Winston-Salem 9, Lynchburg 8
W: Jose Nin (1-0)
L: Brennan Bernardino (0-1)
S: None
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 8, 2019) – Carlos Perez stroked a walk-off single on Wednesday against Lynchburg, as Winston-Salem overcame a six-run deficit to claim a 9-8 victory at BB&T Ballpark in front of 7,365 fans.
With two outs and a 3-2 count with the bases loaded, Perez came through by ripping a single down the line that tipped off the glove of Hillcats (16-16) third baseman Nolan Jones and into left field. Standing at third base before the play, Jameson Fisher had plenty of time to trot home and seal a Dash victory. The win marks the first walk-off victory of the season for Winston-Salem (17-14).
Steele Walker led off the final frame by drawing a walk from Brennan Bernardino (0-1). Fisher then drew another walk to put runners at first and second with nobody out.
After Zach Remillard struck out by fouling a two-strike bunt attempt, Craig Dedelow hit a ball off the wall in right. But, Walker was thrown out at home for the second out. Tate Blackman then drew the third walk of the inning to load the bases, setting up Perez’s walk-off.
Trailing 7-1 entering the bottom of the third, Winston-Salem began to claw back. Nick Madrigal led off the frame by doubling off the bottom of the left-field wall. After a Walker single, Fisher blooped a ball into center field to score Madrigal and make it 7-2.
Remillard continued the rally by hitting a two-run triple to cut the Hillcats lead to three runs. With Blackman at the plate, Lynchburg starter Nick Gallagher threw a wild pitch, allowing Remillard to score and make it a 7-5 ballgame.
After Lynchburg added a run in the top of the fourth, Winston-Salem continued to rally in the bottom half of the frame. Yeyson Yrizarri led off the inning with a single before reaching third on two wild pitches from Anderson Polanco. With Yrizarri at third, Frost deposted a single into left to make it 8-6. Frost was then picked off first base before Madrigal grounded out for the second out of the inning.
With two down in the inning, Walker kept things going with a single to right. Walker reached base five times on the day, going 3-for-3 with three singles and two walks. Following Walker’s single, Fisher crushed a home run into the right-field seats to tie the game at eight. Fisher ended the day 3-for-4 with three RBIs and four runs, extending his hit streak to seven games.
Along with clutch offense leading the comeback, Winston-Salem benefitted from great work out of the bullpen. Kevin Escorcia, Wyatt Burns and Jose Nin (1-0) combined to hold Lynchburg scoreless over the final five frames. In 2.1 innings of work, Burns did not allow a hit.
Before the comeback, The Hillcats jumped out to an early lead against Dash starter Zach Lewis in the top of the first. Austen Wade and Jodd Carter hit back-to-back singles before Nolan Jones laced a triple to make it 2-0. After an Oscar Gonzalez groundout, Trenton Brooks bounced a single through the left side to score Jones and push the lead to 3-0.
Winston-Salem got one back in the bottom of the first against Lynchburg. Tyler Frost led off the inning with a walk before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Madrigal . A Walker single into right put runners on the corners with one down. Fisher then blooped a single into center to score Frost and make it 3-1.
Lynchburg added three more in the second, thanks to a two-run shot by Luke Wakamatsu and a run-scoring double by Jones. The second extra-base hit of the day for Jones gave the Hillcats a 6-1 edge after two innings.
The Hillcats added another in the top of the third as back-to-back doubles from Jose Vicente and Jason Rodriguez made it 7-1 before the Dash came all the way back.
Winston-Salem will conclude its three-game series with Lynchburg Thursday night. Left-hander Cristian Castillo (0-4, 6.08 ERA) will take the ball for the Dash against fellow southpaw Adam Scott (2-3, 3.60 ERA) for the Hillcats. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m., and fans can catch all the action at The Sports Hub Triad (101.5 FM & 600 AM), MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
Thursday night’s contest will be a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday and a Pups in the Park Night presented by Handy and Handy Orthodontics.
Highlights for the upcoming three-game series with Down East include a Fireworks Friday, a Chick-fil-A Four Pack Night and live music on Saturday, and a Lowes Foods Family Sunday. Kids Run the Bases, powered by New Balance, will take place following Friday, Saturday, and Sunday’s games. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
