ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609030150
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
TWO LATE-SEASON doubleheaders don't help a depleted pitching staff.
Sometimes the differences between a team in a pennant race and a team in last place are just as evident in the players who aren't on the field as the ones who are.
While the Lynchburg Hillcats are loading up for the season's important final days, the Salem Avalanche is merely trying to put up a fight with depleted resources.
The shorthanded Avalanche barely did that in getting swept in a Saturday night doubleheader at Memorial Baseball Stadium. A crowd of 4,715 watched Salem lose 3-0 in the first game and 3-1 in the nightcap. (Box scores in Baseball Scoreboard. C8)
The Avalanche hasn't given much of a performance in this alleged spoiler's role. The first-place Hillcats have won the first three games of this six-game, season-ending final series that includes another doubleheader today. Lynchburg (37-29) leads the Carolina League's Northern Division by one game over Wilmington, a 10-0 winner over Frederick.
When Chan Mayber singled home Chad Gambill in the fifth inning of Saturday's second game, it ended a string of 17 consecutive scoreless innings for the Avalanche over the past two days.
``Everything's real tough right now,'' said Salem manager Bill McGuire.
Despite losing for the last time this season, Salem starters Mike Vavrek (10-8) and Todd Genke (8-7) gave the Avalanche a boost. Vavrek pitched a complete, seven-inning game in the opener, Genke threw six innings in the second. Both lost.
Erskine Kelley buried Salem in both games. He homered in the first and added a two-run double in the nightcap. Starter Jeff Kelly held Salem to one run over 42/3 innings and Tim Collie (4-1) pitched 21/3 innings of relief for the win.
The back-to-back doubleheaders have played havoc with Salem's pitching staff, which is down to 10 healthy hurlers. Today, middle reliever Scott LaRock gets his first start of the season and starter Stephen Shoemaker, who pitched Friday at Durham, will be in the bullpen.
Luther Hackman, who pitched 51/3 innings Saturday, will be in the bullpen when Chandler Martin starts Monday.
Lynchburg, meanwhile, is girding itself for the final few days. The trade that sent Charlie Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the New York Yankees brought right-hander Chris Corn to the Hillcats and right-hander Neal McDade was promoted to Lynchburg from Erie, Pa., in the New York-Penn League.
McDade, who was 7-3 with a 3.40 ERA, will pitch today.
Corn was 12-4 with a 2.91 ERA for Tampa in the Florida State League.
``They're making a run at the playoffs,'' said McGuire. ``If we were, we'd be getting players, too. We're not, so we won't.
``The doubleheaders are going to kill us. The depth of our pitching is not there.''
Whereas Salem sank in the standings while players were called up, Lynchburg has been able to float to the top of the Carolina League's Northern Division by keeping a core of players together. Included in tha group is league Most Valuable Player Jose Guillen, whose inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning gave the Hillcats a 2-0 lead.
Two outs later, Erskine Kelley slugged a tremendous, opposite-field blast that bounced off the top of the Pepsi sign on the scoreboard in right-center field. Kelley had given the Hillcats all the scoring they would need with a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Salem was being denied by Lynchburg right-hander Jason Phillips, who shut out the Avalanche on three hits - two of them by Pookie Jones - while fanning six.
SNOWBALLS: David Nied (2-3), who pitches the first game for Salem today, is seeking his first win since Aug. 16. ... Shoemaker leads Salem with 105 strikeouts in 861/3 innings. ... Guillen and teammate Freddy Garcia are tied for the league lead with 21 homers.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 linesby CNB