ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 15, 1996 TAG: 9607150107
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WOODBRIDGE
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
A ROUGH FIRST INNING dooms the Avalanche to another road loss.
Mike Kusiewicz's first start of the season with the Salem Avalanche got off to an inauspicious beginning.
Kusiewicz walked the first two batters of the game and both scored as the Prince William Cannons scored four times in the first inning en route to a 6-2 Carolina League victory over Salem on Sunday night.
The Avalanche (9-12) has lost five straight games and is 4-7 with one game being postponed on its current 16-game road trip.
Kusiewicz (0-1) walked Brandon Moore and Dan Kopriva to start the game before Jeff Liefer delivered a double that scored Moore and gave the Cannons a 1-0 lead.
With one out, Jerry Whittaker hit a sacrifice fly to score Kopriva with the second run. A walk to Juan Thomas and an infield single by Ben Boulware loaded the bases with one out. Wil Polidor then lined a soft single to score Liefer and Thomas for a four-run first-inning lead.
The Cannons (11-10) added two more runs in the second. Moore reached on a error by Salem third baseman Tal Light and Kopriva followed with his sixth homer of the season to give Prince William a 6-0 lead.
Salem cut into the lead in the seventh off Prince William starter Robert Thoedile. Nate Holdren smashed his 11th homer of the season and fifth against the Cannons - a solo shot with one out - to make the score 6-1.
Light singled after Holdren's homer and Blake Barthol walked. Chad Gambill then hit a single that scored Light and cut the lead to 6-2.
Kusiewicz got the loss, giving up six runs on five hits in four innings. Thoedile (6-6) picked up the win, giving up two runs on four hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
LENGTH: Short : 45 lines KEYWORDS: BASEBALLby CNB