DATE: Friday, August 15, 1997               TAG: 9708140201

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 18   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   84 lines

BEACH TAKES BOTH COED AND CHURCH TITLES

AFTER COMING away from last year's Tidewater Softball Championships with no winners, Virginia Beach made it a goal to redeem itself at last week's 16th annual event at Princess Anne Park.

And it did.

While the Beach got no winners in the more prestigious men's and women's divisions, it did sweep the other two - taking both the coed and church titles.

The Beach also added a title in the Tidewater Seniors League.

Beach champ Go-Ye took the church crown with a 13-12, extra-inning surprise victory over Chesapeake champion Bethel Baptist - a winner of several past Tidewater Championships.

Go-Ye had come out strong in the top of the first, scoring five runs on six hits, only to have Bethel whittle its way back into the game - tying it at 12-12 at the end of the regulation seven innings.

Bethel was trailing 12-10 in the bottom of the seventh and tied it on back-to-back home runs by Rick Kresinske and Jesse James.

``I thought it was over at that point, I really did,'' said Go-Ye's Anthony Duez, his team's MVP for the tournament. ``Two home runs and no outs, all they have to do is get one more across . . . I really thought that was it.''

But it wasn't.

Go-Ye held to force an extra inning - in which David Paul hit would provide the winning run on a homer.

``He really came through for us,'' Duez said. ``It takes a lot of heart to step up to the plate and hit the game-winning home run after the way they came back.''

Beach winner Cummings/Easton completed an unbeaten city league-related season with an 18-5 victory over Chesapeake winner TNT/-Goose Creek.

For sponsor Buddy Cummings, it was especially nice to get at least one title out of the three teams he had in the championships.

``They really came through,'' he said.

Women's members of the coed team were on the Cummings/Easton women's team that won the Beach title, but lost in the semifinals of the women's bracket.

Cummings had - like Go-Ye - set an early pace with a six-run explosion on six hits: three triples, a pair of doubles and a single.

But unlike Go-Ye, Cummings never let its opponent back in the game, keeping TNT at bay with a 19-hit attack.

The Harrison's men's team of Portsmouth won for the third-straight year - setting itself as the dominant team in area men's city league softball.

And Harrison's did it in overwhelming fashion.

As of press time for the Virginian-Pilot's sports section, the Portsmouth men's division city champion were still in the midst of a marathon softball game - leading Chesapeake champion Northwest/deBeer 36-8 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

At that point, there was no question whether Harrison's would win its third-straight Tidewater title. It was just a matter of by how much.

When it was all over - around 11:45 p.m. - Harrison's had pounded out a 49-13 decision that was believed by many to be the most runs produced by one team in a Tidewater men's title game.

``How 'bout that,'' manager Warren Kozak beamed as his players high-fived and prepared for the awards ceremony that would take place the first few minutes of Saturday morning.

There wasn't much else for Kozak to say.

His team had just belted out 20 home runs in one game - including a pair in the top of the first inning that had set the tone for what would be a long and frustrating night for the Chesapeake entry.

Chesapeake was assured a winner in the women's title game - as both city entries advanced to the final. There, city runner-up The Rattlers avenged a defeat in the city championship with a 7-2 victory over Superior - the defending Tidewater Champion.

In the annual men's home run and women's accuracy hitting contests:

Harrison's Steve Vernon hit three home runs in the five allotted swings to take the power hitting contest.

Terry Dickerson of Superior won her second straight title in the finesse competition, hitting three of the five allotted swings through the divider cones between second base and the shortstop' area and between second base and the second baseman's area. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by L. TODD SPENCER

Paul Hubbard, above, a player for Go-Ye, reacts to his team winning

the church crown in the Tidewater Softball Champ-ion-ships. Go-Ye

coach Tommie Smith, right, gets a celebratory soaking, while Ron

Running, far right, is lifted up by the rest of the victorious Go-Ye

players.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu