Daily Press from Newport News, Virginia • Page 43

Oailji Press wn of" JLj LI- 2J Twins top Jays; Braves romp Morris wins again for Minnesota By Jim Donaghy The Associated Press TORONTO Another Dome dandy by Jack Morris has the Minnesota Twins heading to Homer Hanky heaven and maybe another World Series. Morris pitched the Twins past the Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 Saturday night to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead in the AL playoffs. A victory today in Game 5 would put the Twins in the Series for the second time in five seasons. "Jack gave us a great performance," Twins manager Tom Kelly said. "He's been thafway all year." It was another big night for Mike Pagliarulo, who had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice.

The Twins silenced the sellout crowd of 51,526 in the SkyDome with four runs in Please see ALD4 EZIEZEESEMZZ GAME 5: Today, 4, Minnesota (Tapani 16-9) at Toronto (Candiotti 13-13). Twins lead series 3-1. TV: Q. Playoff schedule, statistics. See D4.

Fumble! I James gang ready when stripers arrive If striped bass, rockfish, entered the neighborhood Friday, the first full day of the season, the James River gang was ready to greet them. There was a day-long procession of boats in and out of the Huntington Park launch site and of fishermen on the James River Pier. It was that way throughout most of the Chesapeake Bay country. A number of fishermen reported taking their two-fish limit from the rocks around Fort Wool and Fort Monroe. On the Rappahannock, York, and James river systems, success was found in the upper reaches of tidal water.

At the James River Pier, however, striped bass remained a rumor. Somebody heard that the boats working the James River Bridge had caught a couple. Somebody else heard a small striper had been caught off the end of the pier. Nobody had seen the fish, though. "They'll be here," one fellow assured no one in particular.

"All you have to do is be patient and keep trying." Earlier in the night, at dusk, we had a sneak attack. The outgoing tide was nearing its ebb. We were drifting spot back under the pier, around the pilings. Your rod took the first hit. It whipped down, squawking as the line stripped off.

You never had a chance. The 40-pound monofilament leader sawed against a piling and parted like a thread. You were tying another leader when your father's rod whipped down. He set the hook and had a big fish on for a handful of adrenalin-pumping seconds. Then the hook pulled.

When darkness fell and as rain approached, your father said, "I guess I'm only going to get one chance." He decided to beat the rain home. You stayed behind to gab, hoping what had happened a day earlier would be repeated. Thursday afternoon you were at the pier on reconnaissance. You caught spot, a small bluefish, hogfish, puppy drum, and a small speckled trout. You drifted one of the spot back around the pilings to see if the stripers were home.

They were. You brought what looked like a 6-pounder to the surface, tightened down the drag and let it break free. "Come here and take a look at this," a guy on the other side of the pier urged. He pointed down to the water. There, wagging along like a leash-trained puppy, at the end of his line was a big, tired striper.

"That's a 10-pound fish," he said. "At least," you responded. It was several hours before the season opened. The guy led it away, back 'to shallower water where he could release it. No such striper made an appearance "Friday.

You watched boats trolling near the bridge pilings and the gang cast all manner of enticements into the caramel-colored water. You did not see a fish caught. Meanwhile, on the' lower Rappahannock River, Robert Green of Deltaville was hard at work catching stripers. When he finished, he reported back to Howard Kruse at Kruse's Wharf. "What you have to do is save the trolling for November and do casting now," Kruse said.

"The guys who are casting and who have done their homework are catching the fish." Atlanta thrills 'Chop Shop' fans By Ben Walker The Associated Press ATLANTA The war chant began a half-hour before the game, and the Braves weren't even on the field yet. If the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't know they were in trouble then, it sure didn't take long to find out. Not a first-pitch home run by Orlando Merced, not John Smiley's great record in the daytime, not anything could deny the Braves and their frenetic fans Saturday, as Atlanta beat Pittsburgh 10-3 for a 2-1 lead in the National League playoffs. With owner Ted Turner and fiancee Jane Fonda leading the crowd in tomahawk chops, Greg Olson and Ron Gant and Sid Bream did some chopping, too. Olson homered to cap a four-run first inning.

Gant and Bream later connected as the Braves won a postseason game in Please see NUD4 I :i.jw.i I GAME 4: Tonight, 8:30, Pittsburgh (Tomlin 8-7) at Atlanta (Leibrandt 15-13). Braves lead 2-1. TV: Q. Playoff schedule, statistics. See D4.

U.Va. fit to be tied by Tigers Tipped FG gives Cavs case of 20-20 hindsight By David Teel Daily Press CLEMSON, S.C. Virginia came within one knee and three fingers of winning its first football game ever at Death Valley on Saturday. But Terry Kirby's fumble with 2:24 remaining and Michael Husted's missed 34-yard field goal with one second left allowed 18th-ranked Clemson to escape with a 20-20 tie. "We really lost," Virginia quarterback Matt Blundin said.

