WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 20, 2016) – Southpaw starter Tanner Banks spun his second professional complete game, but the Salem Red Sox edged Winston-Salem 4-2 in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader at BB&T Ballpark.

Banks (6-3) recorded his fourth quality start over his last five outings, giving up four runs (three earned) on eight hits over seven innings. However, the Red Sox (33-21, 76-47), who had wasted a pair of early leads, seized the lead with a two-run sixth inning.

Mike Meyers led off the frame with a bloop single to center, and he scored on a NIck Longhi double to give the Red Sox a 3-2 advantage. A sacrifice fly from Jose Sermo pushed across an insurance run.

Winston-Salem (24-30, 52-72) could not solve Matt Kent (9-6), who worked six strong innings and gave up two runs on six hits for his ninth win of 2016. Yankory Pimentel navigated around a seventh-inning single to record his fourth save.

The Dash and Red Sox traded runs in the first and third innings. Salem’s Joseph Monge launched a leadoff homer in the first before Mason Robbins knotted the score with an RBI double in the home half. Robbins leads the Carolina League in both average (.321) and hits (143).

Two innings later, a Landon Lassiter RBI double acted as Winston’s rebuttal to a Meyers run-scoring single for Salem.

As a result, Winston-Salem has dropped five in a row after a five-game winning streak, which matched the club’s longest of the season. Now 10.0 games behind first-place Myrtle Beach, the Dash’s elimination number dropped to six with 15 games to play.

The finale of this doubleheader is set for 7:25 p.m. from BB&T Ballpark. Winston-Salem sends right-hander Zach Thompson (2-4, 7.36 ERA) to the hill against southpaw Trey Ball (6-5, 3.91 ERA). Coverage is available onwsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.