ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 30, 1996 TAG: 9604300120
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: KINSTON, N.C.
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
Mike Vavrek won his fourth straight decision and the Salem Avalanche continued to play solid baseball Monday with a 6-4 Carolina League victory over the Kinston Indians.
Vavrek (4-0) gave up only one run in six innings and left with the Avalanche leading 4-1.
The victory was Salem's eighth in its past nine games.
Salem (16-9) took the lead for good in the third inning on a run-producing single by shortstop Kyle Houser and a grounder by Nate Holdren that plated two runs when the Kinston shortstop committed an error.
The Avalanche increased the lead to 4-1 in the seventh when Brian Culp drove in Elvis Pena with a bases-loaded grounder.
Pena cracked an RBI triple that scored Mike Higgins in the eighth inning and later scored on a fielder's choice by Chan Mayber when Kinston's third baseman threw wildly to the plate.
Vavrek was replaced in the seventh inning by Jeff Sobkoviak, who was pitching in his first game for the Avalanche after being sent down from New Haven of the Class AA Eastern League.
Sobkoviak gave up a run in the seventh and surrendered a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth before being replaced by Salem closer Luis Colmenares, who needed only one pitch to end the game for his league-leading eighth save.
LENGTH: Short : 34 linesby CNB