01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, June 17, 2006

BY BRUCE WELLS
Special to the Journal

NORFOLK, Va. -- If the Pawtucket Red Sox' players got together and decided to collectively write a song, they might call it "Norfolk in our rear-view mirror."

It may never become a hit but it would be sure to make a few PawSox players and fans shed a tear or two, and why not, after the way Pawtucket was slapped around by Norfolk last night.

The Tides, who already had taken three of four against the PawSox at McCoy Stadium, put the exclamation point on this series in Norfolk, pounding out 13 hits and beating Pawtucket, 10-3, in front of 10,215 fans at Harbor Park.

The win gave Norfolk three victories in the four-game series and six triumphs this season, against just two for the PawSox.

"It's always one team that seems to get under your skin," said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. "Last year, we went into Charlotte and they were like 30 games under .500 and beat us seven out of eight. It's one of those things. Now we'll get on the bus, get out of here and turn the page."

Pawtucket had scored the game's first run on an RBI double by Luke Allen that scored Hee-Seop Choi for a 1-0 lead.

A nightmarish third inning saw nine batters come to bat for Norfolk.

Back-to-back errors by first baseman Jeff Bailey and left fielder Ron Calloway put runners at first and second for Anderson Hernandez, who drove in Sandy Martinez with a hit to tie the game at 1-1.

Jeff Keppinger followed with a 4-6-3 double-play out, scoring Chris Basak with the go-ahead run. Back-to-back two-out walks to Xavier Nady and Michael Tucker again put runners at first and second. Victor Diaz singled over the outstretched glove of Dustin Pedroia at second, scoring Nady. Jose Offerman lined a double down the first-base line, driving in Tucker to make the score 4-1.

Pawtucket got a run back in the fifth when Bailey singled to score Pedroia, and the PawSox were back to within two runs.

It didn't stay that close for long.

PawSox starter David Pauley began the bottom of the fifth by issuing a leadoff walk to Tucker. A fielder's choice forced Tucker at second and Pauley was replaced by Ryan Schroyer with one out and a runner on first.

Schroyer struck out Offerman, then got ahead in the count to Chase Lambin and seemed to be on the verge of getting out of the inning unscathed before Lambin drove a base hit up the middle. Martinez followed with an RBI single, scoring Diaz and putting runners at first and second.

With Lambin and Martinez running on the pitch from Schroyer, Basak lofted a fly ball to shallow center that David Murphy couldn't reach, scoring both runners. But Basak got greedy and tried to stretch the hit into a double. Calloway, who was backing up Murphy, scooped up the ball and threw to Pedroia, who applied the tag to Lambin for the third out.

At that point, Norfolk led, 7-2.

The Tides added three more runs in the eighth off reliever Tim Bausher. Pawtucket scratched out a run in the ninth.

NOTES: The PawSox yesterday transferred LHP Mario Pena back to Lowell (short-season Class A) and reinstated outfielders Luke Allen and Calloway from the disabled list. Allen had been on the DL since May 26 with a right oblique strain while Calloway went on the DL on June 9 with back spasms. . . . Pawtucket continues its Virginia trip with a four-game series in Richmond, tonight through Tuesday. . . . Just how bad was the eight-game series with the Tides (four at McCoy, four at Norfolk) for the PawSox? Pawtucket batted just .202 (49-for-242), with 21 runs scored. PawSox pitchers went 2-6 with a 4.01 E.R.A. in eight games (29 earned runs in 65 innings) and allowed a total of 36 runs.