Carolina 4, Winston-Salem 2
W: Clayton Andrews (2-2)
L: Will Kincanon (0-3)
SV: Rodrigo Benoit (10)
ZEBULON, N.C. (June 15, 2019) – Konnor Pilkington carried a no-hit bid into the sixth on Saturday night, but two clutch hits from the Mudcats powered Carolina past the Dash 4-2 at Five County Stadium.
Dominating from the onset, Pilkington set down the first 11 Mudcats (39-29) he faced before allowing a two-out walk to Tristen Lutz. With the Dash (37-26) leading 1-0 heading into the sixth, Ryan Aguilar broke up the no-hitter with a two-out, run-scoring single to knot the contest at one. It was the longest no-hit bid for Winston-Salem since Dane Dunning pitched 6.1 hitless innings on April 11, 2018, at Myrtle Beach before having his no-hitter broken up.
Following Pilkington’s departure, the Mudcats took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. With the game tied at one, Pat McInerney led off the frame by drawing a walk from Will Kincanon (0-3). McInerney was then pinch-run for by Wes Rogers. After the subsitution, Zach Clark laid down a sacrifice bunt, but Kincanon’s throw to first base sailed into right field allowing Rogers to reach third.
After the error, Luis Ledo entered the ballgame and struck out back-to-back hitters, but he surrendered a two-out walk to Aguilar to load the bases. Then, Lutz cleared the bases with a double to the left-center field gap to make it 4-1 Mudcats.
Trailing 4-1 in the top of the ninth, Zach Remillard smacked a solo homer off the video board in left-center with one out against Clayton Andrews (2-2), who earned the win after striking out five in 1.2 frames. After Craig Dedelow struck out, Carlos Perez reached on an error by shortstop Julio Garcia to bring the tying run to the plate. But, Rodrigo Benoit enduced a groundout from JJ Muno to end the game.
Winston-Salem started the game with a bang against Mudcats starter Christian Taugner. To lead off the ballgame, Tyler Frost launched a solo homer over the right field wall. However, the Dash did not score again until Remillard’s homer in the ninth.
The Dash conclude their four-game set with Carolina at 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Jorgan Cavanerio (2-0, 3.90 ERA) will take the mound for Winston-Salem against fellow righty Matt Smith for Carolina (2-5, 3.66 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 p.m., and fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App.
Following its four-game series at Five County Stadium against the Mudcats and the Carolina League All-Star Break, Winston-Salem returns to BB&T Ballpark for a seven-game homestand from June 20-26.
Promotions for the Dash’s four-game set against Lynchburg from June 20-23 include a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday, a Pups in the Park Night, presented by Handy and Handy Orthodontics, a Fireworks Friday and live music on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sunday will be Latin American Jersey Day, and fans can get pregame autographs from the players before the game.
The Dash’s three-game series against Myrtle Beach from June 24-26 includes a Free Food Monday, $2 tacos on Tuesday and throwback Warthogs jerseys for Wednesday. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
