K-Tribe's 9th-inning rally falls short

Published in Sports on April 15, 2007 2:13 AM

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KINSTON -- An infield pop-up squelched a bases-loaded, ninth-inning rally and Kinston dropped a 6-4 decision to Winston-Salem at historic Grainger Stadium.

The K-Tribe scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, thanks to shaky relief pitching for the Warthogs. Winston-Salem pitcher Joe Torres hit Kinston's Nathan Panther and Brian Finegan, the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the ninth.

Panther would score on a throwing error by Warthogs second baseman Victor Mercedes. Finegan scored on a ground out by Josh Rodriguez, cutting the Winston-Salem lead to two. Winston-Salem reliever Brian Omogrosso walked two batters in a row to load the bases before Stephen Head popped up to end the game.

Kinston erased a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Josh Rodriguez hit an RBI triple scoring Jose Constanza. Rodriguez would later scored on an RBI by Max Ramirez.

Winston-Salem broke the 2-2 tie with a four run sixth inning, highlighted by a Daron Roberts three-run homer. Sung-Wei Tseng (0-2) picked up the loss for the K-Tribe, going six innings and giving up five earned runs.

Warthogs starter Derek Rodriguez (2-0) picked up the win.

Injured Cleveland starter Cliff Lee will return to Grainger Stadium for his second rehab start today. Weather permitting, the first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.