THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 3, 1996 TAG: 9606030146
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 57 lines
If we are to believe the Norfolk Tides, Sunday afternoon's 4-0 victory over the Columbus Clippers at Harbor Park was a result of practice, practice, practice.
The Tides (31-23) rode the artistic bunting of Andy Tomberlin and a strong outing by starting pitcher Robert Person to increase their lead in the International League West Division to three games over the Clippers.
Tomberlin bunted in all three plate appearances and finished the day 2 for 2 with a sacrifice and a run batted in.
He drag bunted to the right of the mound for a base hit in the third, reached on a successful sacrifice bunt in the fifth and drove home a run on a suicide squeeze bunt in the seventh.
``Believe it or not, Andy came out and worked on that exact play two days ago,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``Andy had been bunting down the third base line every time and knew that he had to start bunting to the first base side. When you can run like he can, you've got to be able to do it.''
Tomberlin's first and last bunts were both drag bunts.
``The situations all called for it,'' Tomberlin said. ``Actually, the first bunt was on my own. The last two were on orders. Early in my career I did a lot of bunting, but with the last two teams I played for I wasn't asked to bunt a lot.''
Tomberlin's first bunt, while pretty, resulted in nothing.
But his second resulted in the game's first run.
Following an infield single by Jason Hardtke and a walk to Benny Agbayani, Columbus third baseman Tracy Woodson fielded Tomberlin's bunt and threw wild to second, allowing Hardtke to score.
Tomberlin's bunt in the seventh capped a two-run rally. After Alex Ochoa reached on his own drag bunt down the third base line, Hardtke sacrificed Ochoa to second and Agbayani drilled a triple to the rightfield gap. Tomberlin followed with a squeeze bunt that first baseman Ivan Cruz could do nothing with.
Person went seven innings, then left it up to the bullpen to close out, something the Tides are becoming proficient at. Of their seven shutouts, four have been by committee.
``I had 3-2 counts on five of the first six batters and if you want to go further than seven innings you can't do that,'' said Person, who improved to 4-0.
Person didn't walk any of those batters, though, and walked only one Clipper while striking out four and giving up five hits.
NOTES: Pitcher Mike Gardiner, who sprained his right ankle fielding a bunt Saturday night, has been placed on the disabled list after experiencing swelling in his ankle Sunday. The Tides have two off days in the next eight days, thus the Tides will skip over Gardiner's spot in the rotation. ILLUSTRATION: LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot
Robert Eenhoorn of the Columbus Clippers slides in with a triple as
Norfolk Tides third baseman Luis Rivera awaits relay throw. by CNB