Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Even more exquisite for those in the Pirates front office who keep track of this sort of thing, the Hillcats also won their 67th victory of the season (to go with 69 defeats) - one more win than Carolina League newcomer the Avalanche.
Pittsburgh would have loved to have been in sparkling new Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium, but Salem owner Kelvin Bowles declined to renew the player developement contract on the grounds that Salem fans had had grown weary of losing. Hello, Colorado.
Some former Salem employees now exiled to Lynchburg made themselves right at home Thursday night as an audience of 3,835 tried to make itself comfortable in the warm and sticky climate.
``Big ballpark like this and you can hit it anywhere,'' said Lynchburg shortstop Ramon Zapata, who had four hits and scored three runs. ``They throw it up there and we hit it.''
Which is pretty much the way it went all night as the Hillcats sprayed 22 hits to all sectors. Included in the barrage was the first home run stroked by a left-handed hitter to right field in the new park, a two-run job by Chance Sanford to close the scoring in the ninth.
``First one?'' said Sanford. ``I like that.''
There was a lot to like here for the boys from the City of Seven Hills.
``It's been a long time since we had a game like that one,'' said left fielder Jake Austin, like Sanford another Salem alumnus.
Austin added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Everybody in the lineup hit and the Hillcats batted around twice, bringing 11 to the plate in the six-run fifth.
It could have passed for a Salem Buccaneers reunion weekend with Zapata, Sanford, and Austin to go with third baseman Cam Bonifay (2-for-4, two runs, two walks, RBI) and first baseman Reed Secrist (1-for-5, walk, two RBI).
Not to be overlooked was the tidy 12-hitter (six strikeouts, no walks) for yet another former Buc, lefty Sean Lawrence.
``When you come to a nice park like this, in front of all these people, it just makes it a little easier to play,'' he said. ``The same thing happens when we're in Durham [which also has a new park].''
Nothing much came easy for Salem pitching, which is stretched thin at the end of the season. Matt Pool was bombed for 12 hits and six runs in 42/3 innings. Scott LaRock was touched for eight hits and five runs in 31/3 innings. Chris Stewart finished up, working long enough (one inning) to yield Sanford's homer.
``This team has led the league in hitting most of the year and they didn't do it by laying back,'' Lynchburg manager Marc HIll said. ``These guys swing the bats.''
Bill Hayes, Hill's counterpart, required no further convincing.
``They had their hitting shoes on tonight,'' he said.
NOTE:Salem right-hander Brent Crowther left for Class AAA Colorado Springs on Thursday night and thus will be unavailable for his scheduled start tonight. That job will go to right-hander Jeff Sobkoviak (5-3, 4.59 ERA), who will be opposed by left Bryan Farson (7-2, 5.46). ... Edgard Velasquez went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly to extend a nine-game hitting streak. He's hitting .454 (15-for-33) during the streak.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB