Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504210021
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK BULLOCK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A no-hitter. Losing on a grand slam. Winning on a grand slam. Shutouts.
``We've had the whole thing happen so far,'' Avalanche manager Bill Hayes said.
About the only thing missing is a home opener, which the Avalanche will take care of tonight at Salem Municipal Field against Prince William. But even this event includes a strange twist.
The Avalanche's Salem debut was supposed to occur amid the fanfare and pregame festivities surrounding the opening of the city's new ballpark. Instead, the team will play most of the first half of the Carolina League season at Salem Municipal Field, the venerable ballpark for which nostalgic remembrances and obituaries already have been written.
The closest thing to fireworks tonight may be in the stands, where folks who bought reserved seats for the new stadium vie for limited space under the Municipal Field bigtop.
``That could be a serious problem,'' Avalanche general manager Sam Lazzaro said. ``My best advice to people is to come early.''
Seating in the reserved section will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Since more reserved seats will be available in the new stadium, it's possible that more people with reserved tickets will attend tonight's game than seats can accommodate.
``We hope everyone will understand the situation and accept that this thing is beyond our control,'' Lazzaro said.
Also beyond his control is the new stadium's construction schedule, which continues to be pushed back. The opening, rescheduled for May 22, now will be sometime in June, perhaps not until the second half of the Carolina League season.
As a result, festivities planned for the home opener will be somewhat ``low key,'' Lazzaro said.
``We're sitting on the major festivities and will use those for the second home opener,'' Lazzaro said.
As for tonight's game, the Avalanche comes off an up-and-down beginning on the road. Salem was swamped 10-0 in its season opener and suffered a 5-0 no-hit defeat in its third game. But then the Avalanche won four straight, including a sweep of a three-game series in Kinston, N.C.
``I'm proud of our guys for the way they've come back'' from an inauspicious start, Hayes said.
Shortstop Keith Grunewald, center fielder Edgard Velasquez and third baseman Forry Wells sparked an offensive surge that saw the Avalanche score 19 runs in three straight victories. Grunewald and Velasquez, the No.1 and No.2 batters in the lineup, have been getting on base and giving the heart of Salem's lineup an opportunity to drive in runs.
Wells has been hitting with authority, including a grand slam in Wednesday's 8-2 victory over Kinston.
``We've got some hitters,'' Hayes said. ``Early on, we weren't showing very good patience at the plate. We talked to the hitters about being a little more selective and going deeper in the count. They've done that in the past few games, and our hitting is starting to come around.''
So is the pitching, which is considered the team's strength. The starters have performed solidly, if not spectacularly, and Scott Larock and Mike Saipe have thrown quality innings in relief.
Former first-round draft choice Jamey Wright (0-1) will get his second start of the season for Salem tonight. Wright was on the losing end of the no-hitter at Prince William, giving up nine hits and five runs in 51/3 innings. He'll be facing Rich Pratt (0-1), who pitched Sunday in Salem's 5-0 victory over the Cannons.
EXTRA BASES: Tonight's game is the first of a seven-game home stand. Kinston comes in for four games beginning Monday. The Avalanche will miss Prince William starter Brian Woods this time around. Woods was the architect of the no-hitter and pitched Thursday night against Lynchburg. ... Keith Barnes will pitch Game 2 of the series for Salem and former No.1 draft choice Doug Million is scheduled to go Sunday afternoon (3 p.m.) against Tom Fordham, who shut out the Avalanche in the season opener. ... Early season hitting stars for the Cannons have been right fielder Magglio Ordonez (.455 average) and left fielder Jeff Abbott (.438). ... Hayes is looking forward to having the team in Salem the next seven days. ``It will be nice to come home and get some extra work, some extra hitting,'' the manager said. ``It will give us a chance to work on some things that will help make these guys better.''
by CNB