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CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Navarro's Monster Performance Propels Sox Past Casts 5-4

July 1, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Lynchburg, VA (July 1, 2009) - Yamaico Navarro's eighth inning leadoff homer capped a three-hit day for the Red Sox shortstop and, more importantly, broke a 4-4 tie to help the Red Sox sneak past the Hillcats on Wednesday evening at City Stadium. Navarro blasted the second pitch Michael Colla threw over the left field wall for his second homer in as many nights and finished the four-game series with nine hits in 16 at-bats. Kyle Fernandes worked around two baserunners in the eighth, while Derrick Loop picked off the only batter to reach in the ninth, preserving the victory for Seth Garrison, who earned his fourth win of the year after seven strong innings for Salem.

Salem scored first for the eighth straight game, taking advantage of Matt Hague's fielding error when Navarro connected on an RBI single to score Mike Jones from second. The unearned run was promptly answered, though, as Lynchburg evened the score in the last of the first. The Cats drilled four base hits in the first five batters, but Che-Hsuan Lin threw out Jordy Mercer trying to stretch a single into a double, and Jamie Romak popped up off Garrison with runners with second and third to keep things all square.

The Red Sox jumped back on top with a three-run fourth inning that included an eight minute rain delay. Chih-Hsien Chiang's second hit of the ballgame scored Navarro to give the Sox a 2-1 lead. Later in the inning, the bases were loaded for Lin, who hit a hard line drive right at the right-fielder Jamie Romak. The ball clipped off the tip of the glove as Romak dropped it for Lynchburg's second error of the inning and third of the game, scoring two more runs to make it 4-1. A brief rain delay halted play after Romak's miscue, and after the short break, reliever Paul Mildren replaced Bryan Morris and retired Jason Place to end the threat.

The Hillcats would storm back with a Jamie Romak solo homer in the fourth and two more tallies in the seventh to even the score at four. Romak finished 2-4 while Chase d'Arnoud went 3-3 with a walk, but Lynchburg would be stymied the rest of the way by clutch pitching from Fernandes and Loop.

After Navarro's homer regained the lead for the Sox, Garrison was in a position to pick up the victory, having gone a season-best seven innings. Fernandes yielded two singles to d'Arnoud and Jordy Mercer, but struck out Hague and popped Kris Watts to center to escape the jam. In the ninth, Loop struck out the first two batters before wakling Jared Keel. Ciro Rosero pinch-ran and was picked off to end the game, the 13th pickoff for Salem's closer in 2009. In the process, Loop earned his ninth save and the Red Sox pulled their full season record back to the .500 mark at 38-38.

Salem was last at the .500 mark at 22-22 on May 24. Beginning May 26 in Lynchburg, the Red Sox went 3-13 over their next 16 games to fall a season-worst 10 games under .500. Since June 12, the Red Sox have won 13 of 16 to even up the record again, appropriately completing the stretch by taking three of four from Lynchburg.

Salem proceeds on to Myrtle Beach for a four-game series with the Pelicans. Casey Kelly makes his seventh Advanced-A start on Thursday for the Sox. Last time out, Kelly retired the first 19 batters he faced before losing the perfect game in the seventh inning.

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