Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 23, 1995 TAG: 9505240023
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK BULLOCK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Avalanche trailed 2-0, 4-3 and 5-4 before taking the opener of a two-game series against the former tenants of Municipal Field.
The Hillcats are the former Salem Buccaneers, and former Bucs Reed Secrist, Ramon Zapata and Ken Bonifay were making their first appearance of the season in their old haunt. Zapata had two hits, and Bonifay staked the Hillcats to a 2-0 lead in the first inning with a double to right-center field.
In the end, though, the night belonged to the Avalanche, particularly Forry Wells, Edgard Velasquez and Keith Grunewald.
Wells belted a two-run homer off Lynchburg starter John Dillinger in the third inning to erase Salem's early deficit and added an RBI single in the seventh inning to ignite the four-run uprising.
Velasquez had three hits and scored three runs, and Grunewald had a pair of hits and drove in three runs as the Avalanche broke out of a mild offensive slump with 14 hits off five Lynchburg pitchers.
``This was a big win for us,'' Wells said. ``We've had a couple of games when we didn't swing the bats very well, but tonight we found some holes and we put some runs on the board.
``To come back and put up two four-run innings is a big boost for us. That kind of hitting is contagious. Hopefully, that will get some positive energy going for us and we can keep it up.''
EXTRA BASES: First baseman Colin Dixon broke his left ankle while fouling off a pitch during Sunday's game at Wilmington and will miss six to eight weeks of action. ... Left-handed pitcher Doug Million has been reactivated from the disabled list and will be worked back into the starting rotation slowly. ... Reliever Mark Voisard saw his first action for the Avalanche after being activated before the game. ... Reliever John Salamon was released.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
by CNB