ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 12, 1996 TAG: 9604120063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
The Wilmington Blue Rocks and Salem Avalanche may be incapable of playing a tedious game against each other.
For the third time in four games Thursday, the two Carolina League foes battled to the limit of the final inning before settling the matter 4-3.
Salem closer Luis Colmenares had to sweat out two ninth-inning errors and a Wilmington runner lurking on third base before striking out Sergio Nunez looking to end it.
That amounted to the third one-run victory during the series. The aberration was Salem's 7-5 win in the first game of Wednesday night's doubleheader, a scheduled seven inning affair that stretched to nine.
Thursday's clash was one more reason to reach for medication to calm a nervously distressed digestive system.
Salem manager Bill McGuire may be learning to live with his ballclub's no net highwire act.
"Isn't that always the way it is?'' he asked. "I don't think the ninth inning ever can go easily or smoothly.''
Colmenares struck out two (one of whom, Donovan Delaney, reached on a throwing error by catcher Mike Higgins) on the way to earning his league-leading third save.
In the last three innings, Wilmington left three men on third base after they had reached that station with less than two outs. This unhappy (from the Wilmington perspective) fact was noted on the yellow Blue Rocks lineup sheet by manager John Mizerock.
"We're having a meeting about it tomorrow,'' he said. "Situational hitting, advancing runners with less than two outs, whatever you call it, we didn't do it.''
McGuire had seen it all before, only his guys had been the ones marooning their mates so close to home.
"What we didn't do the first two nights, they didn't do tonight,'' he said.
Salem had not scored since Higgins had plated Brian Culp with a groundout in the fourth to make the score 3-0. After that, it was one hazard avoided after another.
The Avalanche had started well enough with a leadoff double from injury rehabilitating big leaguer Eric Young and a two-run home run by shortstop Kyle Houser. The 21-year-old Texan hit his third homer in four years of pro ball, all three of the clouts coming the past two seasons.
"With the third, fourth, and fifth hole hitters coming up, all I was trying to do was move the runner around,'' Houser said. "The pitcher got the ball up and I turned on it.''
Salem added another run in he third, the fleet Young again providing the double and the run scored. Nate Holdren delivered the run with a single. Holdren went 2-for-4 to elevate his batting average to .450 in the first seven games.
Salem was getting more good starting pitching. Luther Hackman, drawing his second start, went six innings and two batters into the seventh before requiring relief help from Todd Genke.
"I was up in the stands running the radar gun and I was watching their hitters,'' Hackman said. "After that, I knew how to set them up with my split-fingered pitch.''
Hackman allowed a single to Michael Evans and a walk to Ramy Brooks before McGuire came for him.
"I wasn't that tired, but I was running up against my pitch count,'' he said.
Wilmington hasn't been near the state of Delaware since the season opened. The Rocks lost two of three in Lynchburg before coming to Salem. They play Lynchburg at home the next series.
"We'll try home now,'' Mizerock said. "We haven't done so well on the road.''
SNOWBALLS: VMI's Marc Phillips threw three shutout innings for his longest Blue Rocks outing of the season. "Crafty lefty,'' Mizerock said. ... Houser lifted weights all winter with a personal trainer and put on 25 pounds since September. ... Wilmington left fielder Brian Teeters was on crutches with a badly sprained ankle after an outfield collision with teammate Jimmie Byington on Wednesday. "I could wring his neck,'' Teeters said jokingly.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. Luther Hackman, drawing his secondby CNBstart, went six innings and two batters into the seventh before
being relieved.