Tuesday was an historic offensive night at Grainger Stadium, but the first five innings looked like the Kinston Indians were on the wrong end of a pitching duel. The K-Tribe were trailing the Lynchburg Hillcats, 1-0, heading to the sixth, having gone 14 consecutive innings without scoring a run. So when the Indians put 11 consecutive batters on base and scored 12 runs on 11 hits, several players couldn't believe it. Lonnie Chisenhall was among them. The former first-round pick singled and scored on Adam Davis' grand slam before belting a grand slam of his own. It was only when Chisenhall returned to the dugout that one of his teammates pointed out that the Kinston duo had managed to hit two grand slams in the same inning without recording an out. "I looked [up at the scoreboard] and it was the same inning and there was still no outs," Chisenhall said. Asked if he'd ever seen one team hit two grand slams in the same inning, Davis was equally incredulous. "Absolutely not," he said. "Without even making an out in an inning?" It's the kind of one-in-a-million statistic that needs to be repeated. There is nothing in the Carolina League record book to suggest a team has hit two grand slams in one inning. Buoyed by the epic 12-run sixth, Kinston went on to cruise past Lynchburg, 15-3, with Davis and Chisenhall each adding a double and totaling five RBIs. "We probably put up a week of offense in one night," said Chisenhall, who scored three times and hit his fourth grand slam of the season. "So it's fun to be in that kind of game." The 20-year-old third baseman went 4-for-5 to break out of a 2-for-21 slump. "I hope it's the adjustments [I've made] and not just a random night," he said. "I haven't been swinging well the past week or two weeks and [those adjustments] showed up a little bit tonight." For Davis, the night had added significance as the former third-rounder, who has become a fixture in the lineup, blasted his first grand slam this year. And while the duo was pleased with the individual accomplishments, Chisenhall and Davis were hopeful that Tuesday was the beginning of a promising August for the K-Tribe. "Our team has struggled, both offensively and just to score runs over almost the whole season," Davis said. "And for us to play for almost four innings and to see how we responded offensively [from the sixth inning on], I think it shows us as a team how we can perform. And, hopefully, we can take this on the [upcoming] road trip." Brittany Ghiroli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs. |
