THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 17, 1995 TAG: 9505170200
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: RICH RADFORD
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Indian River leadoff man Eddie Byrum had never homered. Not in Little League. Not in high school. Not even in practice.
He picked a heckuva time for his first.
With one out in the top of the 10th, Byrum hit a curve from reliever Dale Goodrich over the fence in the leftfield gap at Western Branch Baseball Complex, giving the Braves a 2-0 victory over Western Branch in a key Southeastern District game Tuesday afternoon.
The Braves (14-6, 11-3 Southeastern) knocked the Bruins (16-4, 11-3) out of first place in the regular-season finale for both.
Great Bridge, a 3-2 winner over Oscar Smith on Tuesday, leads the district in the loss column by a half-game at 8-2-1 but has makeup games with Deep Creek today, Wilson on Thursday and Churchland on Friday. Churchland is 9-3 in the district and also has to play Wilson today.
``We just gotta hope Great Bridge loses and we end up in a tie,'' Byrum said. ``We figured we had to give (David) Bailey some help. He was 3 for 4 at the plate trying to help himself and he deserved it.''
Bailey went the distance for the Braves, striking out 12. Western Branch starter Matt Hemmis went nine innings, but had thrown 121 pitches and was pulled for Goodrich to start the 10th.
``Whatever Great Bridge does,'' Indian River coach Steve West said, ``we know we did what we had to do.'' by CNB