"I know their guys are feeling a lot better than we are." Indeed, the Tigers, who scored 10 points in the final 3:22, celebrated wildly after linebacker Wayne Simmons tipped Husted's field goal with three fingers to preserve the tie in the Cavaliers' 17th visit to Clemson. Virginia, whose only victory ever against the Tigers was last season in Charlottesville, is 1-29-1 all-time against Clemson. "I could have made it, I should have made it," said Husted, who had made all seven of his previous kicks inside 40 yards this season. "Their surge came right up the Please see CavtD7 ami East Carolina shocks No. 15 Syracuse 23-20 in the Carrier Dome.

See D6. Eighth-ranked Baylor falls 20-17 to Rice. See Top 25 roundup, D6. No. 2 Miami defeats No.

9 Penn State 26-20. See Top 25 roundup, D6. Texas tops No. 6 Oklahoma 10-7. See Top 25 roundup, D6.

No. 7 Notre Dame dominates No. 12 Pitt 42-7. See Top 25 roundup, D6. James Madison, ranked 1 1th in Division l-AA, rolls 55-31 over Towson State.

See state roundup, D5. Apprentice loses 17-13 to Catholic. See state roundup, D5. Aft full of high-fives after his first-inning home run ap ii "Florida State's a great team," Beamer said. "But turnovers, we can't be giving a team like Florida State those kinds of breaks.

Their talent is too good." Furrer completed 21 of 39 passes but was intercepted three times. The first pickoff set up a Seminole touchdown, and the second was returned 71 yards for a score by cornerback Terrell Buckley. The Hokies also lost a fumble when Furrer and backup fullback Mark Please see Hokies, 8 i 4 4' Greg Olson, top left, is greeted by a dugout got the Braves started against the Pirates. nnj 2- tive game. Tech (2-4), in finishing its five-game road stretch, outgained FSU 420-343 and had five more first downs than the Seminoles.

The Hokies forced FSU quarterback Casey Weldon, a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, into his worst statistical game of the season while Tech quarterback Will Furrer threw for a career-high 317 yards. But the Hokies also had more mistakes, of which Coach Frank Beamer preached the evils all week. -v'Vr. X. Shaun Parker (1) celebrates with teammate Saturday.

Hampton won 39-37. See D8.v tr 'L v---, v- Jk A big hit by Florida State's James Chaney causes Virginia Tech quarterback Will Furrer to fumble in second quarter Saturday, ap Errors, FSXJ do in HoMes Because the water temperature is relatively warm, stripers are still scattered in the river systems. Like largemouth bass, they're residing around underwater structure, piers, docks, anchored ships, bridge pilings, etc. The only way to get to the fish is to cast around the structure, to use the techniques so successful in largemouth bass fishing. Success also is pinned to locating the structure, according to Kruse.

"The guy who has been out bottom fishing for spot all summer isn't going to catch many stripers," Kruse said. "The successful guy did his homework. He's gone out and found the structure and then he's figured out the best way to fish it" POSEIDONS VS. INVADERS. The Peninsula Poseidons defeat the Virginia Invaders 24-9 on the road.

See D3. REDSKINS VS. BROWNS. Cleveland visits Washington to take on the 6-0 Redskins. See D10.

TENNIS. Derrick Rostagno upsets Ivan Lend) to advance to a meeting with top-seeded Stefan Edberg in the final of the $1 million Seiko Super Tournament See 014. 247-4547 FOR SCORES. For the latest sports scores 24 hours a day, call the Dafly Press Sports Scoreline at 247-4647. Tribe's ground game subdues VMI 40-26 By Dave Johnson Daily Press ORLANDO, Fla.

Even against the nation's top-ranked team, Virginia Tech was its own executioner. The Hokies' season-long battle against mistake-itis continued Saturday in a 33-20 loss to Florida State at the Citrus Bowl. Tech committed four turnovers, the first three of which the Seminoles (6-0) converted into touchdowns in winning their 12th consecu Uv.rI-'-:-Ww,;-M: HU VICTORY. Hampton University's in By Dave Fairbank Daty Press jit. stop their running game and we didn't," VMI defensive end Raymond Flowers said.

"They basically whipped us up front They just knocked us off the ball." After winning three of its first four games, VMI (3-3) has lost two straight prowess on the ground was remarkable, given that leading rusher Robert Green sat out for the second consecutive game because of a severely twisted ankle. Fullback Scott Wingfield and halfbacks James Blocker-Bodley and Alan Williams more than -Please see Tribe js LEXINGTON The final destination was predictable, but the path for William and Mary's football team was not The Tribe used a punishing ground game and made do with a patchwork defense on the way to a 40-26 victory against Virginia Military Institute on Saturday in front of 7,737 at Alumni Memorial Stadium. 0-3) rolled up a season-high 258 yards rushing and averaged 5 2 yards per cany on the way to snapping a two-game losing streak. "Our ain objective was to Johnnie Barnes SnWwOaJ Press after touchdown against Virginia i i Jwry Miccq Xt EatOT 247-463S 3,.