THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 6, 1995 TAG: 9509060607
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
The victory went to reliever Bryan Rogers and the Norfolk Tides on Tuesday, a 4-1 decision over the Richmond Braves that evened their International League first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
The save, though, if there were such a statistical thing for shortstops, went to Rey Ordonez, who made two more nearly indescribable plays in the ninth. They snuffed the Braves and preserved an excellent night of pitching by Rogers and starter Robert Person.
Buoyed by three unearned runs in the top of the ninth, courtesy of two Richmond errors and run-scoring singles by Edwin Alicea and Charlie Greene, the Tides will match righthander Phil Stidham against lefty Terrell Wade in Game 3 tonight at Harbor Park at 7:15.
``Plays like that pump a whole team up,'' said Person, who also did wonders for the Tides' motivation by limiting Richmond to four hits and one unearned run in seven innings. ``It really kicks us in the rear end. That's extra adrenaline, to see a guy go out and do the things he does. It's amazing.''
Person only echoed the major topic of postgame clubhouse chatter - the incredible Ordonez.
He handled one chance until the ninth, then stole the night.
On Tyler Houston's leadoff chopper past the mound, Ordonez sprinted to the second-base side of the mound, called off second baseman Kevin Morgan, laid out in a dive and slapped the ball to first baseman Aaron Ledesma to nip Houston.
``That is the best play I've ever seen in my life, and I've seen a lot of plays,'' Tides manager Toby Harrah said. ``Wow.''
``You'll never see that play again,'' pitcher Chris Roberts said. ``Not unless he does it.''
After the second out, Ordonez ended the game by charging in toward the third-base side of the mound after Brian Kowitz's chopper. Ordonez barehanded it and, just before tumbling to the ground, fired a strong underhand throw that got Kowitz by a step.
Those plays stood in contrast to Richmond's costly miscues in the ninth. Shortstop Pablo Martinez booted Morgan's leadoff grounder, then second baseman Jose Munoz dropped a potential double-play ball hit by Alex Ochoa.
That loaded the bases with one out. Alicea followed by poking a single to center for a 2-1 lead, then Greene drilled a two-run single to make it 4-1.
It was a veritable eruption for a team that had scored one run in its last 21 innings and extended that futility, despite good chances in the fifth and sixth, to 27 against nemesis Chris Seelbach.
The righthander, who no-hit the Tides for 8 2/3 innings Aug. 11, held them hitless until Ledesma doubled to start the fifth. They finally broke through in the seventh on Derek Lee's sacrifice fly, which followed hits by Jay Payton and Ledesma and Ochoa's sacrifice bunt.
``If they were gonna beat me, it was gonna be 1-0,'' said Person, who made just his sixth Triple-A start. ``I didn't plan on giving up any more runs. As long as I held them, I knew we were due. The key was getting ahead of hitters, just going after them. Saying there it is, if you're gonna beat me you've got to hit it.''
Most of what the Braves did hit avoided Ordonez, until the ninth. And by then, it was all over but the brilliance.
In the Eastern Division, Ottawa blanked Rochester, 1-0, to even their series at 1-1. Game 3 is tonight in Rochester. by CNB