Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 17, 1995 TAG: 9506200053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Just about any pitcher would be miffed about losing a no-hitter on a bunt single in the seventh inning. Just about any pitcher but Doug Walls of the Salem Avalanche.
Walls, who hadn't won in more than a month, snapped a personal three-game losing streak by allowing just one hit over eight innings in the Avalanche's 5-0 win over the Frederick Keys in a Carolina League game at Municipal Field on Friday night.
``Hey, I'm just happy I won,'' said Walls. ``I've been struggling a little bit.''
Walls would have been happier had Frederick rightfielder Trovin Valdez not beaten out a bunt leading off the seventh. Valdez, a swift leadoff hitter who bats left-handed, dropped a bunt to the left of the mound that Walls fielded and fired to first base.
Valdez beat the throw by a step. There was no argument from Walls or the Salem dugout.
``I knew he was going to bunt,'' said Walls. ``He's a real fast guy. I came up and threw, but I knew I didn't have a chance. ... Actually, I was almost glad it [the no-hitter] was over. I just kept doing what I was doing.''
Which was retiring Keys with ease. In eight innings, Walls (4-4), a fourth-round draft pick in 1993, struck out eight and walked just one. He faced 25 batters, just one over the minimum, before reliever Matt Aminoff came out to start the ninth.
The Keys never solved Walls' best pitch - a sinking change-up that Avalanche manager Bill Hayes calls ``major-league.'' His best pitch on Friday, however, may have been his fastball, a pitch that recently has caused more duress for Walls than for opposing hitters.
``That was the best control I had of my fastball all year,'' said Walls. ``I threw in, threw out ... I hit the corners. I only walked one. I usually walk four a game.''
Salem (32-36) got all the offense it would need from an unlikely source. In the third, No.9 hitter Steve Bernhardt took a hanging curveball from Calvin Maduro (1-4) and sent it over the left-field wall and off a passing Valleydale truck for his second homer.
Edgard Velasquez hit a solo shot in the fifth to make it 2-0. The Avalanche went up 3-0 in the sixth when Brian Culp scored after Frederick first baseman Chris Kirgan booted Forry Wells' grounder.
Salem added two runs off reliever Ron Kitchen in the eighth. Nate Holdren had an RBI double and John Giudice had a run-scoring single.
Aminoff surrendered two hits in the ninth - including a sharp single by Valdez - but escaped unscathed. The win was Walls' first since May 14, a 9-8 decision over Wilmington.
Hayes said Walls had gotten off to poor starts in his recent outings. As fate would have it, Hayes discovered a can of engine starting fluid in the dugout before the game. He flipped it to Walls.
``He's had a problem starting games, so I said, `Here, use this,''' said Hayes. ``I told him he needs to keep it.''
For a while, it appeared luck would allow Walls to become the first Salem pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Randy Tomlin no-hit Kinston in 1989. The Avalanche defense helped Walls by making a couple of great plays in the field.
Shortstop Chris Sexton made a leaping grab of Rolando Avila's line drive in the fourth and rightfielder Giudice made the play of the game in the fifth - a diving, fully stretched catch of Jim Foster's pop-up near the line.
``I wasn't thinking about a no-hitter,'' said Walls. ``But after that play [by Giudice] I thought, `I've seen this on TV.' Defense is key to throwing a no-hitter.''
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB