THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 21, 1994 TAG: 9407210655
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
An apparent bunt turned into a game-breaking blast Wednesday night as the Columbus Clippers derailed the Norfolk Tides in 11 innings, 4-2.
Before a season-best paid crowd of 12,569 at Harbor Park, the Tides (48-50) lost a chance to even their record and creep within four games of second place in the International League's West Division when Jorge Posada faked a sacrifice bunt and swung away against Jonathan Hurst with two on and no outs in the 11th.
Posada drove the ball into the gap in right-centerfield for a triple as Billy Masse, who singled, and Jalal Leach, who reached on shortstop Aaron Ledesma's error, scored.
That a hit by Posada, a .230-hitting catcher, ended the extra innings was only right because he forced them in the first place. His single off Mike Cook in the bottom of the ninth drove in the tying run.
And that, too, was fitting, because Posada's fifth-inning throwing error was a large reason the Tides led, 2-1, entering the ninth.
In the 11th, Posada squared around to bunt the first pitch offered by Hurst as the Tides rotated their infielders to get a force play at third base. Posada took the pitch for a ball. He showed bunt again on the second pitch, but then pulled his bat back and slapped Hurst's grooved fastball past centerfielder Doug Dascenzo to the wall.
Posada said he saw the middle of the infield open up and decided on his own to swing.
``Something in my mind flashed `Slash the ball. Hit it on the ground,' '' Posada said. ``I was surprised I hit the ball. It was a lucky hit.''
Pitchers want to throw pitches that can easily be bunted in such situations to help the defense. That is what Hurst said he was doing.
``They were still showing bunt, so we were going to throw a strike and get the bunt down and try to force him out at third,'' Hurst said. ``But he pulled back and just wailed away. He executed it perfect.''
Posada's error in the fifth helped push the Tides to the brink of their 10th victory in their last 13 games despite getting only five hits in the first nine innings.
Posada picked up Butch Huskey's dribbler along the third-base line and fired the ball into rightfield. Huskey later scored on Jim Vatcher's sacrifice fly.
Then in the seventh, the Tides snapped a 1-1 tie when first baseman Don Sparks booted a leadoff ground ball by Jeromy Burnitz, who eventually scored on a groundout by Joe Kmak.
But Columbus tied it in the ninth on two hits and a walk against Cook. Burnitz kept it deadlocked by throwing out Billy Masse at the plate from rightfield on Posada's hit, on which Dave Silvestri scored.
The Tides had a chance to win in the bottom of the inning when Jim Vatcher, who hit a grand slam to win Tuesday's game, came to the plate with two out and two on against Andy Croghan. Vatcher, however, popped out to send the game into extra innings. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Norfolk's Butch Huskey goes down to keep a throw from getting away
as Columbus' Russ Davis is safe at third. Home plate umpire Mike
Dumont had hustled up the line to make the call.
by CNB