Thursday, April 23, 1998 | 7:32 a.m.
SUN STAFF REPORTS
CALGARY --- Eddie Williams called it "a nice little story, a Disneyland kind of story."
Only there was nothing Mickey Mouse about the game the Las Vegas Stars' designated hitter had Wednesday night here in a wild 20-15 victory over the Calgary Cannons.
Williams clobbered four home runs over the final five innings and drove in 10 runs for the Stars --- both team records --- as Las Vegas (8-6) racked up a team record 25 hits during the 4 1/2-hour slugfest at Burns Stadium.
The four home runs eclipsed the previous team single game record of three held by Jerald Clark and Joe Lansford while the 10 RBIs shattered the previous team mark of seven in game held by Shawn Abner, Shane Mack, Craig Cooper and Steve Kemp.
Williams, who also walked twice and singled, hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, added a solo shot in the sixth, hit a two-run homer in the seventh and, after being walked with the bases loaded in the eighth, highlighted the Stars' six-run ninth with a three-run shot off the scoreboard in right-center about 390 feet away.
"It was a trip," said Williams in his hotel room a few hours later. "I've never in my life ever had anything close to that. I've hit two home runs in a big league game before, but I've never had a total game like this one. Ever. (Wednesday night) was pretty special because none of them were cheap and all of them came off some pretty nasty pitches. It's a tremendous feeling."
Williams said he had an inkling that he might have a big game following an extraordinary batting practice.
"Smiity (Stars pitching coach Dave Smith) was throwing to me," said the 33-year-old Williams, who has hit 147 minor league home runs during his 15-year professional career. "He started throwing me pitches low and away and I started to hit a lot of long balls to right and right-center. I must have hit about 10 of them out. That's something I haven't been doing lately. Usually I've been pulling everything to left. I've never hit that many the other way."
But Wednesday night Williams hit just one of his home runs to left while one easily cleared the 400-foot sign in center. The other two were to right-center.
Williams was payed perhaps the ultimate compliment in the eighth inning after homering in three consecutive at-bats. With the Stars holding just a one-run lead, 13-12, Calgary pitcher Mike Bertotti walked Williams to force in a run rather than throwing anything close to a strike.
"I was going to take him deep that time, too," said Williams. "If he threw anything close, I knew I was going to whack it a long way. But he never gave me anything close."
Still, Williams would get one more chance in the ninth. With the Stars already leading, 17-15, with two outs and two on, Williams drove a Derek Hasselhof f slider off the scoreboard in right-center for his record-breaking homer.
"He had thrown me a fastball that was about 95 miles per hour that I had fouled off," said Williams. "I thought that he might be afraid to throw it again. When the count got to 3-2, I thought he'd throw me a breaking ball. He threw me a slider away. It was a great pitch, but it didn't matter tonight. There aren't a whole lot of pitchers out there that could have gotten me out tonight."
Williams said when he hit his final homer "it was like Game 7 of the World Series. My hands went up over my head, but I didn't keep them up very long."
He was granted a hero's welcome when he got back to the dugout.
"(Infielder Greg) LaRocca was more excited than I was," said Williams. "It was the first time a lot of guys had ever seen someone hit four home runs in a game before. Heck, it was the first time I've ever seen it."
Among those who missed it were Williams' in-laws and several nieces and nephews, all of whom had left the long game after Williams hit his third homer.
"That's what made this such a special night, having family and friends here to see it," said Williams. "It was quite a night. You almost had to see it to believe it."
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