Sox Lose for 11th Time in 14 Games
June 1, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Salem, VA (June 1, 2009) - Potomac's early offense proved to be too much to overcome as Salem's late surge fell short in Monday's 8-6 defeat to the Nationals. Though the Red Sox led 2-1 after a wacky first inning, the Nationals scored two more runs apiece off Salem starter Seth Garrison in the second and third innings, jumping out to a 5-2 edge after three. Two more unearned tallies in the fifth off Robert Coello gave the P-Nats a 7-2 lead, and Salem's ninth inning rally ended with Che-Hsuan Lin striking out with the bases loaded.
Boomer Whiting and Danny Espinosa each went 3-4, with Whiting driving in a game-high three runs. Whiting also stole two-bases in an all-around effort for the Nationals, who improved to 27-21 but remained five games behind Lynchburg in the Northern Division. Garrison never found a groove for the Sox and was removed after three innings, yielding five runs on seven hits.
Potomac starter Colton Willems, five days removed from not retiring a batter in a disastrous outing against Kinston, also battled through difficulties in the first inning. The Red Sox scored twice but could not take advantage of two walks issued by Willems, as the Nationals righty escaped a dangerous spot. Willems settled down for a 1-2-3 second inning, but hit a batter and walked another with one out in the third, prompting the quick hook from the Nationals skipper Trent Jewett. The decisive removal of Willems may have been the key for the Nats, as Dan Leatherman threw three and two thirds in relief, eating up the middle innings and only allowing two Red Sox runs that came on back-to-back doubles in the fifth by Jason Place and Luis Exposito. Leatherman picked up the victory, improving to 2-0.
Clint Everts replaced Leatherman to begin the seventh and retired the first seven batters he faced before getting into trouble in the ninth. With a four-run lead, Everts surrendered a single to Zak Farkes. Kris Negron, who went 2-5 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, reached on a fielding error by Potomac's Stephen King. Jon Hee then walked to load the bases for Chih-Hsien Chiang, and Everts was replaced by Cole Kimball.
Chiang cracked a hard line drive right at Francisco Plasencia, but the Nationals' center-fielder dropped the baseball for the second error of the inning. All three runners moved up, a run scored to make it 8-5, and the go-ahead run came to the plate with one down. But the Red Sox could not capitalize, as Place and Lin both struck out, sandwiching a hit by pitch that put the tying run at second and the winning run at first.
The loss, Salem's 11th in its last 14 games, moved the Red Sox two and a half games behind Winston-Salem in the South, and dropped the Sox into third place in the league as Kinston moved into second.
Potomac's Tom Milone opposes Salem's Bryan Price in the middle-game of the set on Tuesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 at Lewis-Gale Field.
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Carolina League Stories from June 1, 2009
- Rocks Fall in Series Opener - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Nats Stave off Sox 8-6 - Potomac Nationals
- Sox Lose for 11th Time in 14 Games - Salem Red Sox
- Hillcats Take Opener from Keys - Frederick Keys
- Series Opening Success for Hillcats - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Chinshall Homers as Kinston Downs Blue Rocks 3-2 - Kinston Indians
- Johnson's Blast Powers Dash Past Birds 4-2 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Dash Pitch Past Pelicans, Take Series Opener - Winston-Salem Dash
- Dash to Host Season-Ticket Holder Appreciation Night - Winston-Salem Dash
- Matusz is Carolina League Pitcher of the Week - Frederick Keys
- Linares Rewarded With Player of the Week Honors - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Hillcats at Keys - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Nationals vs. Red Sox - Potomac Nationals
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