ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604240050
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STAFF REPORTS
Center fielder Kevin Barker belted two homers and drove in six runs as Virginia Tech handed West Virginia a 17-9 loss in a windy college baseball game Tuesday afternoon at English Field in Blacksburg.
The start of the game was delayed one hour and 22 minutes by rain and was called after 7 1/2 innings due to darkness. Each team had 17 hits apiece with nine players from each team getting at least one hit.
Barker got the Hokies (28-19) started with a grand slam in the first inning off Mountaineer starting pitcher Chad Spencer (0-2). He added a solo homer in the second, his 16th of the season, and drove in one of Tech's five runs in the third with a single. Barker finished 3-for-4, scored three runs and walked twice.
The Hokies built a 14-1 lead with three more runs in the fourth. West Virginia (20-20) rallied with four runs in the fifth and three in the top of the seventh but Tech scored three times in the bottom of the inning to seal the victory.
In other sports in the region:
* Senior first baseman Eric Hungate smacked a one-out solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving Radford a 7-6 non-conference baseball victory over James Madison at Dedmon Center Park in Radford.
Hungate finished 3-for-4, driving in two runs and scoring twice for the Highlanders (16-24). He has batted .500 with 14 RBI in the past 10 games.
Hungate's game-winning homer came off James Madison lefty Eric Parker (0-3), who took the loss in relief. Radford's Matt Cooke (1-2) surrendered two ninth-inning runs but still picked up the win.
* Rob Boston allowed just two runs over nine innings while striking out nine in helping Washington and Lee past Eastern Mennonite 7-4 in an Old Dominion Athletic Conference baseball game in Harrisonburg.
The Generals (13-11, 8-5) scored two runs in the first and four in the third to take a 6-0 lead. Graig Fantuzzi scored two runs and had three hits for W&L.
* The baseball game between Ferrum and Hampden-Sydney on Tuesday was canceled because of rain and will not be rescheduled. Ferrum will play six games in the Marietta College Tournament this weekend in Marietta, Ohio.
* Aimee Willard scored seven goals and Jean Rehbein added four as George Mason downed Virginia Tech 16-5 in a women's lacrosse game at Fairfax. The Patriots (4-10) snapped a four-game losing streak.
Catherine Augustyn scored three goals for Virginia Tech (7-6) and Suzy Funston and Alanna Cini each had one goal.
* Berk Jolly of Hampden-Sydney shot a final round of 76 to finish with a two-day total of 149 to win the individual competition and help Hampden-Sydney win the team competition at the ODAC golf tournament held at The Crossings Golf Course in Glen Allen.
Jolly edged Scott Miller of Washington and Lee by two strokes. Miller shot a 74, the low round of the day. Teammate Tommy Dudley finished tied for third with Hampden-Sydney's David Egerton at 153.
Hampden-Sydney finished with a two-day total of 616 to win the team competition. Washington and Lee finished second at 618 and Roanoke was fifth with 670.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB