Winston-Salem 3, Frederick 2
W: Colin Kleven (1-1)
L: Luis Gonzalez (0-2)
S: None
FREDERICK, Md. (April 29, 2016) – Nick Basto, Minor League Baseball’s hits leader, delivered the biggest hit of Friday’s opener at Frederick. His leadoff home run in the top of the ninth propelled Winston-Salem to a 3-2 victory over the Keys at NYMEO Field.
Basto’s homer to left center came against southpaw Luis Gonzalez (0-2), who struck out five of the first six he faced through two perfect innings out of the bullpen. However, Basto punished Gonzalez for hanging an 0-2 pitch and deposited it beyond the boards in left-center field.
For the first time in his professional career, Basto has gone deep in three consecutive games. He pushed his MiLB-leading hit total to 37, while his batting average climbs to .435. At the start of Friday’s action, Basto was second in the Minors in average.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Keys threatened against Colin Kleven (1-1). Josh Hart led off with an infield single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and reached third thanks to a groundout. However, Kleven induced a groundout off the bat of Aderlin Rodriguez, who had both of Frederick’s RBIs on Friday, for his first win as a White Sox farmhand.
Frederick (7-15) forced Winston-Salem into the need for some late-inning magic thanks to a Rodriguez solo shot in the seventh. This bomb snapped a streak of 18 straight Keys retired from Dash (9-13) starter Matt Cooper, who logged a career-best seven innings. After allowing the first three men to reach, Cooper did not give up another base runner until the Rodriguez long ball down the left field line.
Cooper whiffed eight, including five in a row from the fifth to the seventh. He punched out the side on just 10 pitches in the sixth. The former University of Hawaii star has amassed 35 strikeouts in five starts spanning 28 innings, including 17 in his last 13 frames.
The Keys’ first-inning run held up until the fourth, when Hunter Jones and Toby Thomas led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Gerson Montilla followed with a two-run double down the left field line, pushing his RBI total to 14.
With the victory, the Dash improve to 29-16 at Frederick since the start of the 2012 season. Winston-Salem is now 7-5 away from BB&T Ballpark this season. Four of the club’s nine overall victories have come in its last at-bat.
This three-game series continues with a Saturday matinee in Maryland. Winston-Salem sends right-hander Thad Lowry (0-2, 4.05 ERA) to the bump against southpaw John Means (3-0, 2.70 ERA). First pitch is set for 2 p.m., and fans can tune into the action on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App.
The Dash return home Monday for a week-long homestand at BB&T Ballpark that features many exciting promotions. For full details or to purchase tickets, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
