CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Defense Dooms Dash in 7-4 Loss to Hillcats

July 4, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


Lynchburg, VA - Winston-Salem's defense came apart in the decisive sixth inning as Lynchburg took advantage of three consecutive errors to plate five runs on their way to a 7-4 win over the Dash on Saturday night at City Stadium. The defensive blunders helped waste a solid outing from Dash starting pitcher Gregory Infante, who was making his Carolina League debut, and allowed the Hillcats to snap a season-high five-game losing streak.

The Dash defense imploded in the bottom of the sixth inning after reliever Hector Santiago took over for Infante. Winston-Salem made errors on three consecutive plays to start the inning. It allowed the first three batters to reach safely and one run to score which knotted the game at three. After Eddie Prasch delivered an RBI ground out with the bases-loaded to give Lynchburg the lead, Chase d'Arnaud smacked a two-run double and Alex Presley followed with an RBI double. The back-to-back run-scoring hits capped off the five-run inning and gave the Hillcats a 7-3 lead.

Chris Cullen (4-1) allowed a Dash run in the seventh, but worked three innings of solid relief to earn the win for Lynchburg. R.J. Rodriguez recorded the final three outs to collect his league-leading 16th save of the season. Santiago (2-3) was charged with the loss as all five runs he surrendered were unearned.

A night after scoring three first-inning runs, the Dash offense took control early with a two-out rally. After shortstop Greg Paiml grounded into a double-play, second baseman Dale Mollenhauer singled and third baseman Brent Morel doubled to put runners on second and third. Designated hitter Seth Loman followed with a two-run single to give Winston-Salem a 2-0 lead.

The Hillcats plated their first run in the bottom of the third inning when Jared Keel led off with a single and scored on d'Arnaud's double to deep center field. Lynchburg had a chance to even the score in the fourth inning with Jamie Romak on second base with two outs. Kris Watts singled through the right side of the infield and Romak charged around third. Dash right fielder Salvador Sanchez fired a strike to the plate that was grabbed by catcher Adam Ricks, who held onto the ball as he was plowed over by Romak for the final out of the inning.

The Dash added a run in the top of the fifth inning courtesy of a Hillcats error. Mollenahuer, who registered his team-leading 24th multi-hit game, singled and stole second with two outs. Morel hit a routine ground ball to shortstop that was fielded cleanly, but d'Arnaud's throw to first pulled Matt Hague off the bag. Morel reached safely on the throwing error as Mollenhauer raced home from second on the play to put Winston-Salem in front 3-1. Once again, Lynchburg cut the deficit to one in the bottom half of the inning on a Presley RBI single.

Infante departed after five innings and held the Hillcats to two runs on six hits. He left with a 3-2 lead, but did not factor in the decision. Dash left fielder Tyler Kuhn finished with three hits to raise his batting average to .432.

The Dash and Hillcats conclude this four-game series on Sunday night at City Stadium. The Dash will send RHP Johnnie Lowe (6-2, 4.30) to the mound, while the Hillcats will counter with LHP Jeff Locke (2-5, 4.73). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

The Dash have introduced a new three-game champion plan. This is the only way to get the best seats for the playoffs before they go on sale to the general public. The three-game champion plan includes our three remaining fireworks games on July 24th, August 7th and September 3rd. Each plan comes with a FREE souvenir Dash hat. Purchase your three-game plan by July 17th and receive a FREE playoff ticket to the first playoff game in Dash history on September 9th. Single-game tickets can be purchased online at www.wsdash.com or by calling the Dash office at (336) 714-2287.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics



Carolina League Stories from July 4, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central