ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, May 13, 1996 TAG: 9605130135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
Pascual Matos smacked two home runs and the Durham Bulls jumped out to a 7-0 lead before holding off the Salem Avalanche 8-6 in a Carolina League baseball game Sunday night at Durham Athletic Park.
Matos hit his first homer in the second inning, a solo shot off Salem starter Stephen Shoemaker to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead. His second blast came in the eighth off Salem reliever Jeff Sobkoviak that gave Durham an 8-6 lead after Salem had cut a 7-0 deficit to 7-6.
The Bulls (23-14) added two more runs in the third on Ron Wright's two-run homer to give Durham a 4-0 lead, and then tacked three more runs in the fourth on Eddie Cordero's two-run triple off reliever Pat McClinton and Andruw Jones' RBI single.
Salem (20-17) cut into the lead with four runs in the fifth off Durham starter Derrin Ebert. Will Scalzitti doubled to lead off the inning and Chad Gambill walked. Blake Barthol's RBI single knocked in Scalzitti with Salem's first run.
Pookie Jones singled to load the bases and Steve Bernhardt followed with a two-run single to score Gambill and Barthol and cut the deficit to four. One out later, Kyle Houser grounded out to bring in Jones and cut the lead to 7-4.
Barthol's RBI double made it 7-5 in the sixth and Nate Holdren's seventh-inning single made it 7-6.
The Avalanche cut the lead to 7-5 on Barthol's RBI double in the sixth and then cut the lead to one on Nate Holdren's RBI single in the seventh, but Matos' homer in the seventh put Durham up by two and Salem could not answer.
Shoemaker (0-1) took the loss, giving up seven runs on nine hits in three innings while walking two and striking out seven. Ebert (3-2) picked up the win, going 52/3 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out one. Adam Butler got his third save, striking all five Salem batters he faced.
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB