ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 30, 1996 TAG: 9605300089
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WILMINGTON, DEL.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
THE AVALANCHE closes a brutal trip with another loss to the Wilmington Blue Rocks.
The wear and tear of playing 16 of its last 19 games on the road is starting to take its toll on the Salem Avalanche.
Wilmington scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back as the Blue Rocks downed Salem 7-4 on Wednesday night in a Carolina League baseball game at Frawley Stadium.
Sergio Nunez led off the first with a walk off Salem starter Matt Pool, and Alejandro Prieto, who went 4-for-5, singled, putting runners at the corners with no outs.
Matt Smith's one-out single to right-center field brought home Nunez and Prieto to produce a two-run lead.
Salem (29-24) tacked on a run in the top of the second when Will Scalzitti and Chad Gambill led off with singles. They scored on a two-out single by John Fantauzzi that cut the deficit to 2-1.
Wilmington (30-24) scored two runs in the fourth to build a 4-1 lead and took control of the game in the fifth on former GW-Danville standout Al Shirley's two-run double down the left-field line. Shirley, who went 3-for-4, has owned the Avalanche this season, with nine of his 24 RBI coming against Salem.
Salem closed to 6-3 in the sixth. John Giudice doubled and Gambill, who was 3-for-4, doubled him home to cut the deficit to four. Gambill scored with two outs on Blake Barthol's RBI double.
Sean McNally added a sacrifice fly for Wilmington in the bottom of the sixth for a 7-3 lead. Salem scored in the top of the seventh but got no closer.
Carlos Mendez went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI for Wilmington.
Pool (3-3) took the loss, going 42/3 innings and giving up six runs on 11 hits while walking two and striking out six. Javier Gamboa (2-1) got the victory, pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up three runs on eight hits.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB