Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 5, 1995 TAG: 9506060080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Perhaps there was somebody in Salem on Sunday who wondered whether the Avalanche should have pitched to Prince William's Harold Williams with first base open, a man on third and the score tied in the 10th inning.
Williams wasn't one of those with questionsdidn't question manager Bill Hayes' strategy.
``I would have done the same thing,'' he said. ``I've been struggling against Salem all week.''
The aggravation ended in a sun-splashed Municipal Field matinee. Williams slashed a pitch from Mike Saipe into right field to deliver the winning run in a 4-3 Carolina League victory for the Cannons.
No matter that Williams was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI to that point in the game. It was not a situation that called for a standard strategy, said Salem hitting coach Tony Torchia.
``It's a tough decision,'' he said. ``Even if you do walk him, you still have to play [the infield] in with a good runner, Magglio Ordonez, coming up.''
Williams' RBI single was all the Cannons could get off Saipe, so the Avalanche came to bat against Prince William stopper Archie Vazquez, who had been deployed at the start of the ninth. Vazquez wriggled out of a first-and-third, one-out situation by inducing fly balls by Nate Holdren and John Giudice to conclude the proceedings.
The Cannons (31-25) strengthened their hold on first place in the Northern Division by beating Salem for the fifth time in seven Municipal Field meetings this season. The Avalanche (28-30) lost for the eighth time in its past nine games.
Doug Walls, Salem's starter, scattered but four hits in seven innings and was undone by pitches the Cannons never hit.
``Walls got beat just like he got beat all year, with bases on balls,'' said Bill Champion, Salem's pitching coach. ``He pitches like he likes being behind in the count.''
Of the four batters Walls walked, three scored.
``It's been a problem for him here and it will be a problem for him his whole career,'' Champion said. ``He's got good enough stuff that when he does overcome this problem, then he'll have a lot of success.''
Actually, the same case can be made for more Salem pitchers than Walls. The team came in leading the circuit with 228 walks surrendered and six Avalanche pitchers have walked more than 20. Saipe walked Frank Menechino to open the 10th, and that turned out to be the winning run.
Williams, the Cannons' hero, finished the game 3-for-5 with three RBI.
``That was the best game I've had in about two weeks,'' he said. ``I've been coming early before batting practice to take flips [a short-toss hitting drill] from hitting coach Jay Ward.''
Ward is a former manager of the old Salem Buccaneers.
``I've been trying to do too much,'' Williams said. ``I've been muscling up too much. Ward told me to relax and swing the bat.''
Another Cannon also had every reason to be tense. Starting left-hander Rich Pratt was 0-2 with a 7.36 earned run average in two starts against Salem. Pratt threw six shutout innings before faltering with a hit and a walk to begin the seventh. He then gave way to reliever Steve Worrell.
``Pratt struggled early in the season, but in his last six or seven starts he's been tough on everybody,'' said Dave Huppert, Prince William's manager.
EXTRA BASES: Salem played the game under protest after the Avalanche had to relinquish a run and a runner was sent back to third when Mike Higgins' hit in the seventh was ruled a ground-rule double. ... Holdren, Salem's cleanup hitter, had a tough game. He was hit by a pitch, grounded into two double plays - each with a pair of runners on - and popped out to short center field with one out and a runner on third in the 10th.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB