THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607140212
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES BLACK, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 46 lines
Once again, Rick Reed did his job on the mound for the Norfolk Tides Saturday night. For a change, though, he received run support.
Reed allowed six hits and struck out seven in six innings as the Tides defeated the Rochester Red Wings 13-4 at Harbor Park.
``We needed a good pitching effort by the starter and he kept us in the game until we got the offense going,'' manager Bobby Valentine said.
The first-place Tides (54-35) moved 5 1/2 games ahead of Columbus (49-41), which was idle.
In his last seven starts, Reed (5-7) has allowed only 13 runs - less than two runs a start. However, he only had one victory in his previous six starts. The Tides scored 10 runs in the three no decisions and two losses during the stretch.
``I haven't been pitching bad but I fell into that category of the pitcher not getting run support,'' Reed said. ``Whether we score 1, 2 or 13 runs as long as I keep us in the game, that's what the coaches are asking for.''
Rochester took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly by Jeffrey Hammonds, but Norfolk answered with a leadoff home run by Gary Thurman, his eighth, to tie the score. The Tides then scored twice in the third to take the lead for good, 3-1.
With Rick Trlicek on the mound in the seventh, it was the Tides defense that kept Rochester off the scoreboard.
With runners at first and second and one out, Hammonds hit a chopper to Luis Rivera. In position for only one play, the shortstop tossed the ball to third baseman Matt Franco for the force out. Joe Hall then followed with a shot toward centerfield that second baseman Shawn Gilbert made a diving stab and flipped to a charging Rivera for the putout at second.
Feeding off its defense, Norfolk then put on an offensive display by scoring five runs in the bottom of the inning, capped by Kevin Roberson's two-run homer for an 8-1 lead. An inning later, Benny Agbayani hit a three-run shot to leftfield as the Tides scored five more.
NOTES: Alberto Castillo came out of the game in the ninth after a throw from the outfield took a bad hop and hit him in the face. He is expected to be play today in a doubleheader against Rochester that begins at 6:15 ... Relief pitcher Bryan Rogers, added to the roster on Friday, pitched 1/3 inning during the seventh. Rogers, who missed the beginning of the season with back surgery, went 2-0 in nine games with a 1.54 ERA for St. Lucie. ... Norfolk will send Joe Crawford (2-1, 4.15) and Juan Acevedo (4-6, 5.71) tonight to face Garrett Stephenson (3-5, 5.04) and Don Florence (3-2, 6.11). by CNB