Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 3, 1995 TAG: 9505040030
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK BULLOCK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Brian Culp was due to break loose, and he couldn't have picked a better time to do it.
Culp had three hits, including a two-run home run and the game-winning single, as the Salem Avalanche salvaged a two-game Carolina League split Tuesday with the Durham Bulls at Municipal Field.
Salem won the second game 5-4 on Culp's run-producing hit in the bottom of the seventh inning after losing the completion of Monday's suspended game 8-5 as Durham hit five home runs.
Culp came into Tuesday battling a mild slump (1-for-13) in his past five games, but his confidence was unshaken.
``The numbers say I'm struggling, but I've been hitting the ball well,'' Culp said. ``They just weren't falling in. I feel fine mentally and physically.''
Culp's first-inning homer helped the Avalanche erase an early 2-0 deficit and gave starting pitcher Matt Pool a fresh beginning. Pool had given up two runs in the top of the first by walking leadoff hitter Andre King and yielding a home run to first baseman Randall Simon that bounced off the top of the wall in left field.
Simon also homered in the first game during a wild eighth inning that saw the first three Bulls batters hit long balls off Salem reliever John Salamon, including Durham left fielder Gator McBride, who went deep three times on the night.
But after that first inning, Pool shut out the Bulls over the next five innings. He left after the sixth, leading 4-2. Reliever Scott Larock struck out the first Durham hitter he faced in the seventh, but then walked left fielder John Knott, bringing on left-hander Curt Conley to face Simon, a left-handed batter.
Conley got Simon on a groundout to shortstop but then surrendered a two-out, two-run homer to McBride to right-center field that tied the score at 4.
Salem retaliated in the bottom of the seventh when second baseman Steve Bernhardt led off with an infield hit. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chris Sexton and scored when Culp laced a hit up the middle to win the game.
``We were due for a win like this when we battled back,'' Culp said.
Salem got a solo home run from third baseman Forry Wells in the fifth. The teams combined for 10 homers in the two games.
In the completion of Monday's game, which the Bulls led 3-0 when play was halted by rain, relief pitchers Jeff Sobkoviak of Salem and John LeRoy of Durham had things their way for six innings. LeRoy (2-2) scattered four hits and yielded only one run, a solo homer by Salem catcher Randy Snyder.
Sobkoviak took over for starter Mike Saipe (1-3) and had possibly his best outing of the season. He threw five shutout innings before making a mistake to shortstop Danny Magee that resulted in a two-run home run and a 5-1 Durham lead.
Then came a nightmarish eighth inning for Salamon. Wonderful Monds led off with a homer to left, Simon followed with a homer to center and McBride homered to left, extending Durham's lead to 8-1.
No lead is safe in Municipal Field, however, and this one wasn't either. Mark Wells drove in a run for the Avalanche in the bottom of the inning to make it 8-2, and Salem sent nine men to the plate in the ninth before ending the game with the bases loaded.
Durham reliever Jason Green walked four straight batters before being yanked in favor of Bulls closer Matt Byrd, who entered the fray with a 2-0 record, four saves and a 0.56 earned-run average.
Byrd struck out Keith Grunewald looking and got Vincente Garcia swinging before Mark Wells singled home a run and Colin Dixon walked to force in another run. Byrd got out of it by getting Nate Holdren to fly out to center field to end the game.
EXTRA BASES: Salem pitcher Doug Million will go on the disabled list with a partial tear of the rotator cuff muscle. Million, the first draft choice of the Colorado Rockies in 1994, likely will miss his next scheduled start and then be listed day-to-day depending on his progress. Avalanche trainer Bill Borowski said ``rest and strengthening'' will be Million's prescription for recovery. ``We're being conservative so it doesn't become something serious,'' Borowski said. ... Doug Walls (1-1, 4.15 ERA) will pitch for Salem tonight against Micah Bowie (0-0, 0.00).
see microfilm for box score
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB