ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606240143
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LYNCHBURG
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
SALEM loses 6-0 on a five-hitter by Lynchburg's Kane Davis.
This was not the way the Salem Avalanche wanted to start the second half of the Carolina League baseball season.
The Avalanche ran into a well-rested Kane Davis, and the Lynchburg right-hander fired a shutout as the Hillcats downed Salem 6-0 before a crowd of 1,579 at City Stadium. (Box score in Baseball Scoreboard.)
Davis (6-5) was masterful in pitching his second complete game of the season, giving up five hits, walking four and striking out three. Most importantly, he made big pitches when he needed them. Davis struck out Ed Cunningham after walking the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning to squelch a potential rally, got Nate Holdren to line into a double play to end the eighth and induced a double-play grounder from Will Scalzitti to finish the game.
The Hillcats got started in the first inning against Salem starter Mike Vavrek. Derek Swafford walked and later scored on a single by Freddy Garcia for a 1-0 lead.
Lynchburg put two more runs on the board in the second and added another in the fourth on a solo homer to left field by Steve Thobe.
Mike Asche's groundout off reliever Scott LaRock scored Ramon Martinez in the seventh inning to put the Hillcats up by five runs. The final Lynchburg run came in the eighth off Pat McClinton when Jose Guillen doubled to lead off the inning and scored two outs later on Jonathan Sweet's single.
Vavrek (5-4) took the loss for Salem, giving up four runs on six hits in five innings. He struck out three, walked three and had at least one runner on base in every inning.
Perhaps the best news of the night for Salem was that Southern Division rival Durham should be weakened after top prospects Andruw Jones, Wes Helms and Ron Wright were called up Friday to Greenville (S.C.) of the Class AA Southern League.
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB