THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508020584
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
If this had been a boxing match instead of a baseball game, the umpire would have stepped in and mercifully ended the carnage in the sixth inning.
The Norfolk Tides combined a sparkling pitching performance from Paul Wilson with timely hitting from Butch Huskey and Omar Garcia and a generous portion of Charlotte mistakes to crush the hapless Knights, 10-1, Tuesday at Harbor Park.
Norfolk (70-41) broke it open in the sixth by scoring six runs before Charlotte (42-68) managed an out.
Wilson handcuffed the last-place Knights, striking out seven. Only in the ninth, when Norfolk mistakes allowed Charlotte to score, did the Knights advance a runner past second.
It was the first complete game for Wilson (3-1) since being called up from Double-A Binghamton in mid July.
``I was looking forward to seeing Wilson pitch,'' Charlotte manager Sal Rende said. ``We've heard a lot about him and he's every bit as good as advertised. He mixed up his pitches well and had good velocity.''
And he even scored a run. After being walked on five pitches in the sixth inning, he came home on a wild pitch by reliever Steve Long.
By then it was 6-0, and the rout was well under way. Garcia continued the Norfolk onslaught by driving in two runs with a triple, his third hit of the game, to make it 8-0. That was was followed by a home run by Huskey drilled into the teeth of a breeze coming in from rightfield.
It was the 10th home run in the last 13 games for Huskey, who leads the International League with 25 home runs and 81 RBIs.
``I knew it was going to fall in for a hit because the rightfielder (Erik Pappas) was playing in,'' said Huskey, who was 2 for 5 following his 4-for-4 performance Monday against Charlotte. ``I knew it would go over his head, but I never thought it would go out the way the wind was blowing in.''
It did, falling deep into the Tides bullpen, and all that remained to be decided was whether Wilson would get a shutout.
It was lost in the top of the ninth, when Rey Ordonez, the league's most sure-handed shortstop, tripped on second base and fell down while attempting to turn what appeared to be a sure double play, allowing second baseman Jeff Carter to score from third. Carter had reached first three batters earlier when Trey McCoy had been a step slow in covering first on an infield ground ball.
Wilson, who was 0 for 3 at the plate, shrugged off losing the shutout.
``I was kind of disappointed that they got a run, but how many times is Rey going to do that?'' he said.
``If it was a 2-1 game it would have been different, but tonight, I just had to laugh. I was more disappointed by my performance at the plate than I was in losing the shutout.''
Tides manager Toby Harrah saw nothing to be disappointed about.
``Paul Wilson pitched a great game,'' he said. ``He was as strong at the end as he was at the start.
``We played an all-around great game.''
And won by a TKO. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARK MITCHELL/Staff
Tides shortstop Rey Ordonez prepares to tag out Doug Dascenzo on a
steal attempt. Later, the usually steady Ordonez allowed the Knights
to score by missing a double play chance in the ninth.
by CNB