Winston-Salem 5, Wilmington 2 (F/10)
W: Jake Elliott (1-0)
L: Tad Ratliff (0-1)
S: Jose Nin (2)
WILMINGTON, Del. (April 24, 2019) – With two outs in the top of the 10th inning and the score knotted at two, Craig Dedelow smashed a three-run home run to lead the Winston-Salem Dash to a 5-2 victory and a series sweep over the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Wednesday night at Frawley Stadium.
The home run was Dedelow’s fourth of the season and second in as many games.
To set the stage for the home run, JJ Muno served as the placed runner for Winston-Salem (11-10) to begin the 10th. Muno moved to third on a passed ball. After a Tyler Frost strikeout, Tad Ratliff (0-1) intentionally walked Nick Madrigal in an attempt to set up the double play.
Madrigal stole second with Zach Remillard hitting, but Remillard struck out, setting up a second and third, two-out situation for Dedelow. On a 1-2 pitch, Dedelow hammered the go-ahead homer over the right-field fence.
In addition to the clutch hit by Dedelow, the Dash benefitted from a fantastic performance from the bullpen in relief of starter Lincoln Henzman. Zach Lewis, Jake Elliott (1-0) and Jose Nin combined to allow just one run while striking out 11 Wilmington (11-10) hitters across 6.1 innings pitched.
Lewis was fantastic in long relief, allowing just one run on three hits and striking out six over 3.1 innings. Elliott earned the win after firing two hitless innings and striking out four. Nin earned the save by pitching a scoreless 10th.
Winston-Salem struck first in the top of the third. With one out in the inning, catcher Daniel Gonzalez singled into right field for the first hit against Blue Rocks starter Marcelo Martinez. Muno then drew a walk to put runners on first on second. After a Frost flyout, Madrigal laced a double down the left-field line to put Winston-Salem in front 2-0.
Wilmington cut into the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Seuly Matias reached to lead off the inning after being hit by a pitch from Henzman. After a double play, Dennicher Carrasco came through with a two-out double to score Matias and make it 2-1. The double ended the night for Henzman, who allowed one run on five hits across 3.2 innings.
The Blue Rocks tied the score with another run in the fifth. With one out, Blake Perkins singled into center field before stealing second. Cristian Perez then bounced a single into right field to score Perkins. Neither team would plate another run until Dedelow’s moon shot in the 10th.
Following an off day on Thursday, Winston-Salem begins a three-game set with the Frederick Keys on Friday. The series is part of a seven-game homestand. Left-hander Cristian Castillo (0-2, 6.00 ERA) will take the hill in the opener. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m., and fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
After Friday’s game, there will be a postgame fireworks display. Live music and a Chick-fil-A Four Pack Night are on deck for Saturday, followed by a Lowes Foods Family Sunday during the series finale.
The homestand will roll into the following week with a four-game series against Potomac from April 29-May 2, which features a Free Food Monday and a Taco Tuesday. The homestand finale will be a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday, a Pups in the Park Night, presented by Handy and Handy Orthodontics, and a Rayados Day. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
