Winston-Salem 3, Down East 1
W: Drew Hasler (1-0)
L: Jacob Shortslef (0-1)
S: Jack Charleston (2)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 28, 2017) – Thanks to a go-ahead two-run homer by Winston-Salem outfielder Luis Basabe that broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth, the Dash picked up a 3-1 win over the Down East Wood Ducks on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark.
Trey Michalczewski ignited the Winston-Salem (16-35) offense in the deciding frame with a leadoff single to right field. After Brady Conlan moved him over to second on a beautiful sacrifice bunt down the first base line, Basabe stepped to the plate.
Batting from the left-hand side for the first time in the game, the 20-year-old clocked the first offering from Woodies reliever Jacob Shortslef (0-1) 392 feet into the right-center field seats to give the Dash a two-run advantage they would not relinquish.
Jack Charleston nailed down the save in the ninth for Winston-Salem, allowing just a one-out knock to Jairo Beras before inducing a pop out and a groundout to seal the win.
The Dash received another strong effort from their rotation in Sunday’s contest. Zach Thompson spun six innings of work on the hill, allowing just one run via a solo shot by Josh Altmann to begin the seventh. Thompson scattered six other Down East (20-30) hits while striking out two and walking one in the no decision.
In relief of Thompson, Drew Hasler (1-0) picked up the victory with two impressive innings in which he yielded just one walk.
Danny Mendick notched the game’s first run back in the fifth, launching a two-out blast that just cleared the left-center field fence to give Winston-Salem a 1-0 advantage.
Wood Ducks starter Jeffrey Springs had another solid start spoiled by lack of run support, as the Down East southpaw hurled six innings and surrendered just three hits. The Belmont, N.C., native fanned 10 batters on the day, tying his career-high.
The Dash and Wood Ducks conclude their four-game series on Monday afternoon from BB&T Ballpark at 2 p.m. in a Memorial Day matchup. Right-hander Brannon Easterling (2-3, 3.70 ERA) will toe the rubber for Winston-Salem against Down East righty Tyler Davis (0-1, 6.33 ERA). Play-by-play coverage for the contest is available at wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio app.
During Monday’s Memorial Day tilt, the Dash will honor Bookmarks, the team’s 2017 charity partner. Bookmarks is a literary arts nonprofit organization that fosters a love of reading and writing in the community. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
