DATE: Friday, April 4, 1997                 TAG: 9704040930

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: SYRACUSE, N.Y.                    LENGTH:   73 lines

TIDES SPOIL SYRACUSE PARTY NORFOLK ROMPS AS THE SKYCHIEFS OPEN SEASON IN THEIR NEW PARK

After a dozen or so dignitaries spoke at home plate to christen P&C Stadium, Syracuse mayor Roy Bernardi earned a standing ovation - and probably some votes - when he said, ``You've heard enough speeches. Let's play ball!''

It marked the last time the crowd of 12,112, which had come to open the International League's newest ball park, had something to cheer about.

After that, the Norfolk Tides made them sit on their hands.

Keyed by Jason Hardtke's five RBIs, the Tides played the role of disruptive guests Thursday afternoon, hammering Syracuse 13-6 in the season opener for both teams.

Hardtke, the Tides' second baseman, ignited Norfolk's scoring binge in the first inning with a double to the fence in right-center, driving in three runs.

The Tides had loaded the bases on a two-out double by Matt Franco and walks to Scott McClain and Roberto Petagine.

``If they don't draw walks with good at-bats, I don't get the opportunity to get it done,'' said Hardtke, who went 3 for 6.

Shawn Gilbert then doubled down the third base line to score Hardtke, giving Norfolk a 4-0 lead before the SkyChiefs' first player came to bat.

Syracuse was not only opening a new field - named after a local grocery store chain - but was also adopting a new, politically correct nickname.

No more Chiefs. It's the SkyChiefs, which is supposed to represent a World War II aviator. There was even one fan who came dressed in Red Baronesque headgear, a leather hood and goggles. So what if he was off by about 25 years and a whole World War?

The Red Baron, however, didn't earn the crowd's heartiest approval. That went to Jeff Bonacci who proposed, successfully, to girlfriend Cathy Campagna during the seventh-inning stretch.

That the game was played at all, and in game-opening temperatures of 66 degrees, was somewhat of a miracle. Syracuse had six inches of snow on Monday. The baseball gods must like opening new ballparks.

Most of the stadium's firsts, however, were turned in by the visitors, including Scott McClain's home run to right-center to lead off the third.

``I didn't know if it was going to make it out, but the wind helped it,'' McClain said. ``(Syracuse pitcher Chris) Carpenter had thrown me a curve and followed it with a fastball in the first inning. When he threw me a curve to start me off again, I was looking for the fastball.''

Hardtke delivered a home run of his own to right with two out in the fifth, making it 7-1 and all but chasing Carpenter, who was battered for eight hits and seven earned runs in five innings.

``I wasn't nervous and that might have been my problem,'' Carpenter said. ``I didn't pitch my game at all. It wasn't me.''

Hardtke came up with the bases loaded again in the seventh and delivered a line-drive, RBI single to right.

Norfolk collected 14 hits, eight for extra bases, and four Tides - Franco, Hardtke, Gilbert and Gary Thurman - had multiple-hit games.

All of that run support made pitcher Cory Lidle's Triple-A debut an easy one. And when Lidle got into tough spots, his sinker pitch sank the SkyChiefs.

Syracuse had runners at first and second in the fourth with one out when Lidle struck out Ryan Jones and retired Sandy Martinez on a bouncer back to the mound. Lidle then escaped a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the fifth with another bouncer back to the mound, this one by Rich Aude.

Syracuse got its only run against Lidle in the second when Sandy Martinez delivered a double to left-center to score Jones from first.

Four of Syracuse's other five runs came on a pair of two-run home runs by leadoff man Rich Butler, one off Tides reliever Brian Bohanon in the seventh, the other off Jeff Tam in the ninth.

Lidle, who was 14-10 for Double-A Binghamton last season, went six innings, giving up seven hits and one earned run while striking out five and walking one.

``Cory did what he had to do,'' Tides manager Rick Dempsey said. ``He mixes speeds so well and he can throw the breaking ball when he's behind. He reminds me some of (Atlanta Braves pitcher) Greg Maddux. He's got a good splitter, a good curve, changeup and just enough fastball to keep hitters on their toes.''

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