THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 1996 TAG: 9606080279
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY AIMEE FORD, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: TOLEDO, OHIO LENGTH: 49 lines
Robert Person finally proved to be human, but not before the Norfolk Tides had too big of a lead to blow against the Toledo Mud Hens.
Person tossed 5 1/3 innings of no-hit ball Friday night before giving up three hits and three runs in the sixth.
But the damage wasn't enough to touch Norfolk's lead, and the Tides held on for a 5-3 win before 10,120 at Skeldon Stadium.
Person is 5-0.
``There was one Person too many here tonight,'' Mud Hens manager Tom Runnells quipped. ``He probably has one of the best fastballs in the league and the guys were just not catching up to it.''
Person also enjoyed early support when Alex Ochoa got the Tides on the board with a solo home run in the second inning.
Ochoa made it 2-0 in the fourth with an opposite-field shot to right. Ochoa is 17 for 33 against Toledo this season, with 10 RBIs.
After a two-out walk to Luis Rivera, Alberto Castillo homered to make it 4-0. Castillo's shot to right just cleared the fence.
Norfolk added another run in the fifth. Brian Daubach, playing in his first game since being called up from Double-A Binghamton, singled with two outs. Daubach entered the game in the bottom of the fourth.
He scored on a single by Kevin Roberson.
All five runs were scored off Toledo's C.J. Nitkowski (3-4).
Meanwhile, Person's fastball was overpowering. He retired 14 of the first 16 batters he faced - 10 on flyball outs.
``Up to the sixth inning he was doing a real good job of pounding guys out with the fastball,'' Norfolk manager Bobby Valentine said.
But Person blew up in the sixth. He got the first batter to ground out, but walked the next two. In all, Person walked four and hit a batter. Phil Hiatt followed with his International League-leading 15th homer of the year to make it 5-3.
``Person hasn't completely mastered the strike zone yet,'' Valentine said. ``But he's got a real good arm and he's been able to battle through some jams that his lack of control has gotten him into.''
NOTES: Daubach was called up from Double-A Binghamton to fill the void left by Roberto Petagine's callup to the New York Mets last week to shore up the infield. The Tides sent outfielder Terrell Lowery to Binghamton to open up the roster spot. Daubach hit .291 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs for Binghamton. the Tides play the Ottawa Lynx. All area youth baseball/softball teams are invited. A representative of each team can pick up tickets - limit 20 - at $1 each on Saturday, June 15, at Harbor Park beginning at 10 a.m. by CNB