K-Tribe sweeps series at Salem

Published in Sports on May 25, 2006 2:10 PM

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SALEM, Va. -- Kinston slipped past Salem 4-3 on Wednesday and picked up its fifth victory in six tries on its current roadswing against Carolina League opposition.

The K-Tribe captured their ninth win in their last 11 outings and improved to a league-best 32-13 overall. They claimed two of three wins against Salem and swept their 12th series of the season.

Chuck Lofgren picked up his Carolina League leading seventh win of the season, throwing six innings of four hit ball. The 20-year-old Lofgren (7-2) struck out five in the winning effort.

The K-Tribe started the scoring in the first inning, when hot hitting Ryan Goleski (3-for-4) collected his league-leading 42nd RBI of the year -- a two-out single scoring Brian Finegan.

Tied 1-1 in the fifth inning, K-Tribe outfielder Jordan Brown hit a two-RBI triple, scoring Rodney Choy Foo and Matt Whitney. Brown would later score on a single by Brandon Pinckney making the score 4-1.

T.J. Burton picked up his seventh save of the year, but not until a two-out error and a balk had the Avalanche's tying run at third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. Burton refocused to strike out Salem's Matt Cunningham and win the game.

Kinston starts a four-game home series against Winston-Salem today at 7 p.m. at historic Grainger Stadium. The Warthogs trail the K-Tribe by 71/2 games in Southern Division play. It's the final series between the two teams in first-half play.