THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, May 12, 1996                   TAG: 9605120288
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: NORFOLK                            LENGTH: Medium:   52 lines

GARDINER LEADS TIDES PAST CHIEFS NORFOLK JUMPED ON LOCAL PRODUCT WARE, WHO LASTED ONLY FOUR INNINGS AS HIS RECORD FELL TO 0-2.

An early-evening storm did little more than delay what has been the Norfolk Tides' sure thing this season: pitcher Mike Gardiner.

After thunderstorms delayed the game's start for two hours and 10 minutes, Gardiner never allowed the Syracuse Chiefs to get anything started, pitching six scoreless innings to earn his International League-leading fifth victory.

At night's beginning, a season-high Harbor Park crowd of 9,857 was on hand. The significantly fewer who stuck around were rewarded with a 6-0 Tides victory.

The victory leaves the Tides (17-15) one game up on Charlotte in the IL West Division while Syracuse (15-12) fell a half-game behind rained-out Pawtucket in the East.

Gardiner (5-0) gave up just two hits over six innings, lowered his league-leading earned run average to 1.24 and upped his IL-best strikeout total to 43 with four. Rick Trlicek pitched the final three innings for his first save of the season.

Local product Jeff Ware, who played at Virginia Beach's First Colonial High and Norfolk's Old Dominion University, did not fare as well, lasting only four innings as his Syracuse record fell to 0-2.

With one out in the third, Andy Tomberlin homered off Ware into the visitors' bullpen. It was the second consecutive night Tomberlin had hit a ball there.

In the fourth, Kevin Flora drilled the leftfield foul pole with a two-run home run for a 3-0 lead. Roberto Petagine had walked on a 3-2 pitch prior to Flora's shot, his third home run of the season.

The Tides struck again in the fifth when Shawn Gilbert doubled down the third-base line, took third on a single to center by Matt Franco and scored on a single to center by Roberto Petagine for a 4-0 lead.

Alberto Castillo added some insurance in the eighth with a two-run home run to left. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot

Racing an approaching rain storm, Norfolk Tides head groundskeeper

Kenny Magner helps drag a tarp over the infield just before Saturday

night's game was scheduled to begin. High winds made the job

difficult for Magner and crew, who had to do the job in reverse

before the game got going at 9:30 p.m.

by CNB