Vero Beach, FL (AP) - The PVBL schedule makers are a quirky bunch. The
Vero Beach Bums have not faced a division rival since July 26th in
Spokane, and will not face another Picard Division team again until
September 4th in Binghamton, NY. In the meantime, the Bums are in the
midst of a number of series against Riker Division opponents.
With just 58 games left in the season, DL powerhouses Vero Beach and
Punxatawney had not played since last season's playoffs. The Groundhogs,
leaders of the Riker Division with a record, invaded Ellsworth Park in
Vero Beach for a three-game weekend series. The Hogs took two out of three
in a matchup of potential repeat playoff opponents.
"They certainly played Groundhog baseball," said Bums manager Phil Garner.
"They brought it to us at home. Luckily we salvaged a game and managed to
avoid a sweep."
Vero Beach, coming off a 5-game winning streak that included a sweep of
the Tampa Bay Mets and 2 out of 3 against the Springfield Atoms, promptly
lost the first two games of the series to the Hogs. "We know why they're
leading their division," said 3B Dave Hollins. "The Hogs are one of our
few worthy opponents in the DL." Teammate and All-Star Rex Hudler agreed,
"The rest of the Riker games are pretty much a joke."
The Bums saved themselves from a sweep by winning 3-2 in 10 innings in the
final game of the series. Setup man Dave Weathers (1.99 ERA, 7 holds, 3
saves) pitched 2 innings of 1-hit, scoreless relief to notch the victory
and his first decision of the season. "It was nice to have the ball in a
pressure situation and know that Gar and Vuke [Garner and pitching coach
Pete Vuckovich] have the confidence that I can finish the game," said
Weathers. Ismael Valdes (12-3, 2.72, 16 quality starts) received no
decision despite pitching well. Valdes gave up 2 runs on 6 hits in 8
innings, striking out 4 Hogs.
The Hogs' pitching was not quite good enough to get the victory, but it
was close. Like Valdes, Groundhog starter Jon Lieber (8-2, 2.60) gave up 2
runs (1 earned) on 6 hits for no decision; however, Lieber lasted just 5
innings.
The Bums and Hogs traded runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings of this contest.
Vero Beach scored first after Rex Hudler walked in the second inning.
Brian Jordan doubled but could only move Hudler to third because of a
heads-up throw by Hogs left-fielder Marty Cordova. Jeff King drove Hudler
in with his 92nd RBI, good for fourth in the league. Hudler scored his
99th run, which leads the league. "King and Hudler, can you believe it?"
marveled Lieber. "These guys are grizzled veterans if I've ever seen one."
The Hogs struck back in the third inning with their first run, a one-out
solo blast from catcher Dan Wilson.
Vero Beach got some help from Lieber in the third inning. Lieber overthrew
first base on a ground ball to the left of the pitcher's mound, allowing
Ron Gant to reach base on the error and eventually score the crucial
second run.
The Hogs tied the game at 2-2 in the 6th inning, when Tony Batista drove
in Marty Cordova from second on an RBI single. Cordova had doubled against
Valdes.
Hogs lefty Mike Hampton (4-10, 3.92) came in from the bullpen in the sixth
and confounded the Bums for 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He left in the ninth
inning and gave way to Ricky Bottalico, who shut down the last two batters
in the Bums ninth to force extra innings. Bottalico didn't have his best
stuff, however; he gave up a a walk in the ninth to Rex Hudler before
Jordan and King were retired.
Weathers pitched his second shutout inning in the tenth, and the game was
still tied in the bottom of the inning as Vero Beach came to bat. The
Bums came into the game just 7-7 in extra-inning affairs.
Bottalico started the tenth in some trouble, giving up a leadoff single to
Ron Gant. Dave Hollins then struck out. With one out, Gant advanced to
second on a Tom Pagnozzi fielder's choice. Chuck Carr, batting ninth in
the DH spot, came to the plate with 2 outs and the winning run on second.
Despite the presence of Omar Vizquel on deck, Wilson gave Bottalico the
sign to intentionally walk Carr. At the time, Vizquel was third on the
team with 62 RBI; Carr had driven in 38 RBIs with a .293 BA. Vizquel
promptly hit a clutch base hit into the gap in right-center, driving in
the already running Gant.
Bottalico wasn't about to second-guess his decision to walk Carr, who has
played with a lot of heart to stay in the Bums lineup. "We were playing
the percentages," said Bottalico, whose record dropped to 1-2. "With
first base open, it's only natural to walk him to get the force at first,
second, or third."
With the loss, Punxatawney dropped to 4-7 in extra-inning games and 65-51
on the season, good for a seven-game lead over the Atoms.
Vero Beach improved to 80-37, 21 games over Duluth.
