Winston-Salem 9, Frederick 4
W: Zach Lewis (1-0)
L: Brenan Hanifee (0-1)
S: None
FREDERICK, Md. (April 4, 2019) – Thanks to a two-homer night from superstar prospect Luis Robert, the Dash defeated the Frederick Keys 9-4 in their season opener on Thursday night at Nymeo Field. With the victory, Winston-Salem earns its first Opening Day win since 2016, and the franchise moves to 4-7 in season openers since becoming the Dash in 2009.
Winston-Salem (1-0) fell behind 3-0 after the first inning, but Robert helped bring the Dash back into the game in the third inning. After Jordan George drew a four-pitch walk and Carlos Perez reached on a fielder’s choice, Robert drilled a three-run shot to left-center field against Frederick starter Brenan Hanifee (0-1) to knot the contest at three. The blast marked Robert’s first Minor League home run in the United States.
The Dash offense continued to click in the top of the fourth. Tate Blackman was hit by a pitch with one out, and Yeyson Yrizarrifollowed by ripping an RBI double down the left-field line to put the Dash ahead 4-3. After George drew a walk, Perez bounced an RBI fielder’s choice to make it 5-3.
With Perez on first, Robert broke the game open, smoking a two-run homer to left to make it a 7-3 contest. Robert, who is ranked the 40th-best prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, finished the night 2-for-4 with two home runs, five RBIs, a walk and a stolen base. Prior to Thursday, the 21-year-old’s last Minor League home run came on August 25, 2017, as a member of the DSL White Sox.
In the fourth inning, Frederick (0-1) plated its lone run against Zach Lewis (1-0), who was superb in relief after starting pitcher Lincoln Henzman had to leave the game in the first inning.
Ryan Ripken belted his second double of the game before scoring on a Jake Ring single, but that would be it for the Keys offense, as Lewis earned the victory by tossing 6.2 strong frames. The right-hander also tied a career-high by striking out eight batters while yielding just one walk in his High-A debut.
Meanwhile, the Dash offense wasn’t done after the fourth. Jameson Fisher stroked a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 8-4, and Yrizarri capped the scoring with a solo shot to left in the eighth inning.
Thursday marked the first managerial win for Justin Jirschele at the High-A level. Jirschele spent the last two seasons managing Low-A Kannapolis, leading the Intimidators to playoff appearances in back-to-back years.
Winston-Salem’s series against the Keys continues on Friday at 7 p.m., when Dash southpaw John Parke (first start in 2019) takes the mound against Frederick left-hander Cameron Bishop (first start in 2019). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m., and fans can catch all the action on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App.
The Dash kick off their 10th anniversary season at BB&T Ballpark on Thursday, April 11, against the Potomac Nationals. Thursday’s home opener will be a Thirsty Thursday, presented by Lowes Foods, and a Pups in the Park outing, presented by Handy and Handy Orthodontics. Following Friday’s game, there will be a postgame fireworks display, presented by PTI. A Food Truck Festival and a Chick-fil-A Four Pack Night are on deck for Saturday, while a Rayados Day (presented by Univision) and a Craft Fair are on tap for Sunday. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
