ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 1996 TAG: 9606040079
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
THE AVALANCHE DROPS its seventh decision in eight games.
The Salem Avalanche has been cured of its bout of pennant fever while the Wilmington Blue Rocks are dealing with an outbreak that is reaching epidemic proportions.
There was little pennant-race atmosphere Monday in the Blue Rocks' 11-2 pasting of the Avalanche. The 1,133 fans at Memorial Stadium saw a cliched scene of two teams going in opposite directions. The Avalanche, which led the Carolina League Southern Division by a half-game just two weeks ago, lost for the seventh time in eight games as the Blue Rocks rolled to their 11th straight win.
Wilmington (34-24), which has won five in a row against Salem, has won 14 of 15 games and has ascended to the top of the Northern Division - a hot streak nicely summed up by Blue Rocks manager John Mizerock: ``It's easy to play good when you're winning.''
Salem (30-27), which trails Durham by 31/2 games in the Southern Division with 12 games remaining in the first half, is the living antithesis of that statement. Only a fabulous pitching performance - Doug Million's one-hit 4-0 win over Frederick on Saturday - has kept this from being an eight-game losing streak.
The pitching hasn't been nearly that good in the last week and the Avalanche bats only once in eight games have provided the arms with more than four runs - a cold streak nicely summed up by Salem first baseman John Fantauzzi: ``It's been a team effort that we're losing.''
Wilmington battered the Avalanche for 13 hits, including five doubles (two by designated hitter Carlos Mendez), and scored seven runs in the third and fourth innings off Salem starter Mike Vavrek (5-2) with two outs. The Blue Rocks sent eight men to the plate in the four-run third, six after Vavrek had retired the first two batters.
Avalanche-killer Jimmie Byington had a pair of two-out RBI on a single in the third and a fourth-inning double to raise his batting average to .416 (15-for-36) against Salem. Sergio Nunez hurt the Avalanche in the third by drawing a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch that Vavrek thought was strike three, by stealing second and third and by scoring when Vavrek threw away Alejandro Prieto's bunt to set the stage for a three-run inning. In the fourth, Nunez had a two-out, two-run double.
``We don't have a lot of guys with speed,'' said Byington. ``We have a lot of guys who hit the ball and run and take extra bases. That's how we score a lot of runs.''
Wilmington's Geno Morones (5-1) allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings. Fantauzzi had two of Salem's eight hits and Blake Barthol increased his hitting streak to six games with a second-inning triple that put Salem ahead 1-0.
``When we were playing well, we were playing a lot like [the Blue Rocks],'' said Barthol. ``We were getting the big two-out hits or back-to-back hits. Now, we've got to get our confidence back.''
SNOWBALLS: Brian Culp said Monday he is unsure if he will try to latch on with another professional team. ``This may be it for me,'' said Culp, who left the Avalanche on Sunday after 21/2 years in the Colorado Rockies organization. Culp was batting .198 at the time of his release and had been relegated to the bench. ``I saw the writing on the wall,'' he said. ``We've got four leftfielders and it looked like one would go. It was probably going to be me.'' ... Earl Cunningham may leave the Avalanche for a couple of days to visit his father in a South Carolina hospital.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN Staff Al Shirley (left) of Wilmington andby CNBSalem catcher Blake Barthol look up at the umpire as he calls
Shirley safe at home. KEYWORDS: BASEBALL