THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 6, 1996 TAG: 9606060547
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 68 lines
Trailing 5-2 in the top of the third inning Wednesday night, Norfolk Tides centerfielder Andy Tomberlin drifted over to rightfield for a brief conversation with Alex Ochoa during a pitching change.
``I told Alex, `It's early. We're coming back,' '' Tomberlin said.
That confidence permeates the Tides' ranks these days. And true to Tomberlin's words, they rallied for a 7-5 victory over the Charlotte Knights at Harbor Park. It was Norfolk's 12th win in 16 games and Tomberlin led the charge.
His two-run home run in the bottom of the third clipped the Knights' lead to 5-4.
Norfolk evened it at 5 when Jason Hardtke led off the fourth with a single, reached third on a hit-and-run single by Matt Franco and scored on Luis Rivera's infield single with two outs and the bases loaded.
In the sixth, it was more of Tomberlin.
Hardtke led off with a double off reliever and losing pitcher Joel Adamson and took third on a deep fly to right by Franco. After Ochoa walked, Tomberlin's drag bunt up the first-base line for a single plated Hardtke, giving the Tides their first lead of the evening.
``Tomberlin's home run was major,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``But his bunt single was just as major.''
Terrell Lowery walked to load the bases and Rivera welcomed reliever Jarod Juelsgaard with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Ochoa.
``Really, I felt like it was a tie score when it was 5-2,'' Tomberlin said. ``We've got a club and we're starting to show that now.''
Charlotte had jumped to that lead by roughing up Tides starter Mike Fyhrie, who entered with 13 2/3 innings of scoreless pitching in his last two outings.
The Knights struck quickly for three runs in the first, combining doubles by Marquis Riley and Billy McMillon with singles by Chris Clapinski and Jose Olmeda and a sacrifice fly by Darrell Whitmore.
The Tides cut the deficit to 3-2 in the second when Rivera reached on an error and eventually scored on a Shawn Gilbert two-out single, while Hardtke's triple scored Gilbert.
Back-to-back home runs by McMillon and Olmeda with one out in the third gave the Knights a 5-2 lead. Lou Lucca followed with a double that chased Fyhrie.
But Norfolk's bullpen came to the rescue. The Tides, who are 33-24 and lead the International League West by two games over Columbus, employed five relief pitchers over the last 6 2/3 innings, with Pedro Martinez going three innings and earning the victory. Derek Wallace pitching the ninth for his team-leading eighth save.
``The bullpen was fabulous,'' Valentine said. ``Charlotte was on a roll and had to be stopped. Each reliever did his job and passed the baton.'' ILLUSTRATION: BETH BERGMAN
The Virginian-Pilot
Umpire Doug Eddings calls Norfolk's Jason Hardtke safe at third,
giving him a second-inning triple. by CNB