ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606200049
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: AVALANCHE NOTES
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
The tall, distant walls of Memorial Stadium may have just gotten a little shorter and a little closer.
The Salem Avalanche added some punch to its lineup Wednesday when hard-hitting Tal Light was called up from the Asheville (N.C.) Tourists. The former Oklahoma State star and one-time NCAA RBI leader will play third base for Salem, which ends a five-day All-Star break on Friday in Lynchburg.
The Avalanche also will be adding Asheville right-handed pitcher Chandler Martin this week. Martin, who was making his last Asheville start Wednesday night, is 8-0 with a 2.25 ERA for the Tourists.
Light was batting a league-leading .327 with 12 home runs for the Tourists, who won the South Atlantic League's Central Division first-half title with a 47-20 record. His 51 RBI ranked second in the league.
``Tal Light will help us,'' said Bill McGuire, Salem's manager. ``He's a power hitter, a home run threat.''
Memorial Stadium has received such threats before and still has retained its reputation as a pitcher-friendly, anti-homer ballpark. Light expects to test that reputation.
``Yeah, I think I can hit the ball out of this ballpark,'' Light said.
Added McGuire: ``He's capable of hitting it out in dead center.''
He's certainly done that at other places. Light led the nation's colleges and universities in 1995 with 104 RBI and was named the most valuable player of the Big Eight Conference tournament. The Colorado Rockies took him with their eighth-round pick last year, but he was hampered by back problems and was limited to 23 games at Asheville, where he batted .270 with four homers.
``I can't tell you what he gives us at third because I haven't seen him play there,'' said McGuire, who managed at Asheville last season. ``He was the DH because of his back problems. I think he'll be fine at third.''
Salem will be Martin's third stop this season. Heading into Wednesday's game, Martin had made 13 starts for Asheville and won his only start with Class AA New Haven (Conn.) as an emergency call-up.
ALL-STAR DRAW: The first Carolina League-California League All-Star Game ended after 11 innings in a 2-2 tie Tuesday night after both teams ran out of pitchers. Because managers Jack Mull of the Carolina League and Del Crandall of the California League tried to get most of their pitchers into the game through nine innings, there was virtually no one left by the 10th.
Crandall even called on Lake Elsinore (Calif.) Storm second baseman Joe Urso, who pitched a 1-2-3 11th. California League pitchers shut down their Carolina counterparts over the last 10 innings after the Carolinians plated two runs in the first without the benefit of an RBI.
Salem's Kyle Houser started at shortstop for Carolina and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Avalanche lefty Doug Million pitched two innings of scoreless relief, allowed two hits, walked one and fanned one.
Since Million pitched in the All-Star game, he will start for Salem on Sunday in Lynchburg, McGuire said.
SNOWBALLS: The addition of Martin will be a welcome one to a hurting pitching staff. Luther Hackman, whose nose was broken by a line drive May 31, should be ready to pitch again by early July. Right-hander Doug Walls has had some soreness in his shoulder, which was reconstructed last season. Stephen Shoemaker, who strained a groin June 10 when he slipped on a muddy mound, is expected to remain in the rotation. Right-hander Zack Sawyer is having shoulder trouble and may go on the disabled list. He isn't expected to pitch again until August at the earliest.
LENGTH: Medium: 69 linesby CNB