Memphis stays alive with win in Game 3

Victoria Sun

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 9:18 a.m.

Despite sagging attendance, the Triple-A World Series will be held in Las Vegas for at least another year as the directors of the 30 Triple-A baseball teams voted unanimously Wednesday to hold the event at Cashman Field next Sept. 14-16.

Shortly thereafter, the Memphis Redbirds kept this year's event going for at least one more day by thumping the Indianapolis Indians 11-4 before an announced crowd of 2,103.

"I think it's a good event," Las Vegas Stars general manager Don Logan said. "Having an ultimate champion is good for Triple-A baseball.

"The managers and players love Vegas. It's just tough for people in Las Vegas to get too excited to watch two teams that aren't from here. In the end I think we have to work on it."

Poor attendance here has prompted the triple-A teams to shorten the world series from a five-game series to a three-game event beginning next year. Logan thinks the most important change is holding it on a weekend.

"The weekend as opposed to the weekday, it is a heck of a lot easier for people to come from out of town to watch," Logan said. "People want to come watch, but a lot of them can't travel during the weekdays."

Memphis now trails Indianapolis in this year's best-of-five series two games to one. Game 4 is set for tonight at 6. Indianapolis left-hander Haracio Estrada (14-4, 3.33; 1-2, 6.07 in the playoffs) is scheduled to face Memphis right-hander Tim Harikkala (4-2, 4.52; 1-0, 1.80).

On Wednesday, Memphis' Clint Weibl allowed three hits, three earned runs, three walks and struck out four for the win.

"There's no pressure for us right now," Weibl said. "We knew if we stayed loose our hitters would eventually come around."

The Indians' Reggie Harris struggled mightily in his 1 1/3 inning relief stint.

After giving up four runs in the fifth to allow the Redbirds to take an 8-2 lead, Harris surrendered back-to-back homers to Larry Sutton and Darell Whitmore in the sixth inning.

Sutton went 2-for-5 with two home runs off Harris and three RBIs. Every Redbirds starter had a hit except for Stubby Clapp.

"If you get the ball in the air at this park you've got a chance," Memphis manager Gaylen Pitts said. "I told the guys before the game to keep the ball in the air and keep it off the ground."

Indianapolis starter Allen Levrault fell apart in the fourth inning, blowing a 2-0 lead.

With two outs, he gave up consecutive singles, a triple, a double and another triple totaling four runs for the Redbirds before Clapp struck out to end the inning.