Expos nip Yankees 3-2 in 18 innings CHRIST PROKOS JR. S pedal to the NawsSuivSanttnal FORT LAUDERDALE - Der-rell Baker's two-out single to right in the top of the 18th inning scored John Vander Wal, giving the West Palm Beach Expos a 3-2 Florida State League victory against the Fort Lauderdale Yankees Saturday night. The run-scoring single ended the five-hour game early Sunday morning. The Expos (71-61) are vying for a wild-card spot in the FSL playoffs and the Yankees (83-50) already secured the Southern Division championship. Vander Wal reached first on a walk from Yankees reliever Gabriel Rodriguez with two outs in the top of the 18th. Vander Wal took second when Rodriguez balked. Baker followed with the game-winner. The Yankees made an attempt to send the game to the 19th inning with two out But Kevin Crofton struck out with runners on second and third to end the game. The Expos took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. First baseman Pat Sipe led off with a triple to right and Yankees starter Scott Gay walked Mike Blowers and Bobby Gaylor to load the bases. Center fielder Don Burke followed with a one-out single to center for the RBI. With the bases loaded, Gay worked out of trouble by striking out Rob Leary and getting Edgar Caceres to pop to third. The Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the second on a double by Crofton and a run-scoring single by Mark Manering. West Palm Beach regained its one-run lead in the third on consecutive singles by Sipe, Blowers and Jeff Huson. Fort Lauderdale tied the score at 2-2 in the fifth. Mannering, who opened the inning with a double to right scored on a two-out single to left by Turner Ward. The Expos threatened with two outs in the sixth as Burke walked and Caceres singled to right. Vander Wal beat out an infield bit to again load the bases for West Palm Beach. But Gay struck out Baker to end the inning. The game settled into a pitching duel as Expos reliever Bob Sudo entered the game in the seventh and struck out five of the nine batters he faced. Bob Devlin replaced Sudo in the tenth inning and held the Yankees to two hits before giving way to AI Collins in the 14th. Yankees reliever Ron Rub came on for Gay in the eighth and recorded five strikeouts in five innings. Rodriguez relieved Rub in the 13th. West Palm Beach looked as if it might take the lead in the 14th from Rodriguez as Caceres doubled to the wall in right-center field. Caceres tried to stretch the double into a triple but was thrown out on the relay by second baseman Bob Dickerson. Though a Double-A franchise may become available close to home, the Montreal Expos appear content to keep their current affiliate in Jacksonville. The Cincinnati Reds, who sponsor the Vermont Reds in Burlington, Vt, in the Eastern League, are planning to move their Double-A farm team to the Southern League. Burlington is the closest large American city to Montreal. "Sure, moving to Burlington would be a great marketing move," said Expos General Manager Bill Stoneman. "But we are most happy in Jacksonville. The people in that city are great"
