Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 31, 1995 TAG: 9507310145
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JAMES C. BLACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
On the heels of Saturday's late-inning loss to Kinston, Salem got spanked again by the Indians on Sunday at Municipal Field, 8-3.
Salem gave Kinston four unearned runs in the second inning en route to defeat in possibly the last Avalanche game at the cozy, old ballyard. Salem (18-17) fell two games behind the first-place Indians (21-16) in the Southern Division of the Carolina League.
Avalanche starter Jeff Sobkoviak got the first two Kinston batters on groundouts in the second. He also got the next two batters to hit infield grounders, but third baseman Todd Betts booted one play and threw high to second on the next to keep the inning going. The next batter bunted toward third and Sobkoviak fielded the play, but decided to hold on to the ball instead of forcing the play.
The next batter, Ricky Gutierrez, hit a grand slam, his fourth home run of the season, to give Kinston a 4-0 lead.
"That's why they're in first place," said Salem manager Bill Hayes. "You can't afford to make mistakes to a team like this."
The next inning, Kinston didn't need the help of a Salem miscue to score. The Indians relied solely on the powerful stroke of James Betzsold.
Betzsold, who was 6-for-10 in the series, slapped a 2-2 fastball over the wall in right-center field in the third to give the Indians a 5-0 lead. The homer was Betzsold's 20th of the season and his second of the series.
"I was looking for a good ball to hit and I got it," said Betzsold.
Despite the deficit, Salem managed to make the game interesting for a few innings.
With one out in the sixth, Edgard Velasquez singled, and scored on a single and error to right field off the bat of Colin Dixon. Dixon scored on a double by Forry Wells, but Wells was stranded.
The seventh proved to be the "copy cat" inning as both teams scored on double plays. Kinston then put the game away with two runs in the eighth on a run-scoring single by Patricio Claudio and a run-scoring double by Gutierrez.
Sobkoviak (3-3) allowed just one earned run and five hits in six innings. But the four unearned runs in the second hung him with the loss. Kinston starter Jeff Sexton (1-0) allowed three runs and eight hits in seven innings to earn the victory.
Kinston won 15 of the 20 games between the two clubs this season, including nine of 10 at Municipal Stadium.
"Every place we go, we try to consider it home," said Betzsold.
The Avalanche hits the road for a seven-game trip against the Winston-Salem Warthogs and the Durham Bulls this week. Salem's next home game is Aug.7 at 7 p.m. against the Frederick Keys. Whether or not the next home game will be at Municipal Stadium or the new Salem Memorial Stadium has not been determined.
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB