ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 1996 TAG: 9605160153
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
TWO LATE HOME RUNS propel Winston-Salem to a 7-6 comeback victory over the Avalanche.
Rarely does a team commit seven errors and escape with a win.
Winston-Salem committed a season-high number of miscues but used two big home runs off Salem reliever Jeff Sobkoviak in the bottom of the seventh inning to come from behind and knock off the Avalanche 7-6 Wednesday in a Carolina League baseball game. (Box score in Baseball Scoreboard.)
With Salem leading 6-4, Sobkoviak (0-1) entered the game in the seventh in relief of starter Doug Million, who pitched well, giving up four runs - one earned - on five hits in six innings. Sobkoviak, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, gave up a one-out solo home run to Stephen Larkin which pulled the Warthogs (21-17) within a run.
Nick Morrow then singled and Marlon Allen cracked a two-run homer one out later over the left-field fence for the winning runs. Allen finished 3-for-4 with two doubles, a homer, two runs and three RBI.
Salem (21-18) trailed 3-0 before scoring four runs in the fourth. Chad Gambill doubled with one out and scored on Blake Barthol's RBI single. Barthol took third on a throwing error.
Pookie Jones followed with a walk and Steve Bernhardt extended his hitting streak to five game by smacking a two-run triple to tie the score at 3. Elvis Pena then walked, stole second and took third on another throwing error, which allowed Bernhardt to score and give Salem a 4-3 lead.
The Avalanche tacked on another run in the fifth. Will Scalzitti led off with a walk off Winston-Salem starter Clay Caruthers. Two outs later, Jones extended his hitting streak to seven games by singling Scalzitti home to give Salem a two-run lead.
The Warthogs cut the lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth on Andre King's RBI single, but saw Salem answered with a run in the top of the seventh when Gambill scored from third on an errant pickoff attempt by Warthogs reliever Tony Nieto to make the score 6-4, setting up Winston-Salem's late-game heroics.
Nieto (2-0) got the win for the Warthogs. Sobkoviak took the loss, going two innings and giving up three runs.
LENGTH: Medium: 54 linesby CNB