victory over the Salem Buccaneers.
"Six-for-six with three home runs?" Salem manager Trent Jewett said. "That was a good year for me."
"What a great night," Prince William manager Dave Huppert said. "He's already hit six home runs on this road trip."
Which gives him 10 for the year.
Saturday night, Machado hit one to left off Salem starter Jason Abramavicius, one that was a bouncer off the top of the right-field wall off Rich Townsend (which also snapped a 9-9 tie and put the Cannons ahead for good, incidentally), and another in the ninth to left center of Salem closer Sean Evans. The last one was a grand slam that completed a six-run torching of the Bucs' flamethrower in one inning.
"A hit batter, a checked swing down the line and then all hell breaks loose," said Bucs pitching coach Dave Rajsich, who managed the last six innings after Jewett was tossed in the third. "I'm not making excuses for Evans. He's our closer, and he has to get them out in that situation.
Machado was asked about this spectacular series of blows, but he waved off a questioner.
"No, no," he said. "I don't like to talk."
One thing he won't be able to talk about is being the sole holder of a Carolina League record, either. The 15 total bases tied a mark held by three other players, the most recent being Frank Wehner of Winston-Salem on July 9, 1955. Many players are tied with three homers in a game, the last one being Herbert Perry of Kinston on July 15,1992.
The numbers kept on coming for Prince William, which balanced four errors with 24 hits. Essex Burton, at the top of the order, went 5-for-7 with three RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases. Burton, the league leader in pilfered bases, broke a club record with his 54th Saturday night.
All those came at the expense of Secrist, who got a rare start at catcher.
"That's Gas's game, stealing bases," said Huppert, using the player's nickname.
Secrist got partial revenge by belting a three-run homer in the seventh that knotted the score at 9-9. That also partially atoned for a base-running gaffe (he left early from third base on a flyball) that got Jewett heaved in the third.
"The call was correct," Jewett said. "I was mad at Secrist, and I was mad about some other things."
The Bucs came from behind to either tie the score or take the lead three times, the first being when they were down 4-0 after two innings.
"The guys played their [tails] off," Rajsich said.
Jake Austin had a grand slam for the Bucs.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB