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

DATE: FRIDAY, August 4, 1995                   TAG: 9508040031
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FROM STAFF REPORTS
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.                                 LENGTH: Medium

SALEM WHIPS WARTHOGS 13-3

The Salem Avalanche used two five-run innings and got stellar relief pitching to blast the Winston-Salem Warthogs 13-3 in Carolina League action, taking three of four games in the series with its largest victory margin of the season.

Salem (21-18) broke open a 3-3 game by scoring five runs with two outs in the sixth. Keith Grunewald and Nate Holdren singled off Warthog starter and former Virginia standout Todd Ruyak (3-5). John Giudice's RBI single scored Grunewald, and then pinch-hitter Forry Wells smashed a three-run homer off Jason Kummerfeldt. Chris Sexton walked and Vincente Garcia hit an RBI double to give the Avalanche an 8-3 lead.

The Avalanche added five unearned runs in the eighth. Giudice struck out, but reached as the ball got away from catcher Guillermo Garcia, who then threw the ball away. One out later, Sexton walked and Garcia singled to load the bases. Edgard Velasquez drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Giudice, and Sexton scored on a passed ball.

Garcia came around when Warthog shortstop Ricky Magdaleno threw the ball away fielding Colin Dixon's grounder to give Salem an 11-3 lead. Velasquez then scored on a wild pitch, and with two outs, Holdren drove in Dixon to put the game away.

Scott LaRock (5-4) pitched four innings of hitless relief to get the win as the Salem bullpen went six innings and gave up just one hit. Ruyak went 52/3 innings and gave up five runs on nine hits while walking none and striking out four.

NOTES: The Avalanche has subtracted two players and added three more in the latest round of transactions.

The two departed players, right-handed pitcher Mike Saipe and catcher Will Scalzitti, are done for the year.

Saipe (3-5, 3.48 earned run average), who had made a successful transition from the bullpen to the rotation, has a partial ligament tear in his elbow, a magnetic resonance imaging test revealed. The injury will not require surgery, Salem manager Bill Hayes said.

Scalzitti broke the thumb on his left hand in a home plate collision July 30.

\ see microfilm for box score

Keywords:
BASEBALL

by CNB