Winston-Salem 6, Potomac 0
W: Alec Hansen (2-4)
L: Luis Reyes (7-11)
S: None
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 5, 2017) – Right-hander Alec Hansen struck out 12 for the second straight outing, and the Dash offense provided more than enough support as Winston-Salem cruised to its sixth straight victory, defeating the Potomac Nationals 6-0 on Saturday night at BB&T Ballpark.
Selected by the White Sox with the 49th overall pick in the 2016 Draft, Hansen (2-4) was nearly untouchable in his eighth start at the High-A level. The former Oklahoma Sooner yielded just two hits and two walks in six strong innings of work against the Nationals (16-25, 49-62). In his last five starts, Hansen has struck out a combined 46 hitters in 28.2 frames. Overall, the 22-year-old leads all White Sox farmhands this season with 150 strikeouts in 114.1 innings between Low-A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem.
The Dash (22-20, 46-66) have rattled off six consecutive wins for the first time since July 26-31, 2015, and seven straight at the downtown facility for the first time since a seven-game win streak from August 20-29, 2015. With a win on Sunday, Winston-Salem can complete its first perfect multi-series homestand since June 8-13, 2012, when the club swept Wilmington and Potomac in separate three-game sets.
Following a scoreless first, the Dash offense went to work in the second against P-Nats starter Luis Reyes (7-11). After Brandon Dulin started the frame with a double to right, Seby Zavala grounded an RBI single to center to put Winston-Salem ahead 1-0.
Jameson Fisher followed with a single, putting runners on the corners with nobody out for Brady Conlan. On the first pitch from Reyes, Conlan blasted a three-run homer to left to give the Dash a 4-0 edge. Through the first three games of this series, Conlan is 4-for-9 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
Winston-Salem knocked Reyes out of the game with another tally in the third after Zack Collins walked and Eloy Jimenez singled to start the frame. Reyes induced a double play ball off the bat of Dulin, but Zavala came through again, grounding an RBI single to left to make it a 5-0 contest. In 16 games at BB&T Ballpark this year, Zavala is hitting .377 (23-for-61) with 20 RBIs.
Andre Wheeler relieved Hansen and tossed a hitless seventh, while Louie Lechich finished the shutout with a pair of scoreless innings, during which he yielded one hit.
#YourHomeTeam looks to cap off a perfect homestand on Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Nationals. Winston-Salem sends right-hander Dane Dunning (4-5, 3.35 ERA), who struck out 11 in seven innings of work against Salem on Monday, to the hill against Potomac righty Austen Williams (2-3, 3.70 ERA). My 48 will televise the matinee matchup locally in Winston-Salem, while coverage will be available online at wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
Sunday’s afternoon tilt between the Dash and Nationals marks another Lowes Foods Family Sunday at BB&T Ballpark, where fans can purchase hot dogs and Pepsi soft drinks for just $1 until the end of the first inning. A couple of Dash players will also be available pregame to sign autographs on the concourse, and, as with any weekend contest, kids are invited to run the bases after the game, powered by New Balance Winston-Salem. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
