Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 28, 1995 TAG: 9506280054
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This time, Winston-Salem Warthog Chris Reed showed few warts against the Salem Avalanche.
Reed, a fellow who had been soundly cuffed in two previous appearances against the Avalanche, gave up five hits through eight innings as the Warthogs beat Salem 4-1 in the opener of a four-game Carolina League series.
Twenty-four hours after a power surge knocked out the lights at Municipal Field, Salem was short-circuited by Reed (5-3), a husky right-hander who had given up 11 walks and nine runs in six innings of work against Salem.
On Tuesday, Reed was a paragon of control. He walked none and fanned four in making short work of the Avalanche. Literally. The game played out in 1 hour, 55 minutes.
``He stymied us,'' said Salem manager Bill Hayes. ``Fastball, curveball, all night long. He threw strikes this time, that was the main thing.''
Salem's lone offensive highlight was a solo home run by No.9 hitter Steve Bernhardt in the third inning that tied the score at 1. After that, the only Avalanche runner to get past first base was Chris Sexton, who doubled in the eighth.
``I got ahead a little more, got my curveball over a little more'' than in previous efforts against Salem, Reed said. ``They've got power. They can hurt you if you go late in the count. I wanted to make them earn their way on.''
Winston-Salem's Scott Mc-Kenzie retired the Avalanche in order in the ninth to earn his ninth save.
Salem, too, got a quality effort from starter Matt Pool, who was reached for 12 hits but effectively avoided big innings.
Winston-Salem went up 1-0 in the first when Donald Broach led off the game with a double and scored on Ray Brown's single. After Bernhardt's homer, it stayed 1-1 until Paul Bako plated Jimmy White with a fielder's choice in the fourth. Brown added an RBI fielder's choice in the fifth and Bako knocked in a run after Robbie Robertson's deep flyball eluded Salem right fielder Forry Wells.
The loss, Salem's second of the second half, dropped the Avalanche into a first-place tie with the Kinston Indians in the Southern Division. The Frederick-Kinston game was rained out Tuesday.
``We learned in the first half that every series is big,'' said Bernhardt, a utility guy who has made the most of his increased playing time the past two weeks. ``If we're going to win this [division], we've got to win all our series at home.''
EXTRA BASES: Salem outfielder Brian Culp missed his second consecutive game with a sore neck. His status is day-to-day. ... Tonight marks the Salem debut of right-hander Brent Crowther, who led the South Atlantic League in victories when he was called up from Asheville, N.C., this week. Crowther, who was 12-3 with a 2.28 ERA and three shutouts for the Tourists, will start against Winston-Salem at 7 p.m.
... The only base on balls in Tuesday's game came when Salem reliever Matt Aminoff walked Brown intentionally in the ninth.
NOTE: Please see microfilm for scores.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB