Burlington squeezes by Elizabethton, 5-4

from staff reports

   BURLINGTON, N.C. -- Carlos Parra hit a three-run homer in the first inning Wednesday night and Burlington held on to beat Elizabethton 5-4 in an Appalachian League game.
   Matt Whitney and LF Luis Hodge singled in the firstinning with two outs and Parra launched his second home run of the year to left field.
   Each team scored once in the fourth inning, and the Indians added a run in the fifth inning to go up 5-1.
   Elizabethton's Dusty Gomon hit his league-leading 11th homer leading off the sixth inning against eventual winner Fausto Carmona (2-2).
   One out later, LF Doug Deeds singled and RF Scott Whitrock clubbed a two-run homer that barely cleared the fence in left-center. Felix Molina walked, and Carmona was relieved by Luis Alvarado, who promptly got Inocencio Hiraldo to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth inning.
   Carmona pitched 5 1-3 innings, allowing eight hits, four runs, four earned runs, two walks and one strikeout. Alvarado threw 2 2-3 shutout innings and Blake Taylor recorded his second save by retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning.
   Twins starter Nick Blackburn (1-3) allowed five runs (four earned) in five innings to take the loss.
   Eider Torres was 2-for-4 with a run and four stolen bases for the Whitrock was 3-for-4 for Elizabethton.
   Elizabethton has one more game in Burlington, tonight at 7.