THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 19, 1994 TAG: 9408190778
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Dave Telgheder fell behind studly Brad Woodall. Handed a lead, Jonathan Hurst coughed it up. Pete Walker was in peril late, working with a run in, two on and the winning run at the plate.
Think the Norfolk Tides cared? Hey, this was The Diamond. Their oasis. The home they don't seem to have at Harbor Park, where they have lost six more than they've won. The place where fortuitous and friendly things befall them.
That's how it was again Thursday in a 6-4 victory that opened a crucial five-game series against the Braves, the Tides' quarry in their West Division playoff chase. Five runs on nine hits over the last three innings propelled the Tides to the triumph and extended their mastery over the Braves at The Diamond to an inexplicable 7-0, with two more games tonight (7:40 p.m., WTBS) and Monday.
It also nudged them to within 6 1/2 games of the second-place Braves.
``Anytime we play here, we play good,'' said first baseman Omar Garcia, whose first three-hit game in Triple-A led a 14-hit attack. ``No matter if we're behind, we know we can come back and tie the game and win it.''
``We hit the ball tremendously well in this ballpark,'' manager Bobby Valentine said. ``Maybe that big black (hitting) backdrop has something to do with it. And there's the confidence factor, no doubt about it.''
The psychic wave helped the Tides back from a 2-0 deficit created by Jose Oliva's fifth-inning home run. Butch Huskey homered in the sixth to get a run back, and the Tides chased Woodall, who entered with 14 wins and a 1.92 earned-run average, with two runs on three hits in the seventh for a 3-2 lead.
The cushion was given to Hurst, who promptly lost it, but he somehow preserved the 3-3 tie with one of his best throws of the night. From behind the plate. Under pressure. Nearly lying down.
On Eddie Perez's RBI single, centerfielder Doug Dascenzo's throw home skipped to the backstop. Jarvis Brown broke from third as Hurst raced to retrieve the ball. As he got there, Hurst slipped on the gravel, fell down and got his cleat caught in some netting.
Yet he managed to find the ball and whip it to catcher Joe Kmak, who tagged out Brown sliding in head-first.
``I couldn't get up,'' said Hurst, who earned the victory. ``I was just hoping to find the ball and get off a good throw. Fortunately, it turned out to be a great play.''
It looked even better when Greg Graham's sacrifice fly scored Jeromy Burnitz in the eighth. Rick Parker's RBI single and Oliva's error at third base made it 6-3 in the ninth.
That left it to Walker to wander into and out of last-inning trouble. A two-out blooper that fell between three fielders in shallow left made it 6-4, put men on first and third and brought Perez to the plate.
But Walker coaxed a fly ball to center to wrap up the save. As if there were really a question as to how it would wind up. by CNB