THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604180186
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 21 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
A sixth inning wind burst was not the only storm that blew into town during the Manteo-Currituck County baseball game Tuesday.
Manteo head coach Kenny Meekins exploded on the mound during a painful fifth inning, trying to charge some emotion into his team.
Apparently it worked. Manteo came up in the sixth and erupted for nine runs in a 10-4 win over the Knights. The Redskins avenged a 3-0 loss to Currituck in a local Easter tournament the previous week.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Currituck plated three runs. Manteo starting pitcher Foye Minton had allowed just one hit, but struggled in the fifth as the Knights scratched and scraped for runs.
John Dough led off the inning with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice by Wayne Cottrell. Ken Simmons knocked a bloop single to right to put runners at first and third. Jesse Jones laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to score Dough and beat out the throw to first at the same time.
Mike Weatherly cracked a double down the right-field line to score Simmons and move Jones to third. Again, Brent Horn successfully squeezed a run home on a sacrifice.
During the inning, Meekins went to the mound and verbally chastised his team for not playing with emotion.
``I unloaded on them,'' Meekins said. ``I told them you've got to have some guts to win these games. They showed more emotion tonight than I have ever seen in the two years I've been here, and that's even when we were losing.''
The wake-up came in the sixth inning, along with a strong squall that arrived just in time for the Manteo rally which greeted Simmons, in on relief for Johhny Fuller, with a barrage of hits.
Ted Toler drilled a double to left to lead off. He moved to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Butler. Simmons walked Jimmy Forrest but coaxed Shawn Barrerra to pop up to shortstop Jesse Jones for the second out of the inning. Then the gale started.
Simmons walked Darius Collins to put runners on first and second. Joel Daniels then smacked a ball to right that got caught up in the wind. Right fielder John Dough kept racing for the drive, but the ball blew over his head for a two-run triple.
``The wind-blown ball to right was the key,'' Meekins said. ``Joel never hits to right.''
Foye Minton drove home Daniels with a single up the middle. Minton stole second and moved to third when Jones booted a Matt Meekins grounder to short. Meekins stole second, and Gerald Crawford followed with a bloop single to left, which scored Minton and Meekins.
Danny Davis, pinch running for Crawford, stole second and moved to third when Jones muffed another grounder, hit by Toler. Toler moved to second on a passed ball, and Butler walked to load the bases.
Simmons was yanked, having only retired two batters. Wayne Cottrell came in to pitch and promptly walked Forrest to score a run. Barrera lined a single to left to score the final two runs of the game.
Meekins said his team was fed up with losing to Currituck.
``I think they got tired of that `Currituck mystique,' '' Meekins said. ``I've got seniors who have never beaten them. We've been snakebit against them, and it's about time we won one.'' by CNB