THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508100179
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
THE HiTIDES NEEDED two victories to earn a tournament title and the city's second berth to the Tidewater Softball Championships. All Main Event had to do was win once to carry the Men's Class A trophy home.
If the pressure was on the HiTides, it didn't show.
After Mike Griffiths staked Main Event to a 2-0 lead in the first with a home run, City All-Star first baseman Vince Trypac started HiTides' flood of runs with a first-inning grand slam. The huge right-handed hitter's home run left the yard in right-center with plenty to spare.
Main Event didn't hesitate in responding to Trypac's home run. In the second inning, Kevin ``McDaddy'' McLaughlin answered Trypac's shot with a mammoth blast of his own to right to put the score at 4-4. Main Event added five more runs in the second to take a four-run lead, before Hubbard tied the score with a three-run home run.
The dam burst in the HiTides' third. They plated eight runs against three pitchers to take a 15-7 lead they never relinquished. After the early power flurry, all of the runs came on base hits.
The rest of the way Main Event hit the ball hard on occasion, but right at somebody. They picked up three more runs in the fifth and rallied to fill the bases in the last inning, but coach/shortstop Buck Sweitzer grounded out to end the rally.
The HiTides won, 17-10, to force a second game.
If the gates opened for HiTides in the first game, the second was a deluge. The long-ball hitting HiTides played home-run derby to win 20-5 in the clincher. Of their 20 hits, 12 were home runs.
Trypac added two more and third baseman Jay Mills hit three to lead the assault. The Class A tournament champions hit six back-to-back home runs in what must have seemed like an endless third inning for Main Event.
``This kind of makes up for losing to them,'' said the HiTides Glenn Matchen. ``They beat us 32-19 recently.'' IN OTHER DIVISIONS:
In men's Class B, the Mr. Magic Aces defeated C&S Lawn Service, 12-6, to take the title.
``The only two times they lost was to us,'' said assistant coach Milton Saunders. ``We were a little worried because we figured they were due.''
The Aces got good championship efforts from several players, including shortstop Frosty Clore, third baseman Kevin Blandon and outfielders Marvin Smith, Keith Blandon and Anthony Woodhouse.
Brass Bell won the men's Class C title by beating Atomic Plumbing, 12-4. Having big games were second baseman James Stewart, right-centerfielder Darin Idyle and shortstop Ron Joyner.
``Ron was our leadoff hitter and went 4-for-5,'' said coach Jeff Jones. ``James and Darin had perfect 5-for-5 nights at the plate.''
Men's duffer league champions, Sweating Bullets, swatted eight home runs in defeating a team from Military Circle, 20-7.
``Everybody stood out in the final game,'' said player/coach Ray Lineberry. ``It was hard to select an MVP. We decided to give the plaque to Frank Mellette, who hit a game-winning grand slam in the second game of the tournament and the go-ahead home run in the championship game.
The women's competitive division championship went to Cummings. They defeated Staylors, 7-4, in the title game.
Longtime coach Gary Sharpe said: ``We had good all-around play. Marcie Wineken, our third baseman, is a good hitter, fielder, all-around athlete. Shannon Moore probably hit about .650.''
Cummings is a perennial powerhouse, a team that compiled a 59-10 this season and finished second in the Dudley National Invitational Tournament in Petersburg. They were unbeaten, 17-0, in community league play.
The Renegades took the women's recreational division title by beating Scully's Scorchers, 9-5. The Renegades played some games in the competitive division and some in the recreational.
``We won a tournament at Greenbrier on the first of July, and we just kept on winning,'' said coach Chris Pezzella. ``. . . We had good team defense and that held us together until everybody started hitting.''
Cummings/Footers captured the top competitive coed division title, while Virginia Beach Vineyard was the church league champion. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY EDWARDS
Main Event's Kevin ``McDaddy'' McLaughlin hit a mammoth home run in
the second inning to briefly knot the score against the HiTides at
4-4 in the first game.
by CNB