ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 6, 1997 TAG: 9704070147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN THE ROANOKE TIMES
A run in the ninth makes it interesting, but the Avalanche falls to 0-2 on the season.
Mimicry is OK sometimes, but not in situations like Saturday night at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The Salem Avalanche and Durham Bulls each left 10 runners on base one night after combining to strand 11. Somehow, Durham found enough in its bats to push one more run around the bases and escape with a 3-2 Carolina League victory.
Salem's most productive offensive play may have come with a swing of a hand rather than a bat. Left fielder David Feuerstein waved second baseman Elvis Pena home in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull the Avalanche (0-2) within one run. But just as the crowd of 4,801 hunkered down tighter in its seats, the game ended with a popout and strikeout.
``We failed to execute the inside game; moving runners over, scoring with two outs, those are the things we didn't do tonight," said Bill ``Moose" McGuire, Salem's manager.
The Bulls (2-0), particularly starting pitcher Joe Nelson, didn't make it easy for the Avalanche. Nelson allowed no runs and two hits while picking up the victory. What he did best, however, was field his position when the Avalanche pelted him with checked swings and hard grounders.
Starter Chandler Martin took the loss for the Avalanche, which enjoyed excellent pitching out of its bullpen. From the time when there were two outs in the fourth inning, Salem relievers allowed no runs and just one hit.
``Give credit to their staff for keeping them alive," said Paul Runge, Durham's manager. ``They made us earn it."
The Bulls got to Martin in the second inning after Salem center fielder Garrett Neubart misplayed a looping shot to center by Durham first baseman Derek Foote. Neubart ran by Foote's hit, and by the time he gathered himself, Foote was on second and Brian Rust was on third. Mark DeRosa singled to score Rust and Joe Trippy sacrificed to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead.
Martin got out of trouble in the third. The Bulls had men on first and third with one out, but Martin struck out center fielder George Lombard and got Rust to chop out to third on the next pitch, ending the inning.
Nelson's glove got him in trouble and out of trouble in the third. Leadoff man Kyle Houser got to second on a single and error as Nelson fielded a bouncer in front of the plate and threw wide of first base. Elvis Pena and Feuerstein walked to load the bases with one out.
But just as quickly as Salem loaded the bases, Nelson got the runners out of his hair. Jamie Taylor smacked a ball right back to Nelson, who fired it home to force Houser out. Catcher Pascual Matos then threw to first to get Taylor and end the inning.
``That might have been the biggest play of the night," Runge said.
Martin's night ended in the top of the third. He walked Derek Foote and DeRosa sent the next pitch into right field for a single. A walk to Adam Johnson loaded the bases, leading McGuire to pull Martin. His replacement, Jason Dietrich, walked in the third run before striking out Matos to end the inning.
Nelson avoided another Avalanche attempt at aggression in the fifth. He hit Bryant on the wrist with his first pitch and Houser, who hit the ball harder than any player from either team, knocked the next pitch to the left field wall for a double.
After Runge made his first visit to the mound, Nelson calmed down and retired the next three, with Pena lining out, Neubart striking out swinging and Feuerstein going down on a checked swing.
Nelson ``helped himself there," McGuire said. ``We had second and third and came away with nothing again."
Runge pulled Nelson after that inning, but the Avalanche didn't get anything off his replacement, John Rocker, either. Salem left two men on base in the sixth, bringing their grand total to seven.
Unlike opening night, when it scored 11 runs on 12 hits and left two on base, Durham had difficulty rounding the diamond on Saturday. As much as they got to Martin, they still left nine on in the first four innings. Of course, they didn't need them after all. NOTE: please see microfilm for scores.
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines KEYWORDS: BASEBALLby CNB