
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 8, 1995                   TAG: 9506080093
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

SALEM STUMPED BY COLON

Right-hander Bartolo Colon of the Kinston Indians didn't have much of a curveball Wednesday night, or so he claimed. That might have been an unfortunate development for the Salem Avalanche.

The lack of a sound bender might have encouraged the dominating Dominican to put a little more on his fastball, slider and changeup.

Whatever he was throwing, Salem's hitters couldn't do much with it. Colon fireballed his way through six innings, allowing three hits while striking out seven and walking two as the Indians beat the Avalanche 7-2 for their sixth straight victory at Municipal Field.

``We ran into a good prospect tonight,'' Salem hitting coach Tony Torchia said.

Colon, 20, is in his first full year of pro ball, won his eighth game and increased his strikeout total to 88 in 79 innings.

``He's probably got the best stuff in the league,'' Salem manager Bill Hayes said.

Nice not to need all of it.

``I had a real good fastball and changeup, but my curve wasn't falling in,'' Colon said through clubhouse interpreter Roland De La Maza, another Kinston pitcher. ``I kept throwing the curve, and it was spinning well, but I couldn't get it over for strikes.''

Colon's assertion that he had a good fastball wasn't an idle one.

``He's just been awesome,'' Kinston manager Gordy MacKenzie said. ''His fastball sets on 94 mph, and he gets it up to 97. Then he's got that great curve and changeup. The curve wasn't working for him, but he threw some great changeups tonight.''

Typical of a strong pitcher, Colon tightened down like a vice as he progressed. Edgard Velasquez extended a five-game hitting streak with a two-run homer for Salem in the second, but that was about it for offense as long as Colon was on the hill.

``The first few innings when they were hitting me, I was throwing my fastball right down the middle,'' he said. ``After that, I started mixing it up and they couldn't hit it then.''

Colon had plenty of help. Lean Igor Oropeza allowed just one hit and no runs in the last three innings and Richie Sexson and James Betzsold each hammered home runs to key a 14-hit attack. Sexson leads the league with 13 homers, and Betzsold is one back.

Salem left-hander Keith Barnes, whose game is to induce ground balls, gave up 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.

Keywords:
BASEBALL

by CNB