Lynchburg 9, Winston-Salem 5
W: Shao-Ching Chiang (6-1)
L: Brannon Easterling (2-3)
S: Argenis Angulo (4)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 18, 2017) – Landon Lassiter and Louis Silverio went deep for the Dash, but the Hillcats used a five-run third and a three-run ninth to outlast Winston-Salem 9-5 on Thursday evening at BB&T Ballpark.
For the third time in this series, Lynchburg (20-18) used a big inning to jump out to an early lead. Daniel Salters worked a leadoff walk in the third against Dash (13-28) starter Brannon Easterling (2-3), and Willi Castro singled to put runners at first and second with nobody out.
Two batters later, Ka’ai Tom laced a single to right that scored Salters, and Sicnarf Loopstok followed with a three-run blast to put the Hillcats up 4-0. Andrew Calica completed the five-run inning with a double down the right-field line and ended up scoring on the play due to an errant throw by Toby Thomas into the Hillcats dugout.
Excluding his five-spot in the third, Easterling allowed just three additional baserunners to reach in his six innings of work. The Texas native surrendered five runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks with two strikeouts over a season-high 93 pitches.
Louie Lechich provided two innings of relief in succession of Easterling, giving up just one run on a sacrifice fly by Castro in the seventh.
In the sixth, Lassiter brought Winston-Salem within three on a two-run blast to left-center field that made it 5-2 Hillcats. The long ball was the High Point native’s first at the High-A level. The former North Carolina Tar Heel went 4-for-4 on the evening with three singles and his aforementioned homer for the second four-hit contest of his career (April 13, 2016, with Low-A Kannapolis).
Lynchburg starter Shao-Ching Chiang (6-1) pitched a brilliant 7.2 innings of work against the Dash but could not notch the final out of the eighth in his three opportunities. Instead, the Taiwan native allowed back-to-back singles to Lassiter and Telvin Nash before Silverio unloaded a 1-0 offering onto the Nature’s Select Knoll for a three-run shot that closed the deficit to 6-5 and forced Chiang from the contest.
However, the Hillcats tacked on three insurance runs in the final frame against Winston-Salem reliever Drew Hasler. Yonathan Mendoza came in to score on a sacrifice fly from Salters for the first run of the inning, while Jodd Carter and Castro worked their way around the basepaths via an RBI single by Haggerty and an error by Thomas.
Argenis Angulo spun a perfect 1.1 innings in relief of Chiang, earning his fourth save of the season while using just 14 pitches to complete the final four outs.
The Dash welcome the Carolina Mudcats to BB&T Ballpark for a four-game series beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. Right-hander Dane Dunning (1-0, 4.76 ERA) toes the rubber in the series opener against Muddies righty Freddy Peralta (0-1, 3.00 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m., with all the action available at wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
#YourHomeTeam’s four-game set with Carolina is packed with promotions, starting with another Fireworks Friday, where fans can enjoy a spectacular fireworks show following the contest against the Mudcats. Other highlights of the series include Military Appreciation Night, Bolt’s Birthday, a Lowes Foods Family Sunday and several Kids Run the Bases opportunities, powered by New Balance Winston-Salem. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
