THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, May 14, 1995                   TAG: 9505140265
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY STEVE NEWMAN, CORRESPONDENT 
DATELINE: OTTAWA                             LENGTH: Short :   48 lines

TIDES WIN IN 12TH FOR 4TH IN A ROW

One-out singles by Edwin Alicea and Rey Ordonez in the 12th inning earned the Norfolk Tides a 5-4 International League victory over the Ottawa Lynx on Saturday.

In producing their fourth straight victory, the Tides used six pitchers to defeat the slumping Lynx.

Alicea, who was hitless in his first five plate appearances, knocked in Jarvis Brown from second after Brown singled and was sacrificed to second by pitcher Pete Walker.

The up-the-middle single put Norfolk ahead, 4-3, before Ordonez copied Alicea's act with his own RBI single and a nice end to a 3 for 6 day at the plate.

It was also the first game-winning RBI for Ordonez since last season.

``We've been coming back in close games the last few games, especially with the hitting we've been getting,'' Ordonez said.

Alicea continued his consistent season of driving in runs, after joining the organization just two days before the season started.

``I knew he was going to throw me a change-up or curve,'' said Alicea of reliever J.J. Thobe.

``I was thinking up-the-middle, up-the-middle, or the other way.''

Norfolk's unearned fifth-inning run opened the scoring after Brown reached base on shortstop Chris Martin's error. Brown took second on an infield out, then scored on Ordonez's two-out single.

Lynx starter Kirk Rueter, who was 8-0 two seasons ago with the Montreal Expos, made his first appearance in a Lynx uniform since 1993. The southpaw scattered six hits over six innings.

Ottawa first baseman Ted Wood, hitting .143 and facing a two-strike count, stroked a two-run single to give the Lynx a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

Kevin Castleberry started the comeback with a two-out single and took third on Jim Buccheri's loop single to right off Tides starter Paul Byrd. Buccheri's league-leading 13th stolen base put both runners in scoring position before Wood slapped the ball past a sprawling second baseman Alicea.

NOTES: Mets outfielder Ryan Thompson will join the Tides today to begin a 20-day rehabilitation assignment. Thompson tore ligaments in his right elbow in spring training. He hit .225 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs in 98 games with the Mets last year. by CNB