THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 1995 TAG: 9505310623
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Grayson Craun pitched no-hit ball for five innings and Donald Turner had four hits, three stolen bases and three runs scored as Nansemond River pounded Park View, 10-2, in the Region I baseball semifinals Tuesday at Nansemond River.
The Warriors (18-5) will host Southampton in the regional final Thursday at 3 p.m. Southampton defeated Brunswick, 1-0, in Tuesday's other semifinal.
Both teams will advance to the Group AA state quarterfinals.
Craun (9-0) fanned eight, walked two and allowed only two hits in six innings while receiving support from Warriors hitters still smarting from being shut out, 1-0, by Southampton on Thursday in the Bay Rivers District final.
It was the first time a Nansemond River team had been shut out in four years.
The Warriors' offense avenged that on Tuesday by banging out nine hits and scoring in every inning except the second.
Turner, a first-team All-Bay Rivers pick, reached base in all five plate appearances, and Lee Parks, Mike Byrum and John Drames each had two RBIs for the Warriors, who broke open a 4-1 game with a four-run fourth inning.
The only drama that remained was whether Craun would pitch his first complete-game no-hitter.
``In the fifth inning I looked back at the scoreboard and noticed I hadn't given up any hits,'' Craun said.
``So when I went out for the sixth, I was thinking, `Gosh, wouldn't it be great if. ...' ''
But Brian Crutchfield dashed Craun's hopes by opening the inning with a line-drive double to right.
The next batter, Sam Sullivan, drove Crutchfield in with a single.
Craun avoided further damage before giving way to Cody Flowers, who retired the side in order in the seventh.
SOUTHAMPTON 1, BRUNSWICK 0 William Jones' fourth-inning suicide squeeze bunt scored Roger Hill with the game's only run as the Indians (18-5) recorded their second straight 1-0 decision.
Hill and Jones also combined on the mound to limit Brunswick to seven hits. Hill (5-2) went five-plus innings before Jones came on and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth.
Hard-luck loser Kevin Peebles (9-3), the Southside District MVP, allowed six hits and fanned 13 for Brunswick (15-7). by CNB