THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 1, 1995 TAG: 9505010129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
A clubhouse attendant, rounding up the Charlotte Knights' equipment after Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Tides, called out, ``You guys got any more bats?'' To which Knights manager Sal Rende replied: ``No, but we got a lot of newspapers. About 35 of them.''
As ballplayers know, the bats of weak hitters are compared to rolled-up newspapers, soft and lifeless. And the way the Tides strong-armed Charlotte in their three-game weekend sweep was positively intimidating.
The Knights, still the league's top hitting team at .280 when the day began, were 4 for 31 Sunday and finished the series 14 for 92, a .152 average. Charlotte scored one run - unearned Saturday against Mike Birkbeck.
Friday, Dave Telgheder and Pete Walker recorded a 2-0 victory on five hits, then Birkbeck, Jimmy Williams and Bryan Rogers scattered five more hits. Sunday brought Bill Pulsipher's complete-game four-hitter, the Tides' third shutout in five games.
``They threw good games against us, give them credit,'' Rende said. ``We just aren't swinging the bats well.''
And the Tides' starters are pitching like crazy, feeding off each other's efforts. Pitching coach Bob Apodaca is loving it, but he is quick to temper his euphoria.
``Things tend to even out over the course of the year,'' he said. ``The bullpen will need rest at some point. They just have to enjoy the time off while they can, but there's going to be a time when we're just begging for a complete game. I'm enjoying this, but I'm concerned about the bullpen.''
Manager Toby Harrah said he is, too. Sort of. ``These are great problems,'' Harrah said.
FOUL PLAY: Leftfielder Butch Huskey hustled after Kiki Hernandez's double just inside third base in the fourth inning as Terry Jorgensen chugged toward third. Depending on how Huskey played the ball, Jorgensen might have been waved home to tie the game, 1-1.
That drama never unfolded because the leftfield ballgirl, thinking the ball was foul, reached the ball before Huskey and deflected it with her glove. That killed the play and kept Knights on second and third, where they were stranded.
``I was telling her to let it go, but I guess it was too late,'' said Huskey, who was a couple feet behind the girl when she touched it.
Pulsipher said he didn't need the inadvertent help.
``Nah, of course I don't think he would've scored, are you crazy?'' he said with a grin.
MORE PULSE: Pulsipher said he knew it wouldn't be long before he would rack up a strikeout performance like Sunday, when he fanned a club-high eight.
``I hadn't been striking out a lot of guys, but I knew that would come,'' Pulsipher said. ``It's early in the year and you're working on your mechanics, trying to get the ball over the plate. Now that I feel I've got my mechanics under control a little bit better, I can put a little extra on pitches.
``Today I was back-dooring the fastball, throwing it on the outside corner and it was cutting across. That's how I was getting ahead of a lot of hitters. Then with two strikes I was running it back the other way.'' by CNB