THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 10, 1996 TAG: 9606100128
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY AIMEE FORD CORESSPONDENT
DATELINE: TOLEDO, OHIO LENGTH: 57 lines
For the second day in a row, the Norfolk Tides lost a game to the Toledo Mud Hens in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Reliever Mark Lee surrendered a leadoff home run to Duane Singleton that tied the game at 1-1. Then Jason Bullard took over, giving up a single and hitting a batter before allowing a game-winning single to Tim Hyers for a 2-1 Mud Hens win at Skeldon Stadium.
The Tides had led 1-0 since Andy Tomberlin's solo homer in the first. That was one of just six hits allowed by Toledo starter Clint Sodowsky (4-2), who went to the distance and was rewarded with the come-from-behind win.
The home run by Singleton, the only batter faced by Lee, with the heart of the Mud Hens lineup to follow hurt the Tides.
``(Lee) got a 2-1 count, showed him three fastballs and then threw another fastball right there,'' Tides manager Bobby Valentine said. ``(Singleton) took a good swing at it.''
Bullard was equally ineffective, allowing a single to Phil Hiatt, then hitting Tony Mitchell with one out. Hyers followed with a bouncer to first that handcuffed Brian Daubach, who was on his heels on the play.
The ball, ruled a hit, got past Daubach and Hiatt easily scored.
``To come back like that was great; I think it shows the team is really pulling together,'' Sodowsky said.
``That's what it is about winning. The last week and a half we've really pulled together.''
Toledo has won five of its last six, including two of three against the Tides, who were the hottest team in the International League before arriving in Toledo.
For much of the game, Sodowsky's performance simply matched that of Norfolk starter Rick Reed, who worked comfortably with the one-run lead. Reed scattered three hits while walking two and striking out six in seven innings of work.
Toledo got only one runner into scoring position against Reed - Hyers, who doubled in the fifth, .
``He's throwing a lot more strikes, getting ahead in the count,'' Valentine said. ``He's really working his fastball on both sides of the plate.''
But Norfolk found trouble when it went to its bullpen, and Sodowsky was able to pitch out of the only trouble he found after the first inning.
The Tides got a runner to third in the eighth, but a groundball out ended the inning.
In the ninth, a walk to Matt Franco and a single by Daubach put two on with one out.
But Sodowsky, despite a visit from Mud Hens manager Tom Runnells, finished the inning strong. He got Benny Agbayani on a liner that was grabbed by leaping second baseman John Cotton, then struck out pinch-hitter Kevin Roberson to end the inning.
``Sodowsky was throwing a lot of sinkers off the plate,'' Valentine said. ``We weren't patient enough to swing at strikes. We swung at a lot of pitches out of the zone. He has a good sinker.''
The Tides are off today, and begin a three-game series in Columbus Tuesday. They return home Friday to begin a series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. by CNB