THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 25, 1996 TAG: 9608260642
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 101 lines
The Babe, a pretty fair pitcher and hitter in his day, would have loved it.
Pitcher Jeff Parsons took a page from the namesake of the Babe Ruth World Series, hitting a dramatic two-out solo homer in the last inning Saturday to give Nashville the 16-18 World Series championship.
The underdog Tennessee team beat undefeated Alacosta, Calif., 3-2 in the title game, which was televised by Home Team Sports.
The California team had fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game in the fifth.
Parsons, the eight-day tournament's most valuable player, made his fourth pitching appearance in six games, getting the victory with 2 1/3 shutout innings of work. Parsons played despite an injured right wrist.
Parsons batted with a bandage on his wrist, and removed it when he went to the mound. He blasted a 3-2 pitch for the triumph.
``My wrist isn't as sore as my legs,'' the Clemson-bound Parsons said in the afterglow of the championship. ``I was hitting with one hand. I got a belt-high fastball and got it with the sweet part of the bat.''
Parsons - leaping with joy as he watched the ball sail over the 360-foot sign in center at Coy Tillett Sr. Memorial Field - said he knew the ball was gone.
``I knew I hit it out,'' he said. ``I would've looked pretty foolish if it hadn't. I just went out looking to make contact and get on base.''
For the tournament, Parsons picked up three victories and a save as a pitcher, allowing no runs in 19 innings of work. He struck out 23 hitters. He batted .381 for the series.
Parsons came on in relief of starter Shane Chandler.
Chandler, who reinjured a knee earlier in the series, turned in a gutty performance, pitching four shutout innings before being pulled in the fifth.
The Tennessee club also got some breathtaking defensive work in the outfield. Kyle Thomas made the defensive play of the day in the sixth.
Alacosta's Brian Candelario drilled a leadoff double just inside the leftfield line. Steve Ahlers then singled to center. Thomas fielded the ball and came up throwing. The throw was about 20 feet up the third base line, where catcher Josh Pride fielded the ball on one hop, reached and tagged the charging Candelario.
``I just tried to get it there,'' Thomas said. ``It was off-line, but Josh made a great play to get it and tag him.''
Thomas, whose mother, Peggy, celebrated her birthday at the series Saturday, also made a fine catch in the third. Rich Torres hit a ball deep to rightfield. On a dead run, Thomas made a diving grab, the the ball peeking over the top of the his glove like a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
``The ball was hit harder than I thought,'' Thomas said. ``I got a good jump on the ball, and got it right in the web of my glove.''
Thomas started the game in right, but moved to center when Parsons came on in the fifth. Thomas had two hits and scored a run.
Eric King also made a sparkling play in the fourth. Ahlers hit a sinking line drive to left. King sprinted forward and slid to his knees to pluck the ball from the air inches from the outfield grass. He threw to second to double up David Jensen and end the inning.
``This team gave 100 percent,'' Nashville manager Mike Rippetoe said. ``We've had our backs to the wall all year. There's no quit in this team.''
Rippetoe, in his 10th season as a manager, said this was his best club.
Rippetoe singled out the work of Thomas in the outfield and the pitching and hitting of Parsons.
``Kyle had a super game,'' Rippetoe said. ``And as for Jeff, we just give him the ball, and he does the job. He amazes me.''
A crowd announced as 7,252 turned out for the showdown.
Rippetoe credited the crowd for boosting his battered club, which played with only 11 players throughout most the tournament.
``I think a lot of the fans adopted us because we're a Southern team,'' Rippetoe said.
``It really helped us.''
Alacosta manager Joe DeProspero had kind words for the Series champs.
But he was less than complimentary of the made-for-TV format that made Saturday's game a winner-take-all affair in a tournament billed as double elimination. Alacosta only had one loss - in the finale.
``They had a very solid team,'' DeProspero said. ``We couldn't do much against their first pitcher, but we did better when the next guy (Parsons) came in. But it was too late.''
``I'd love to play them again. But . . . ''
Nashville opened the scoring in the second when Grant Martin doubled to left to score Thomas and King, who had singled.
Alacosta answered in the fifth. Danny Harkness led off with a walk, and Chris Patrick singled. With runners on first and second, Blake DiPietro laid down a bunt to get the runners to second and third. A sacrifice fly by Garrett Dutra and a single by Torres knotted the game at 2-2.
The ending marred a solid performance by Nashville starter Shane Chandler, who retired the first 12 batters he faced before getting into trouble in the fifth.
Nasville's Parsons, shortstop Mike Parsley, catcher Josh Pride, third baseman Donnie Ross and outfielder Eric King were named to the all-tournament team. Alacosta's DiPietro, Corrigan Willis, Danny Harkness and Candelario were also named.
Johnny Craig of Hammond, Ind., and Josh Hesse of Omaha, Neb., rounded out the squad.
Dare County's Foye Minton was named to the all-defensive team. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot
The Nashville, Tenn., team celebrates after a home run by pitcher
Jeff Parsons gave them a 3-2 victory in the seventh and final
inning. by CNB