Indians topple Salem in slugfest

Published in Sports on August 15, 2006 2:16 PM

• Print
• Email

KINSTON -- A three-run homer by Stephen Head in a five-run eighth inning gave Kinston a dramatic 12-11 come-from-behind win over Salem on Monday night at Grainger Stadium.

Kinston touched up Salem pitching for a season-high 18 hits in a game that included four lead changes.

Salem took a 10-7 lead into the eighth before Head's 14th home run of the year, a line drive shot to right field, put Kinston up for good. Jose Constanza added a run-scoring single to left that scored Javi Herrera later in the inning. That turned out to be the game-winning run.

The game was a back-and-forth run fest until the end. A two-run home run by Kinston's Jordan Brown, his 14th of the season, put Kinston up 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brown went 4-for-5 with three RBIs.

In the fifth inning, Kinston scored three more runs behind RBIs from Jose Constanza and Argenis Reyes to take a 6-1 lead. Salem rallied with three runs in the top of the sixth and seventh, before taking the lead with three runs in the top of the eighth. Salem added one more in the top of the ninth before the scoring stopped.

Constanza had three hits and three RBIs. Reyes, Herrera, Rodney Choy Foo and Micah Schilling each had two hits for the K-Tribe.

Kyle Collins (3-0) got the win, his third of the season. German Melendez (1-1) was roughed up for the loss.

Kinston now moves to one game behind first-place Salem in the Carolina League Southern Division.