Salem 7, Winston-Salem 6 (F/11)
W: Stephen Nogosek (2-0)
L: Louie Lechich (1-3)
S: Daniel McGrath (2)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 20, 2017) – Eloy Jimenez went 3-for-5 with a home run in his BB&T Ballpark debut, but the Salem Red Sox rallied late to pull out a 7-6, 11-inning victory in the series opener on Thursday night.
Down 4-2 in the fourth, Jimenez led off the frame by blasting a 1-1 pitch from Salem starter Matthew Kent beyond the right field fence for his first homer as a member of the White Sox organization. Jimenez, who also smacked two doubles in his first appearance at the downtown facility, is 9-for-22 (.409) with seven RBIs through his first six contests in a Dash uniform.
Three batters later, Seby Zavala knotted up the game at four with a mammoth 422-foot shot to left. Zavala, who finished the night 1-for-4 with a walk, is hitting a robust .462 (12-for-26) with four home runs and 15 RBIs in seven games played at BB&T Ballpark.
Both teams traded a run in the seventh before Zack Collins briefly gave Winston-Salem (13-13, 37-59) a 6-5 lead in the eighth. Only 10 days after smacking the second-ever walk-off grand slam in the Dash era (2009-present), Collins smashed a solo home run to right on the first offering from Adam Lau. The former first-round pick leads the team with 13 home runs this year.
However, Salem (17-10, 57-39) pulled even in the ninth. After Victor Diaz walked two batters to put runners on first and second with one out, Jack Charleston relieved him and immediately yielded a game-tying single to Victor Acosta, marking just the third blown save in 12 opportunities for Charleston.
The Red Sox jumped ahead for good in the 11th, as Chris Madera roped a two-out, RBI single to center against Louie Lechich (1-3).
Stephen Nogosek (2-0) picked up the victory with two scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Daniel McGrath locked down his second save of the season with a perfect bottom of the 11th.
Salem struck quickly in the opening frame against Kyle Kubat, who was making his fourth career start in his professional career. Madera led off the game with a single and was able to move to second on a wild pitch with Jeremy Rivera at the plate. After Madera moved to third on Rivera’s flyout, Josh Ockimey delivered a sacrifice fly to center to put the Red Sox ahead 1-0.
Winston-Salem responded in the second, though, taking its first lead of the night. Jimenez roped his first two-bagger of the evening down the left field line to begin the inning, and Jameson Fisher moved him to third on a groundout.
Following consecutive walks to Matt Rose and Zavala, Brady Conlan brought home Jimenez on an RBI fielder’s choice. Luis Basabe followed with a check-swing RBI single to right, scoring Rose to put the Dash ahead 2-1.
With one on and one out in the fourth, Ian Hamilton replaced Kubat, and, after striking out Jose Sermo, proceeded to give up back-to-back run-scoring doubles to Jordan Betts and Mike Meyers to give Salem a 3-2 edge. Tyler Spoon capped the inning with an RBI single to right.
#YourHomeTeam continues its four-game series against the Salem Red Sox at 7 p.m. on Friday. Winston-Salem sends right-hander Dane Dunning (3-4, 3.07 ERA) to the bump against Red Sox righty Mike Shawaryn (3-2, 3.18 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m., and fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
Members of the Piedmont Triad Apartment Association will be collecting non-perishable food items and cash donations outside of BB&T Ballpark on Friday, with all proceeds going to the Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC. Any fan who donates on Friday will receive a ticket voucher that is redeemable for any Dash home game in August.
Meanwhile, the second game of this four-game set is jam-packed with several exciting promotions, including Star Wars Night. This intergalactic battle is packed with special features, including real-life Star Wars characters on hand, brought to you by Carolina Garrison/501st Legion. Also, we will raffle off exclusive Lightsaber bats, with proceeds going to the Winston-Salem Dash Baseball Community Trust.
Like all Friday games, a fireworks show will follow after the game, and kids can run the bases, powered by New Balance Winston-Salem. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
