Kinston Rally KO's Dash in Season Opener
April 8, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
KINSTON, NC - Ronald Rivas' RBI single to right snapped a tie game and the Kinston Indians walked off with a 7-6 extra-inning victory over the Winston-Salem Dash on a wild opening night at Grainger Stadium. Kinston scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the tenth after Winston-Salem had grabbed its first lead of the contest in the top half of the inning.
The game started as a pitcher's duel between Terry Doyle and Kinston pitcher Drew Pomeranz, who was making his professional debut after being selected with the fifth overall pick in last year's draft. The two pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts through the first three and a half scoreless innings.
The Indians (1-0) cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth when Adam Abraham singled home Casey Frawley from second to make it 1-0. While the first five innings featured just one run, the next five saw 12 men cross home plate.
Pomeranz was removed from the game after retiring the first batter he faced in the sixth inning and the Dash (0-1) pounced on the Kinston relief. With two outs in the frame, Jose Martinez doubled and scored on Jared Mitchell's triple to right field to tie the game.
The K-Tribe quickly re-took the lead with a pair of runs off Charlie Shirek in the bottom of the sixth on RBI hits by Roberto Perez and Jeremie Tice. Kinston scored two more times in the next inning against Dash reliever Justin Collop. Tyler Holt scored on a wild pitch and Frawley drove in one more run with a base hit to right to make it 5-1 Indians.
Winston-Salem responded with a four-run eighth inning to tie the game. Austin Yount hit a solo home run to center off Marty Popham, Yount's first homer since the 2009 season. Later in the inning, with Ian Gac at the plate and men at second and third, Popham uncorked a wild pitch that scored Daniel Wagner to narrow the deficit to two. On the next pitch, Gac punished a fastball left out over the plate for a two-run home run, leveling the game at five.
With the Dash batting in the ninth, a brief thunderstorm forced a 27-minute rain delay. Neither team scored when play resumed, sending the contest to extra innings.
In the top of the tenth, Winston had Yount at second base with two outs. Mitchell gave the Dash its first lead of the game with an opposite field single to left that make it 6-5.
The back-and-forth contest turned decisively in Kinston's favor in the bottom of the tenth. After striking out the leadoff man, Dash reliever Brandon Kloess gave up a double to Abraham and walked Roberto Perez. Tice followed with a ground ball to shortstop Kyle Davis, whose throw to first sailed over Andy Wilkins' head for a two-base error. Justin Toole, pinch-running for Abraham, scored easily to tie the game and the Indians had men at second and third with one out.
On a 2-2 pitch, Rivas laced a single to right to score Perez and win the game for Kinston. Kloess (0-1) suffered the loss by allowing the two tenth inning runs, while Travis Turek (1-0) got the win.
In his professional debut, Pomeranz was superb, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings, striking out nine, walking none, and allowing only a pair of infield hits. Doyle lasted four innings, allowing one run on five hits with eight strikeouts.
Notes: Both teams combined to strike out 27 times over the course of the night... A sellout crowd of 4,102 saw the game on what may be the final opening day at Grainger Stadium, as the Indians franchise will move to Zebulon next season...
The Dash looks to even its record to 1-1 on Saturday night as the season-opening series in Kinston continues. RHP Andre Rienzo makes his Advanced-A debut for Winston-Salem against Indians lefty T.J. McFarland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. with the broadcast beginning at 6:15 on www.wsdash.com.
The Dash begins its home slate at BB&T Ballpark on Friday, April 15 at 7 p.m. against the Indians. Fans may purchase tickets for every Dash game this season by calling the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visiting www.wsdash.com.
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