THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608110228
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 46 lines
Figuring 15 hits and eight runs the previous night hadn't been enough, the Rochester Red Wings rapped out 16 hits Saturday night in an 11-7 victory over the Norfolk Tides at Harbor Park.
Mike Gardiner took the loss, and the blame, for this one, describing his pitching performance as ``ineffective.''
The first five Red Wings reached on hits, with Domingo Martinez delivering a two-run home run that made it 4-0. A two-run homer by Joe Hall, who went 5 for 6 with three doubles, upped the Rochester advantage to 6-0 in the top of the second.
Gardiner entered as the IL's leading pitcher with a 10-2 record and 2.64 earned run average that was 3.05 by night's end.
``Those hits they got off me were pretty legitimate,'' Gardiner said. ``That told everybody in the ballpark that those pitches were mistakes.''
But Norfolk's Jay Payton and Rochester's Brent Bowers both conceded afterward that Harbor Park, known throughout the IL as a pitchers' park, hasn't been the same the last two nights.
``I didn't hit that ball that good and it hops over the fence,'' Bowers said of his ground-rule double that started the game. ``This is usually the hardest park in the IL to hit in and the balls were going out for both teams.''
The Tides (68-52) remained four games behind Columbus in the IL's West Division.
Norfolk actually won the home-run parade, with Jason Hardtke hitting two out, one righthanded in the second and one lefthanded in the fifth, and Shawn Gilbert homering in the ninth.
Hardtke's second homer closed the Tides to within 7-6, but Rochester answered with three more runs in the top of the sixth.
Scott McClain singled with one out and Hall delivered his third double. Martinez followed with a run-scoring fly ball to left. The Tides appeared to escape when Gary Thurman ran down a Clay Bellinger fly ball to deep center, but the ball bounced out of Thurman's glove, allowing another run. Gregg Zaun then doubled to the gap in left to drive in the inning's third run.
The Tides had 12 hits themselves and the teams have combined for 54 hits and 35 runs in two games.
``They've swung the bats well,'' Payton said. ``But the ball is definitely carrying better. I noticed last year that in mid-August it cools down a little and the wind doesn't always blow in from the river. It just kind of changes around. That's good for the hitters ... but bad for the pitchers.'' by CNB