K-Tribe rolls on road

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on April 29, 2007 2:01 AM

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SALEM, Va. -- The K-Tribe broke a 2-2 tie with four runs in the fourth inning on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Salem Avalanche on Saturday night.

Jose Constanza went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored for Kinston.

The K-Tribe struck first in the top of the first inning, when Chris Gimenez singled home Johnny Drennen.

Down 2-1 in the third, Constanza scored on a throwing error by Salem shortstop Tommy Manzella. In the top of the fourth Salem starter Sergio Perez started the inning by hitting Wes Hodges with a pitch and walking Nathan Panther. After a sacrifice bunt by Chris De La Cruz, Constanza drove home Hodges with an RBI single. Drennen doubled home Panther one batter later. Constanza and Drennen would score when a ground ball hit by Josh Rodriguez took a bad hop on Salem second baseman Eric King, who was charged with an error.

Kinston added their seventh run in the eighth on another RBI by Constanza.

Jim Deters (1-1) picked up his first win for the K-Tribe, going three innings and giving up just one hit in relief. Deters night ended when he took a line drive off his throwing arm and did not continue. Chris Niesel and T.J. Burton came in to close out the game and did not give up an earned run. The K-Tribe pitching staff, behind starter Frank Herrmann, struck out a total of seven batters and did not give up a walk.

Kinston and Salem will square off in the rubber match of this three game series today at 2:07 p.m. David Huff will take the mound for the K-Tribe.

FRIDAY'S GAMES

Avalanche 2, K-Tribe 1,

11 innings

SALEM, Va. -- A walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning by Salem shortstop Tommy Manzella toppled the Indians 2-1 on Friday night.

Kinston tied the low scoring affair with a solo home run by shortstop Josh Rodriguez in the top of the seventh inning. The game remained tied until the bottom of the 11th, as Salem's Eric King hit a one-out single off K-Tribe reliever Randy Newsom (0-1). King advanced to second on a groundout by Josh Flores, then Manzella got the two-out hit down the right field line.

Ryan McKeller picked up the victory for Salem.

Kinston got a solid start from Sung-Wei Tseng, who gave up just four hits and one run in five innings. Jeff Stevens did not give up a hit and struck out four in three innings of relief. Scott Roehl got out of jams in the bottom of the ninth and tenth for a scoreless two innings.

Max Ramirez went 3-for-4 from the plate for Kinston.

Southern League

Smokies 4, Mudcats 2

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. -- Chris Walker and Jorge Cortes each drove in two runs to keep Tennessee in first place as the Smokies defeated the Carolina Mudcats 4-2 at Smokies Park on Friday night.

Walker tied the game at 1 with a third inning double against Mudcats starter Daniel Barone (0-2), then was credited with a awful-hop single over second baseman Kevin Randel in the fifth. Barone had runners at first and second when Walker chopped a ball at Randel, who approached the grounder, then saw it take an uncharacteristically huge bounce over his head to score a run. Cortes followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Smokies (10-10) ahead 4-1.

Carolina (8-14) took a 1-0 lead in the first against Mark Holliman (3-0), who entered the game not having allowed an earned run in his first 21 innings. The Mudcats loaded the bases with one out, but scored only an unearned run when third baseman Joe Simokaitis booted Brett Carroll's grounder with two outs.

The Mudcats closed to within 4-2 in the sixth with a pair of doubles against Holliman, nicking him for his first earned run in 27 innings. Grant Psomas doubled to begin the inning, then scored on a two-out double by Patrick Arlis, snapping an 0-for-26 slump.

Carolina hit a franchise-record six homers on Thursday night, and started the game with a double on the game's second pitch by Jai Miller, but the Smokies claimed the second game of the series to remain in first place.

Miller had two of Carolina's seven hits.