THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 25, 1995 TAG: 9506230176
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 32 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JULIE GOODRICH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
The Virginia Blasters 10-under baseball team advanced to the AAU national tournament by sweeping three games en route to the gold medal at the 1995 Virginia 10-under Championship at Lorellia Park in Fredericksburg.
The Blasters will be heading to Kansas City, Miss., for the national championships August 5-12.
Chesapeake's Scott Sizemore led the team with a .667 batting average and and Michael Lafleur, and Justin Major of Virginia Beach, each hit .400. Robert Crumpler of Suffolk led the team with four RBIs.
In the opener, Crumpler drove in three runs and Major added a double and a single to pace the Blasters in a 6-3 win over the Tidewater Cardinals. Crumpler also picked up the decision as the winning pitcher.
In game two, Virginia Beach's Michael Matthews and Wes Payne combined for a three-hitter as the Blasters defeated the Tidewater Drillers, 3-2.
The final was a rematch between the Blasters and the Drillers, but this time the Blasters blew away the competition, 8-2. Sizemore was a home run short of hitting for the cycle and had two RBIs. Major and Matthews each had two hits, and Chesapeake's William Cochrane chipped in with two RBIs.
Crumpler, Major and Payne combined for a three-hitter. Over the course of the tournament, Crumpler went 2-0 without giving up an earned run, and Payne notched two saves and struck out 11 in seven innings.
The Blasters are managed by Terry Sizemore and assistant coaches Bill Cochrane and Norm Lafleur.
Other members of the team include Chesapeake's Zac Covington, Cory Hamilton, Stephen Parsons and Tommy Weston; Virginia Beach's Michael Stoop, Chris Story and Gregory Vambell; and Norfolk's Andrew Cleek. by CNB