Mills Cup - K-Tribe leads title series 2-0

Published in Sports on September 11, 2006 1:59 PM

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KINSTON -- The Kinston Indians are one win away from a Carolina League Championship as the K-Tribe took game two of the championship series with a 3-2 win Sunday afternoon at Grainger Stadium.

Kinston scored two runs on a wild pitch and an error in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a three run lead they would never relinquish.

Kinston started the scoring in the bottom of the third inning when Nathan Panther led off with a solo home run to right field.

Up 1-0 in the fourth inning, Kinston's Javi Herrera singled, and after a walk to Stephen Head and a base hit by Panther, Kinston had the bases loaded with just one out.

Frederick starting pitcher Manuel Basilio threw a wild pitch that allowed Javi Herrera to try to score from third. The throw from Keys catcher Brian Bock was late, Herrera scored and the ball rolled away again, allowing Head to score all the way from second. Bock was tagged with the error and Kinston took a 3-0 lead.

Kinston starting pitcher Mariano Gomez got the win, giving up just two earned runs in five innings of work. T.J. Burton, Randy Newsom and Kyle Collins came out of the K-Tribe bullpen to combine for four shutout innings for the win. Collins picked up his second save of the postseason.

Kinston will travel to Frederick for the final games of this best-of-five series, needing just one win for its sixth Carolina League Mills Cup Championship.

Kinston will go for the championship series sweep tonight, as the Minor League Leader in wins, Chuck Lofgren (17-5, 2.32 ERA), takes the mound for the K-Tribe in the 7 p.m. game.