K-Tribe wins preseason opener

Published in Sports on September 7, 2006 2:14 PM

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SALEM, Va. -- The Kinston Indians opened the postseason by beating Salem in game one of the best-of-three Southern Division Series 9-6 on Wednesday night.

Shaky Salem fielding led to Kinston bolting out to a 7-0 lead after five innings. Six of the first seven runs Kinston scored were unearned.

Kinston scored two runs in the second inning after Salem's first error of the ballgame. Chris De La Cruz drove home Jordan Brown for the first run of the game. Argenis Reyes, who had three RBIs in the game, drove in De La Cruz one batter later.

Salem mishandled two infield grounders in the fifth inning, leading to five more Kinston runs, including a two RBI double from Javi Herrera. Jose Constanza, Nathan Panther and De La Cruz each added an RBI as Kinston sent 11 men up to the plate to take a 7-0 lead.

Kinston added two more runs in the ninth as a double from Reyes scored Stephen Head and Nathan Panther.

Kinston banged out 12 hits in the game. Salem came back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth and two more in the ninth, but it was not enough as Kinston grabbed a 1-0 lead in the series.

Chuck Lofgren picked up the win for Kinston, starting the game with 51/3 strong innings. Lofgren gave up just two hits and two earned runs while striking out five. Lofgren did not give up his first hit until the fifth inning on an infield single down the third base line.

Kinston returns to Grainger Stadium tonight for game two of the series. The K-Tribe sends Scott Lewis to the mound at 7 p.m.