DATE: Thursday, July 17, 1997               TAG: 9707170677

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE JUNGA, CORRESPONDENT 

DATELINE: MAUMEE, OHIO                      LENGTH:   42 lines

TOLEDO ERRORS ARE HELPFUL AS TIDES ROLL TO EASY WIN

Utilizing some charity to get rolling, the Norfolk Tides pounded out an 8-1 International League baseball victory Wednesday night over the Toledo Mud Hens.

Shawn Gilbert and Benny Agbayani slammed fifth-inning home runs on consecutive pitches off Toledo starter Tim Pugh to highlight the third consecutive win for the Tides (57-39), the IL West Division's first-place club.

But before those long balls sent the Hens reeling, Norfolk took advantage of Toledo miscues in the second and fourth innings to grab a 3-0 lead.

In the second, Mud Hens starting pitcher Tim Pugh turned a dribbler back to the mound off the bat of Kevin Morgan into Norfolk's first of two unearned runs.

Pugh bobbled the ball and then threw wild up the rightfield line, allowing Wes Chamberlain, who had singled, to score from first.

Tides centerfielder Phil Geisler singled with two outs in the fourth, went to third when Morgan followed with a single to right, and came home on Toledo rightfielder Jimmy Hurst's throwing error. Michael then plated Morgan with Norfolk's third consecutive two-out single off Pugh.

``It's been a while since we've put a lot of runs on the board or won by a whole lot,'' Tides manager Rick Dempsey said. ``We've won some games lately, but by close scores. It's good to see them stretch it out and have a good time.''

In the fifth, Gilbert homered to left on the pitch after Jason Hardtke's leadoff single. Agbayani drove his ninth round-tripper of the season to left-centerfield.

Toledo ended Norfolk starter Brian Bohanon's shutout bid in the sixth when right fielder Chamberlain misplayed a fly ball hit by Toledo's Steve Rodriquez into a three-base error and Bubba Trammell followed with an RBI single through the middle.

Toledo's generosity surfaced again in the ninth when Hardtke's long fly was deflected over the fence for a two-run homer by Hurst.

Brian Edmonson worked two scoreless innings in relief of Bohanon (9-3) to close out the win.

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