THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160550
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES C. BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KINSTON, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
Old Dominion did not need a late-inning rally Wednesday evening. Matt Quatraro did his best to make sure of that.
Quatraro was 3 for 4 with five RBIs as the top-seeded Monarchs defeated East Carolina 9-7 in the winner's bracket of the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament at Grainger Stadium. ODU (37-15) plays UNC-Wilmington, a 9-4 winner over James Madison, tonight at 7:30 p.m. for a berth in Saturday's championship game.
Quatraro, 0 for 3 Tuesday, reached base in all five of his plate appearances against ECU (22-23). His two-run home run to left-center in the first inning tied the score at 2. The shot was his team-leading 11th of the season.
With Jason Koch at second base in the third inning, Quatraro gave ODU the lead for good, 4-3, with a run-scoring single. Then, to complete the Monarchs scoring, the catcher hit a two-run triple in the sixth inning for a 9-4 lead.
A Quatraro bid for the cycle was denied when ECU intentionally walked him with two out and one on in the ninth.
``I was just in a groove,'' said Quatraro, who is now tied for the team lead with 53 RBIs. ``I was seeing the ball right out of (the pitcher's) hand.''
ODU has been the only higher-seeded team to win its games in the tournament, turning back eighth-seeded William and Mary and fifth-seeded ECU.
``East Carolina would not quit,'' ODU coach Tony Guzzo said. ``They battled back and made us fight every inch of the way.''
The Pirates scored three in the top of the seventh before Ron Walker struck out Lamont Edwards to end the rally.
ODU freshman centerfielder David Winter missed his second straight game, suspended indefinitely for breaking unspecified team rules. Senior rightfielder Brian Fiumara, suspended with Winter Tuesday, returned to the lineup and was 1 for 4.
In Wednesday's other games:
CAA player of the year Brian Britt belted his 21st home of the season as seventh-seeded UNC-Wilmington (28-28) eliminated JMU. . . . Maury High alumnus Chris Libbey was 3 for 6, including two doubles, as third-seeded VCU eliminated Richmond 12-4. The Rams (33-21), who play ECU in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m., set a tournament record with 22 hits. . . . Lance Rounds scored on a throwing error with one out in the 10th inning as William and Mary eliminated George Mason 5-4. The Tribe (23-24) plays JMU in the first elimination game at 11:30. by CNB