THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504190579
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
Make it 20 in a row.
Norfolk State extended its winning streak to that nice, round number Tuesday afternoon with an 11-7 victory over Longwood at the Azalea Little League complex.
The Spartans (26-6) banged out 14 hits in dropping the Lancers, who had won nine in a row themselves. Norfolk State rallied from a run back to win it with five runs in the bottom of the seventh, three coming on a home run by rightfielder Antone Brooks.
``The guys were determined today,'' Spartans coach Marty Miller said. ``When we fell behind by that one run, they just wouldn't die. That's the way it's been all year.''
Four Norfolk State pitchers gave up 15 hits to Longwood, which came into the game batting .355, sixth in Division II. But the Spartans got two stabilizing innings from James Harris and a shaky but effective inning from Brooks to close things out.
Norfolk State will try to extend its school-record winning streak when it opens play in the CIAA tournament Thursday at a site to be announced.
The Spartans are seeking their ninth CIAA tournament championship in 10 years.
Longwood (26-10) was a cut above most of NSU's conference opponents and traded runs with the Spartans most of the afternoon. A sixth-inning home run by Longwood's Rick Gastley, the Lancers' third of the day, tied the game at six. The Lancers went ahead on an RBI single by Brian Bassett.
But Norfolk State brought eight hitters to the plate in the seventh. Reggie Terry provided the go-ahead run with an RBI single, then Brooks bought some insurance with his three-run shot to right, his second home run of the game.
``It was the same pitch both times,'' Brooks said. ``He went away from the curveball, which was getting me all day, and went with the fastball.''
Brooks, a lefthander whose best stuff has been clocked in the low 90s, came in with a few fastballs of his own in the top of the ninth. He struck out the first Lancer he faced and got the next one to fly out. But then Brooks gave up a single, hit a batter and walked another to load the bases before getting Kevin Cox to ground out to second.
``He needed some bullpen work,'' Miller said. ``I thought one inning wouldn't hurt him.''
Longwood 011 012 200-7 15 4
Norfolk State 032 001 50x-11 14 3
Van Zoest and Armstrong, Bradshaw (8); Harrell, Clark (6), Harris (7), Brooks (9) and Henry. W-Harris (7-1), L-Van Zoest (8-2). HR- LC: Bassett, Davies, Gastley, NSU: Brooks (2). by CNB