Storm leaves N.Z. softball tie in balance

Press, 12 July 1984, Page 44

Storm leaves N.Z. softball tie in balance

From TIM DUNBAR, in Michigan

An electrical storm left the decisive New Zealand-United States world men’s softball championship match in Michigan in the balance at 2-2 after a dramatic tenth innings tie-breaker yesterday.

The United States scored the tying run in the bottom of the tenth innings only seconds before the deluge came at Currie Stadium. The game will resume this morning at the same point. It was the first time that the tie-breaker rule has been applied in world series play. The scores were locked at 1-1 after the regulation seven innings and continued that way until the tenth, when both teams' designated runners scored — lan Stringer for New Zealand and Mickey Herbert for the United States. But for a few centimetres, the match might have ended in the ninth when Murray McLean’s towering hit was caught by the United States’ left fielder, Peter Zoppi, with his back right on the 76-metre fence.

New Zealand short-stop, John Joyce, watching from the dug-out. New Zealand made a great start to the game, scoring what was only its second run against the United States in 10 encounters when the lead-off batter, Jeff Strom, was batted in by Stringer’s chopped hit to left field. Then with Steve Jackson performing well on the mound, and some sharp infield work, New Zealand shut out the United States until the bottom of the fifth, when the short-stop, Bob Velky, powered a hit out of the park into the bleachers at left-centre field. After that Michael White took over pitching duties from Jackson and, after giving up a little blooper hit to Zoppi and intentionally walking the big-hitting Jeff Seip, settled down to pick up six strike-outs in the

next three innings.

There had been moments of anxiety in that sixth innings when Eddie Kohlhase had to dive to force Seip out at second base.

New Zealand went ahead again in the top of the tenth when Stringer came home on another chopped hit, this time by Mike Nichols, which was errored in the infield.

In the bottom of the frame, with two out, Herbert crossed the home plate for the United States on a big sacrifice fly to the outfield by Nick Bowers to tie the game.

Before the game the New Zealand coach, Mike Walsh, was worried about the power hitting of both Seip and Brian Rothrock, who were placed back-to-back in the United States batting line-up, but between them they failed to get a hit.

“I thought it was all over there and then,” said the