CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Hee Comes Through in the Clutch; Sox Survive 11-9

Published on May 5, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


Salem, VA- The Baseball Gods apparently deemed that Tuesday night shall not be a rout.

Though the Red Sox took a 7-0 lead after one inning, the Indians remained locked in and evened the score at nine-all in the eighth. Undeterred, the perseverant Sox responded in the last of the eighth when third baseman Jon Hee cracked a two-out Dallas Cawiezell fastball into right-center field, scoring the winning runs as Salem won their fourth straight game, 11-9 on Tuesday night at Lewis-Gale Field.

Following an hour and 16 minute rain delay that pushed the first pitch back to 8:21 PM, the Sox exercised patience and transformed that willingness to wait into seven runs on just two hits. Kinston starter Ryan Miller faced only nine batters, walking six of them, as Salem put a crooked number in the first inning for the second straight day. Luis Exposito and Kris Negron owned the only two hits of the inning, both singles, before Kyle Landis came out of the bullpen to strike out Hee and finish the frame.

Kinston scraped two across off Sox starter Dave McKae in the third inning, but Salem retaliated with one in the third and one more in the fifth, both on Zak Farkes RBI doubles, to up the lead back to seven runs.

Through six innings, it appeared to be an easy triumph. In the final third, however, the typically steady and reliable bullpen lost its touch.

The Tribe knocked around Jose Alvarez for five runs on seven hits, three doubles and four singles, in their seventh inning that inched them closer. With the tying runs in scoring position in a 9-7 game, Ryne Miller entered and struck out Alex Castillo to maintain the lead.

In the eighth, it was Miller's turn to be battered. Following a leadoff walk and two quick outs, Lonnie Chisenhall singled to put the tying runs back on base. Then Miller hit Matt McBride to load the bases, setting up Matt Brown's two-run single that made it 9-9 and moved McBride to third. Miller finagled his way out of the frame by striking out Montero, stranding the potential go-ahead run at third. The Indians left nine runners on base, including two each in the sixth, seventh, and eighth. After the Red Sox rally in their half of the eighth, Kyle Fernandes worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the season, striking out Roman Pena to start the inning and Adam Davis to end the long night at the ballpark.

Ryne Miller, despite blowing a save in the eighth, picked up his fifth win of the year, while Chen-Chang Lee, who was on the mound when the go-ahead run reached base, was tagged with the loss. More deserving of the defeat was Kinston starter Ryan Miller, who walked six and allowed seven runs on one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Ryan Miller's ERA ballooned from 3.46 to 7.90 with the ignominious performance.

Kris Negron and Zak Farkes led the Sox offense with two hits and two RBI apiece. Salem was outhit 12-7, the second straight day Kinston outhit the Sox but lost the game.

With the win, the Red Sox own a season-best four-game winning streak that has brought their record to 15-11, now two games ahead of the Indians in the Southern Division of the Carolina League. The series resumes on Wednesday night, with Kinston's Russell Young taking on Salem's Eammon Portice.

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Carolina League Stories from May 5, 2009


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