Minor leagues

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on April 19, 2010 1:46 PM

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ZEBULON -- Carolina claimed a come-from-behind victory over Montgomery in Southern League action Sunday afternoon.

Eric Eymann laced a game-winning, walk-off single with the bases loaded in an 8-7 win at Five County Stadium. The Mudcats improved to 6-4 overall.

Montgomery grabbed a 5-1 lead only to see Carolina rally.

The Mudcats started their comeback in the fourth inning on Jose Castro's two-RBI single. They added a single run in the fifth and forged a 5-5 tie on Yonder Alonso's solo home run in the seventh inning.

The Biscuits regained the lead in the top of the eighth with two runs off Mudcat reliever Sean Watson. A scoreless ninth by reliever Phillippe Valiquette, Carolina trailed by two runs heading into its final at-bat.

After a lead off double by Sean Danielson and a walk to Kris Negron, the Mudcats cut the lead to one run when Alonso collected his second RBI of the day on a single to right to cut the lead in half. The Biscuits intentionally walked Denis Phipps to load the bases for Eymann, who lined a two-strike base hit past Montgomery first baseman Matt Fields.

Michael Griffin, a pinch runner, scored to end the game.

K-Tribe scalped

WINSTON-SALEM -- A two-out, two-run walk-off home run by Winston-Salem's Ozzie Lewis in the ninth inning capped a heartbreaking 7-6 loss for Kinston on Sunday afternoon in Carolina League play.

The K-Tribe (3-7 overall) was swept for the first time this season and has now dropped five straight outings. The Dash (7-3) won their fifth consecutive game.

The teams staged a wild seventh inning.

Kinston's Abner Abreu, Jason Kipnis and Nate Recknagel each singled to load the bases with nobody out against reliever Tyson Corley. Donnie Webb grounded into a double play, scoring Abreu to tie the score.

Kyle Bellows followed with an RBI double to deliver Kipnis and give the Indians a 4-3 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Seth Loman hammered a two-out, two-run homer over the 25-foot wall in right-center field to put the Dash back in front 5-4.

The K-Tribe answered right back with two more in the eighth. With runners on second and third, Abreu hit an RBI groundout to second to score Richard Martinez. After a pitching change, Gregory Infante allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Kipnis that gave Kinston a 6-5 lead.

Closer Steve Smith retired the first two Winston-Salem batters in the ninth. He walked Loman, who was replaced by pinch-runner Kenny Williams, Jr. Then, on a 1-0 count, Lewis crushed Smith's pitch over the left field wall for a walk-off home run.

Smith (0-1) took the loss after his first blown save.

Kinston continues its roadswing with a four-game series starting today in Wilmington.