I?
Baseball Notebook
I Dickerson spark:
By DAVID BULLA
Chronicle Sports Editor
J.D. Dickerson said it was the best week of his
m baseball career.
"I've never had a week like that before."
1 Winston-Salem's soft-spoken Dickerson said last
Friday night before the Spirits' doubleheader with
Peninsula at Ernie Shore Field. "Not in high
school, not in college, not in the minors. Only, I
wish it hadn't stopped."
In one week, from May 11-18, the outfielder
slammed five home runs. He hit a homer in five of
six games that week.
That's not all. He batted .483 with 13 runs batted
in and 12 runs scored.
"I was just seeing the ball real well," Dickerson
said. "But I haven't seen too many fastballs this
week."
The 5-foot-Sf, 175-pound Dickerson, nicknamed
"Fire Hydrant," went without a homer for five
days. But he jacked the first pitch -- a fastball -- to
I him out of the park Friday night to raise his season
total to 13, which leads the Carolina League. That
left him just one shy of his career high (14), which
he set last year at Quad City of the Midwest League.
t4I had been chasing a lot of bad pitches out of
the strike zone," said the Charlottesville, Va.,
native. "I got behind and had to hit the pitcher's
"But 1 started to sit back and I was ahead on the
count more frequently. 1 think that allowed me to
3V see the ball a lot better."
The hot week caused Dickerson's batting average
to jump to .267, the highest it has been since the
first week of the season.
Eight nights into the season, Dickerson turned in
a game that foreshadowed the torrid week that
would come a month later. Against Hagerstown, he
went four for five with two solo homers, including
one 420-foot shot over the center-field wall at Ernie
1KIU.
By the end of April, Dickerson cooled and his
averaged dipped to .206. He even was out of the
starting lineup in four consecutive games.
Since, then he's hit a steady .294 with 19 RBI and
19 runs. The former UNCC standout has 12 of his
vj ' 18 extra-base hits in that period.
Dickerson comes from a baseball-rich community.
While he was growing up, one of his chief competitors
was Chris Cubbage, brother of Lynchburg
Mets' Manager Mike Cubbage.
"Chris and I took batting practice together in the
summertime," the 23-year-old Dickerson said. "I
yjr remember Mike as a quarterback at UVa. Chris was
picny j(uuu in *uascuaji, out nc was quue a lenms
4'' fcftayef.' Todky he1 worK? is' a ^ro* Ifif "Washington,
? D.C."
Mike Cubbage, after his college football and
baseball career a^Virginia, was a journeyman inHamilton
hurls 1-h
Another 4-3 week for Winston- average, whicl
Salem allowed the Spirits' lead to those first two
grow to 31/2 games over second- 2.96.
place Durham in the Southern
Division. , Meanwhile.
The Spirits closed the week by Lenderman ear
taking three of four from third- ral^e ls t?am"'
place Peninsula. ^ecently-aa
Four of the games were decid- J"*" Ke D,*,,,
ed by one run, with ManagerCal ?ul! in un a
Emery's team winning three of eninsu athem.
The Spirits are now 10-8 in In transactio
one-run games. Steve Roadcap
The week's highlight was Carl triple-A Iowa.
Hamilton's second one-hitter of Roadcap was
the season. Hamilton blanked the Spirits, bu:
Peninsula 3-0 for his fifth his defensive
straight victory after losing his Damon Berry
first two decisions of the season. starting catch
Four of those five wins have single-A since i
come in complete games. cond year in th<
The left-hander's earned run Please i
B J ^ V ' M J I k H I I I a
.
BATTINQ STATISTICS
!!se ??a ? H ,?
8umlwy (SD-VS) .387 31 2 12
) - Coleman (S-FA) .283 120. ? 22 34
Coopar (Mil-PVW) .317 126 11 40
Davis (SD-HU) .368 19 3 7
f Dawson (Mtl-FA) .264 139 19 40
Hait?Ion-(CnW-tS) .259 27 2 7
5 K-drson (S-PVw) 317 120 18 38
Harndon (MS) .229 118 17 27
Mcftaa (KC-FA) .205 39 4 8
Milner (Ci-CS) .237 93 .13 22
RaMn (Mtl-FA) .264 129 20 34
f
.
I PITCHING STATISTICS
Blue (Sf-SU) 2-1 7.36 7.1 9
*t 2 98 M:1 * 2
Holfand (Pm-A&T) ; 4-t ^1.08 25 : 12
Howell <U-Tosk.) 2-2 MO 25.2 18
Hudson (Ph-PVw) 1-3 2.18 33.1 21
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J.D. Dickerson leads the Carolina League with
13 home runs (photo by James Parker).
fielder in the major leagues. He played in the
Washington Senators' organization, later was trad
ed to Minnesota and ended his career with the New
York Mets.
Dickerson hiifiself was a three-sport stdndouHn
high school. Although he quarterbacked Western
Albemarle to the Virginia 2-A championship game,
Dickerson showed even more promoise in baseball.
He batted better than .400 each of his three seasons
in high school and was named to the all-state team.
Dickerson first attended Brewer-Parker Junior
College in Mount Vernon, Ga., and then UNCC.
He batted .350 with 11 home runs for the 49ers
before opting to sign with the Cubs after being their
19th selection in the June 1983 draft.
His recent power barrage is no isolated incident.
He hit five;homers and five doubles with 26 RBI in
games as a rookie. After getting 35 extra-base hits
last year in the Midwest League, he totaled 13 RBI
and nine extra-base hits with a .298 average in 26
games at the Instructional League last fall.
And Dickerson shows no signs of falling off that
pace.
"1 think playing so close to home is making it
"even easier/' said Dickersbn, tofrd rtiissedStlfttldy's
3^d Monday's games to visit his ailing mother.
"My parents have been down to see me and I can go
see friends in Charlotte when I have free time."
titer ?hhbb
i was 9.00 after
losses, dropped to I
reliever Dave H
ned three save*; to
fading total to six. H
luired shortstop H
ik went four for H I
y's 7-6 win over H ffl I I
was promoted to
The 24-year-old
batting .122 with H
be for H ^
skills in Iowa. H RaHj^^QES
hill, the Spirits' H IP IBEP^iu
ler, remains in H
this only his se- H ^
see page B5 H
V H
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151 I 1984:
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The Chronicle, Thursday, May 30, 1985-Page B3
T^Tv WINSTON LAKE I
GOLF COURSE
, (May and June)
^ X 01 Two can play for the price of one
daily Green Fee (S6.00) on Mondays
iJTt* and Tuesdays. Come play city
f course and enjoy the new
imnrnw^mpnlc m fh*? r>lnHhrtnc?? t Ka
V * * V % IV VJUUHVUJVr, v I IV,
new grill, the new cart storage
building and the renovation to the
No. 3 par five hole.
Golf cart rental required.
DIRECTIONS
Take Hwy. 311 North (New Walkertcmn Road) to the intersection of
Carver Road and Winston Lake Park Road and go '/ ? mile to golf course.
PHONE: 727-2703
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