K-Tribe falls in 11 a.m. contest

Published in Sports on April 27, 2006 2:08 PM

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KINSTON -- The Kinston Indians bats could not wake up on Wednesday morning as the Lynchburg Hillcats defeated the K-Tribe 2-1.

The game started at 11 a.m. for Middle School Day, where local school kids from around the area came out to watch the action at Grainger Stadium.

Chuck Lofgren (3-1), a 20-year-old left-hander, picked up his first loss of the season. He gave up one earned run and six hits in four-plus innings.

Lynchburg got on the board in the second inning when Brad Correll led off with a double, and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Dan Schwartzbauer.

The Hillcats struck again in the fifth inning when Pedro Powell reached on a Kinston error, then later scored on a Justin Harris ground out, making the score 2-0.

The K-Tribe fought back in the sixth inning when Argenis Reyes led off with a triple and scored one batter later on a Brian Finnegan RBI single. The scoring stopped there as the K-Tribe couldn't crack the armor of reliever Yoann Torrealba who picked up the save, pitching four innings and allowing only one hit.

Hillcats starter Derek Hankins (1-2) picked up the win going five innings, allowing six hits and one earned run.

The K-Tribe lost just their third game at home this season, falling to 10-3 at Grainger Stadium and 13-6 overall. The Indians' record is the best in the Carolina League and gives them a three-game lead on second place Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League Southern Division.

Lynchburg and Kinston will meet today at 7 p.m. for the final game of the four-game series. The K-Tribe will send right-hander Joe Ness to the mound against right hander Matt Guillory for the Hillcats.

Notes: Former East Carolina Pirate pitcher Matt Bishop is on the roster for the Lynchburg Hillcats. Bishop started the year on the DL, was activated on the April 17 and pitched one inning on the 22nd, he has yet to make an appearance in the series with Kinston. ...The K-Tribe sets off on their first two-city road trip of the year on Friday, visiting Salem for three games and Lynchburg for four before returning home for a short weekend series against Salem May 5-6.