DATE: Tuesday, May 27, 1997                 TAG: 9705270170

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STAN OLSON, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: FORT MILL, S.C.                   LENGTH:   53 lines

TIDES TIE GAME IN THE 9TH, SCORE 5 IN 10TH TO WIN IT

After a long evening of botched chances and missed opportunities for both teams, Norfolk finally cashed in Monday night.

And the payoff was a big one.

The Tides exploded for five runs in the top of the 10th inning to take an 8-3 victory over Charlotte at Knights Castle.

It was an improbable recovery. Norfolk trailed 3-2 heading into the ninth inning but tied the game when James Martin's two-out blooper fell between a charging rightfielder and retreating second baseman, scoring Luis Lopez.

And that just set up the top of the 10th.

The winning run reached base when Roberto Petagine's long leadoff fly to centerfield was misplayed by Alex Cole, who may have lost it in the lights. The ball dropped in front of Cole, and Petagine wound up on second base. He moved to third on a flyout, then scored the winner on Phil Geisler's slow hopper to shortstop.

And it didn't end there; eventually, five unearned runs would cross the plate.

The victory kept Norfolk a half-game behind Columbus, which beat Toledo on Monday night, in the West Division race. Charlotte dropped to 25-21.

The Tides are in such a promising position largely because of impressive play on the road. The victory in the opener of this three-game series lifted Norfolk to 3-0 on the current road trip and 16-10 overall away from Harbor Park.

The Tides botched a scoring opportunity in the second inning. Roberto Petagine led off with what appeared to be a home run to right, but the ball hit the fence. The ball was retrieved quickly and the surprised Petagine was tagged out as he belly-flopped toward second base.

A walk, a fielder's-choice groundout and a long fly out to center followed, retiring the side.

The following inning, though, Norfolk broke through on Shawn Gilbert's second home run, a shot over the 30-foot fence in left. And the Tides got another in the fifth on Phil Geisler's sacrifice fly.

Charlotte, meanwhile, could do nothing with Norfolk starter Shannon Whithem, who dragged a 5.89 ERA into the game.

The Knights had their chances - they loaded the bases in the first, but Bob Nata bounced into a force play to end the inning. In the second, Charlotte's Jose Olmeda doubled into the rightfield corner with one out but was stranded.

Withem also escaped a two-on jam in the third, stranded two more runners in the fifth and dodged another Olmeda double in the sixth.

The teams meet again tonight at 7:30 in Knights Castle. Righthander Juan Acevedo will pitch for the Tides, with righthander Andy Larkin working for Charlotte.

Notes: Lopez extended his hitting streak to 14 games. ... The Tides continued their power-hitting ways, homering for the seventh straight game.

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