THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, April 20, 1996 TAG: 9604200479
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MATT MICHAEL, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Roberto Petagine, 2 for 10 against lefthanded pitching until Friday night, ripped a bases-loaded triple down the rightfield line and Chris Howard's three-run home run highlighted the Norfolk Tides' seven-run seventh inning and a 10-3 victory over Syracuse.
``I have confidence in all my players,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``I have confidence that everybody in our lineup can get a hit.''
Valentine had more faith in his players than in the percentages. In the top of the seventh at MacArthur Stadium, Valentine had Kevin Flora and Matt Franco pull a double steal with Alex Ochoa, Norfolk's leading hitter at .378, at the plate.
The double steal, while putting Flora at third and Franco at second with one out, effectively took the bat out of Ochoa's hands.
That's because the Chiefs had lefthanded reliever Paul Spoljaric walk Ochoa intentionally to load the bases and set up a potential double play, also set up a more favorable lefty-lefty matchup with Petagine.
So much for percentages.
Actually, just about everybody in Norfolk's lineup got hit Friday. In beating the Chiefs for the second consecutive night, the Tides collected 15, including four by leadoff hitter Flora.
The top five hitters in Norfolk's lineup - Flora, Shawn Gilbert, Franco, Ochoa and Petagine - went a combined 12 for 22 with seven runs and six RBIs. Norfolk starter Pat Ahearne allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings to win his first decision of the season.
``We definitely have the pitching and we've got the offense with the guys who can hit and run the bases, so we've got the complete package,'' said Flora, who raised his batting average from .273 to .327.
Trailing 2-1, the Tides scored two runs in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by Gilbert and Ochoa. In the seventh, Franco's bloop single off Spoljaric fell between Chiefs centerfield Shannon Stewart and shortstop Tomas Perez, scoring Gary Thurman to make it 4-2.
After the double steal and intentional walk to Ochoa, Petagine smoked a Spoljaric fastball into the rightfield corner for his first triple of the season.
``Lefthanded pitchers are supposed to be tough for lefthanded hitters, but you still have to see the ball and hit it,'' said Petagine, a first baseman who was acquired from the San Diego Padres in a spring trade. ``He gave me a good pitch to hit and I had a good swing.''
After Jay Payton struck out, Spoljaric hit Kevin Morgan with a pitch (it was ball four anyway) and Chris Howard followed with a three-run home run to leftfield to make it 10-2. Howard, another spring pickup by the New York Mets, was batting .143 (2 for 14) at the time.
Spoljaric, who hadn't allowed a run in four games covering four innings this season, surrendered five earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.
The Tides and Chiefs will play the third game of the four-game series at 2 p.m. today. Rick Reed (1-0, 3.00) will start for Norfolk against Marty Janzen (1-1, 4.50). by CNB