THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 23, 1995 TAG: 9505230387
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
For Norfolk Tides manager Toby Harrah, a disappointing Monday night at The Diamond brought to mind his old boss with the Texas Rangers.
``Billy Martin used to say you don't win games, the other team loses them,'' Harrah said. ``And we lost that game.''
It was a tough 2-1 defeat in 10 innings to the Richmond Braves in the first meeting of the season between the West Division's first- and second-place teams and the International League's top pitching staffs.
In the fateful 10th, lefthanded reliever Don Florence misfielded his way into bases-loaded, no-out trouble, then came within a whiff of escaping when he got Kevin Grijak to bounce into a home-to-first double play.
But to the next hitter, lefty Brian Kowitz, Florence hung a one-ball, two-strike curve and Kowitz ripped it between first baseman Omar Garcia and the bag to win it.
The decisive hit ended an ominous sequence in which Tony Graffanino led off with a one-hopper off the knee of Florence, who retrieved the ball but skipped his throw past Garcia. Tyler Houston followed with a bunt that Florence grabbed in front of the plate, but his throw to second baseman Bill Spiers covering first, umpire Pete Celestino ruled, pulled Spiers' foot off the bag on a play that was called a hit.
After intentionally walking Bobby Moore to load the bases, Florence induced the Tides' fifth double play of the night from Grijak and salvation was within sight.
``That's why there's three outs,'' Tides pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. ``You see it all the time, a guy's almost out of a jam and the third guy gets him.''
In a mound meeting with Apodaca, Florence chose to face Kowitz, whom he struck out in the eighth, rather than walk him and face switch-hitting Hector Roa with the bases loaded.
``He battled his (butt) off and unfortunately I hung a curveball,'' Florence said. ``All the breaking balls I was throwing him started away and ended up way away, so I figured I could throw one at him and break it down over the plate, but he stayed in nice on it and hit it down the line.''
That was one of the few clutch offensive moments on a night dominated by strong pitching, as expected, and defense. The Tides' Chris Roberts, who went seven innings, and Richmond's Brad Woodall, the league's most valuable pitcher last season who went five innings in his first Triple-A start this year, gave up runs in the first inning but nothing thereafter. Ditto for both bullpens until the 10th.
His pitchers' performance, though, was of little solace to Harrah, who stewed over a couple of base-running and hitting mistakes that helped prevent the Tides (29-15) from moving a runner past first after the first inning.
``It was a good game,'' Harrah said, ``for them.'' by CNB