THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507300217
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
On a night when the Norfolk Tides shared Harbor Park with three rock bands, they rolled over Toledo pitcher Mickey Weston with uncharacteristic ease.
The Tides touched Weston for six runs in five innings and breezed to a 6-1 victory in a game preceded by a five-hour concert.
Weston, a former Tide who came into the game with the International League's eighth-best ERA, was in trouble early. Two Toledo errors, two walks, a Butch Huskey single and an Alex Ochoa sacrifice fly gave Norfolk a 3-1 first-inning lead.
Norfolk knocked Weston out of the game in the fifth when Ochoa drove in both Omar Garcia and Huskey with a single. Ochoa then came home on a Tracy Sanders' single.
Meanwhile, the Tides got another fine effort from starter Reid Cornelius, who won his seventh in a row since being acquired in a trade from the Montreal Expos.
He upped his overall record to 8-1, including a 1-1 mark with Ottawa, by striking out six and allowing six hits and three walks in seven innings.
Cornelius struggled early, allowing eight baserunners in the first three innings, but managed to escape with only one run allowed.
``He really had to battle tonight. He didn't have his best stuff,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``But he made pitches when he had to, and we played good defense behind him, and that's what it takes to win.''
Toledo manager Tom Runnells was impressed with Cornelius.
``He's throwing much better than he was in Ottawa,'' Runnells said. ``It looks like he's got control of his curve ball. When he was in Ottawa, he wasn't able to get the curve ball over for strikes. Tonight, he got his curve over consistently.
``Once he settled down, he was in control.''
The victory allowed Norfolk (67-41) to break out of a mild slump - the Tides had lost three of their last four, including an 8-6 defeat to Toledo Friday. Nonetheless, Norfolk holds a commanding 11-game lead over Richmond and 12-game margin over Toledo (55-53).
Norfolk managed just five hits, but all were timely. Sanders was 2 for 3 and Ochoa, acquired in trade from Rochester Friday night, was 1 for 3 with two RBIs. He started in leftfield.
Moreover, when the Tides needed big plays in the field, they got them, unlike Friday, when three errors led to three unearned Toledo runs.
Runnells said the Tides played Saturday like the club that appears to be making the West Division race a runaway.
``Mickey (Weston) pitched well enough to win, but when you make that many errors, you open the door,'' he said.
``Some teams walk in the door. This team (Norfolk) comes charging through it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
Tides outfielder Ricky Otero slides into second ahead of the ball,
thrown to Toledo's Kevin Baez.
by CNB