Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 13, 1995 TAG: 9505150089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Two nights after being banged all over Salem Municipal Field, Larock returned to effectiveness with three innings of shutout relief Friday.
The clever pitching kept the home team in the game long enough to stage a ninth-inning rally that fell just short as the Wilmington Blue Rocks won 5-4 to take the opener of a three-game set.
Salem scored three runs without benefit of a hit off wobbling stopper Dave Sinnes before Kevin Rawitzer took over to restore order in the ninth inning.
A fielder's choice and an error by second baseman Sergio Nunez sent Keith Grunewald to second with two out. That left it up to Blue Rocks first baseman Carlos Mendez to make a picturesque pick of a throw from third baseman Mendy Lopez to cut down onrushing Chris Sexton and end the game on an unhappy note for Salem.
``The kid just made a great play at first and that saved the game for them,'' Larock said.
The game probably wouldn't have had to be saved at all had it not been for Larock, whose evening's labor was summarized by his dismissal of eight of the nine batters he faced. Nunez's single in the top of the ninth broke a string of eight consecutive outs before he was erased in a force to conclude the inning.
Larock had four ground-ball outs and struck out four.
``I wasn't trying to strike out anybody,'' he said. ``I was trying to keep the fastball low and let them hit it.''
Larock had let the Winston-Salem Warthogs hit it Wednesday night and they did, seven times in two innings. That and two walks added up to five runs, all earned, in a 14-5 defeat.
``I had been pitching good [Wednesday] and then I made some pitches and the balls started to find some holes,'' he said. ``Hitting gets contagious and that's what happened then.''
So the lesson in all of this...?
``Keep the ball down in this park,'' he said. ``The thing that helped me tonight was that I was able to throw my fastball for strikes.''
The help he gave his ballclub wasn't lost on John Mizerock, the Wilmington manager.
``I would think that middle relief is pretty important here,'' he said.
Beginning with five strong innings from starter Jose Rosado and continuing with relievers Pat Flury and John Dickens, Rocks pitching kept the Salem bats under control. The ninth couldn't be considered an offensive explosion, no matter how you stack it.
``When you score three runs on no hits, then you have to say you're pretty lucky,'' said Salem manager Bill Hayes.
EXTRA BASES: Salem's Nate Holdren was named the Carolina League's batter of the week for hitting .471 (8 for 17) with a home run and five runs batted in. ... Catcher Matt Carpenter was released Friday without having an official at-bat here.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for text.
by CNB