K-Tribe tops Winston-Salem

Published in Sports on May 28, 2007 1:47 PM

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KINSTON -- Mike Butia belted a fourth-inning home run and Kinston salvaged the weekend series with Winston-Salem 7-2 at historic Grainger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Carolina League Southern Division rivals battled to a 3-3 split. The K-Tribe remained four games ahead of the Warthogs, but saw its lead dwindle to 2 1/2 games over second-place Salem.

Max Ramirez and John Drennen each provided early-inning RBI hits. Then Butia ripped his second homer of the season in the fourth, which scored Drennen and Jerad Head.

Chris Gimenez slugged a solo homer, his team-leading 10th, in the fifth inning. Ramirez, who batted 2-for-4 with two RBI, contributed a run-scoring double in the seventh.

Head played outstanding defense in the outfield. He threw out one runner at at third base and gunned down another Warthog attempting to stretch a single into a double.

Kinston right-hander Ryan Edell yielded two earned runs in a six-inning stint, and earned his fourth decision in six outings. Mike Finocchi and Matt Meyer combined for three innings of no-hit relief. The K-Tribe pitching staff did not allow a walk.

Winston-Salem's Clayton Richard, who had the sixth-lowest ERA in the Carolina League, walked five and gave up five earned runs in five innings. Richard fell to 2-2 overall.