Indians clinch, extend stay in Kinston

After winning the opener of Sunday's doubleheader, Kinston Indians manager Aaron Holbert held off giving another motivational speech before the nightcap. But he still delivered a message.

"We started bringing the champagne in between games so the players could see what we had in store for them," Holbert said. "Them merely seeing the possibility of the celebratory champagne and beer, that pumped them up."

The Class A Advanced Indians won their penultimate game of the season, 2-1, to sweep the Potomac Nationals and capture the Carolina League South Division second-half crown.

"Guys were excited. They came to the ballpark with the understanding that we needed to win both," said Holbert, who was named Carolina League Manager of the Year in his second season with the K-Tribe. "We didn't leave it in [second-place] Winston-Salem's hands, came out with passion and were able to hold them off."

Kinston and Potomac finish the regular season with a Monday matinee. The P-Nats (38-31) remain in contention for the North Division second-half title, battling with first-half champion Frederick (39-30).

Last season, the Indians (73-67) lost in the first round of the Mills Cup playoffs. They have not won the championship since 2006 and will move to Zebulon, N.C., for the 2012 season.

After a relatively comfortable 5-3 victory in Game 1 of the twinbill, the mood grew more tense in Game 2. Making his Class A Advanced debut, Michael Goodnight (1-0) allowed two hits over five scoreless innings before encountering trouble in the sixth. He fanned six and did not walk a batter.

"He threw extremely well," Holbert said. "Listening to reports and talking to coordinators, you never see that heart until you see him on the mound to go out there and do it. He delivered."

The 22-year-old right-hander allowed a third hit, Eury Perez's single, and plunked Jose Lozada before reliever Trey Haley gave up Justin Bloxom's RBI single. A batter later, Lozada, who took third base on Bloxom's big hit, was thrown out trying to score on Steven Souza's one-out bunt.

"That actually caught me off-guard," Holbert said. "It wasn't a bad play, the bunt was just a little hard and Haley stayed under control. That was a huge play."

Haley stuck around for a less eventful seventh to earn his first save.

Casey Frawley doubled and scored on Jordan Casas' single in the fifth and Frawley singled home Bo Greenwell with two outs in the sixth.

"We haven't had much offense for the better part of the year," Holbert said of his club, whose .233 batting average is last in the league. "We talk abut situational hitting and timely hitting. It's always huge."

In the opener, Toru Murata (3-2) allowed three runs on six hits over six innings while striking out five. Carolina League postseason All-Star Preston Guilmet struck out two in a perfect seventh for his 35th save.

Adam Abraham slugged a two-run homer, his 17th, in the second off Potomac starter Evan Bronson (5-5), who was charged with five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits over six innings.