Pinckney, Schilling Complete Kinston Comeback
June 13, 2005 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Kinston Indians News Release
KINSTONâBrandon Pinckney tied the game with a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth and Micah Schilling won it with an RBI base hit with two out in the bottom of the 11th as Kinston came back from a 5-0 deficit and defeated Lynchburg 6-5 before 1,285 fans Monday night at historic Grainger Stadium. The win cut Kinston's magic number to four and kept the K-Tribe two games ahead of Winston-Salem in the Southern Division. The Indians also moved a season-high 10 games over .500 at 37-27 and they tied a season-high with their fourth straight win. Lynchburg fell to 38-26 but clinched the first-half title in the Northern Division thanks to Frederick's 12-4 loss to Winston-Salem.
The teams combined for just two base runners in the first three innings, but three Kinston errors led to a pair of Lynchburg runs in the top of the fourth. Indians starter Nick Pesco opened the inning with a bobble of Andy Wilson's tapper up the first base line, and a walk and a single then loaded the bases with no one out. Jon Benick then grounded into a fielder's choice as Wilson scored, and Schilling's throw to first as he tried to double-up Benick went over the head of Ryan Mulhern and allowed Adam Boeve to score and make it 2-0. The Hillcats added three more runs in the fifth on a groundout by Wilson and a two-run homer by Boeve to make it 5-0.
The Indians started their comeback in the sixth, chipping away for a pair of runs off Lynchburg starter Patrick O'Brien. Nathan Panther singled with one out and scored all the way from first on Anthony Lunetta's double off the left-field wall, and Mulhern plated Lunetta two batters later with a sacrifice fly to deep center to make it 5-2. Reliever Mariano Gomez then retired all nine men he faced over three perfect innings, keeping it a three-run game as Kinston came to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Mulhern led off the inning with a solo home run to center off All-Star closer Chris Hernandez to make it 5-3, and Caleb Brock then earned a walk after a lengthy at-bat. Mike Conroy lined a single to center on the next pitch to put the tying runs on base, and David Wallace executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. That set the stage for Pinckney, who scorched a hanging curveball into left field to score Brock and pinch-runner Ricardo Rojas and tie the game at 5-5.
After Kinston closer Edward Mujica worked perfect innings in the 10th and 11th, Brock started the winning rally by drawing another walk, this one from lefty Greg Martin. Rojas put down another sac bunt to get Brock to second, and Brock alertly moved up to third when Wallace flied out to deep left-center. The Hillcats intentionally walked Pinckney to get a lefty-lefty match-up with Martin and Schilling, but Schilling spoiled the strategy when he lined an 0-1 fastball down the left-field line as Brock scored the winning run.
Mujica (1-0) got the win as Kinston pitching recorded 18 straight outs to end the game. Martin fell to 1-2 with the loss. Conroy finished 2-4 offensively and Mulhern and Pinckney both had two RBI. Game two in the four-game series is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday. Rafael Perez (7-3, 3.07 ERA) will start for Kinston against former Indian Derrick van Dusen (2-2, 5.54 ERA). For more information, please call the Indians at (252) 527-9111.
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