THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508200174
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
The rest of the Norfolk Tides' season will have a distinct Double-A influence to it, not necessarily in performance but in personnel. That's not all bad, if their last two games are suitable evidence.
Though Ricky Otero, with three more hits following his four-hit Friday, and Derek Lee, with his third RBI-pinch-hit in his last five tries, helped the Tides knock off the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, 8-5, on Saturday, contributions of recent arrivals from Binghamton were stamped all over the triumph.
Combined with Richmond's 7-3 loss to Charlotte, the decision trimmed to three the Tides' magic number to clinch first place in the International League West.
Shortstop Kevin Morgan, slated to move to second base when Rey Ordonez returns to the lineup, had three hits in his fifth game with the Tides, including a two-run double in the seventh. Jay Payton emerged from a 1-for-21 slide with three hits and three RBIs.
On the mound, Joe Crawford, with one perfect inning in relief of Eric Ludwick, who made his Triple-A debut, picked up his first Triple-A victory. And Jim McCready, back and forth from Norfolk to Binghamton this season, got out of bases-loaded trouble in the eighth to allow Pete Walker to notch his sixth save.
The result, before the largest paid crowd of the season, 12,364, was the most runs the Tides have scored since Aug. 2. And their 18 hits were two shy of their season-best.
One of the biggest came from Morgan in the seventh after Ed Alicea was intentionally walked with first base open, Aaron Ledesma on second and two outs. The Tides were up, 6-5, following a three-run sixth highlighted by Lee's pinch-RBI-single - his two other pinch hits this week were home runs - and Payton's double. Morgan stroked a low line drive into right-center that centerfielder Rob Butler dived for but failed to catch.
``I guess they hadn't seen me that much, so they were trying to go with the odds,'' said Morgan, a .277 hitter in Binghamton. ``I was just blessed and fortunate enough that I could come in in that situation and contribute.''
The hit completed the Tides' rally from a 5-2 deficit created in the fifth inning when the Red Barons' Jon Zuber crushed a three-run home run off Ludwick, his ex-teammate at the University of California.
``I thought I handled myself pretty well,'' said Ludwick, a righthander who struck out the first three batters he faced. He went five innngs, giving up eight hits and walking two. ``I threw that one belt-high change-up (to Zuber). I just made a couple mistakes, and I paid for them. I made a couple in mistakes in Double-A, and I paid for those, too.''
Ludwick didn't have to pay with a loss, though, thanks largely to his buddies here in Binghamton South.
``It's great here,'' Morgan said. ``Everybody wants to play in front of big crowds. It gets the adrenaline flowing, especially if you're winning. It's great to hear the cheers.'' by CNB