Red Sox Nip Blue Rocks 4-3 in Series Opener
July 10, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Salem, VA (July 10, 2009) - With timely hitting and another solid effort from the pen, Salem opened their six-game homestand in style.
Che-Hsuan Lin drilled a 2-2, two-out pitch from Kelvin Villa into left field, scoring Luis Exposito from second base to give the Red Sox a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Although Wilmington put runners in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings, Salem pulled back to the .500 mark on the season with a 4-3 triumph over the Blue Rocks in the series opener in front of 4,031 at Lewis-Gale Field. Mike Jones belted a two-run dinger in the fourth inning to earn Salem's first lead of the game, while Kyle Weiland dealt another quality start for the Sox, yielding just three runs on five hits over six strong innings.
Despite a winning-record of 5-4 on their season-long road trip, the Red Sox had not been in the winners' circle since Monday night, following back-to-back losses in Winston and a rainout on Thursday. Wilmington jumped on top 1-0 in the top of the second on a two-out wild pitch that plated Paulo Orlando from third, but Jones' jack leapfrogged the Sox over the Rocks in the last of the fourth. The homer was immediately preceded by a line drive double from Daniel Nava, who returned to the Red Sox lineup after he was activated off the disabled list earlier in the day.
Wilmington starter Eduardo Paulino pitched decently, but was tagged with his fifth loss of the year. The Dominican righthander went six and a third innings, yielding four runs on six hits. In relief, Villa surrendered the go-ahead base-hit to Lin, but the loss was charged to Paulino since he gave up the leadoff base hit to Exposito to begin the bottom of the seventh.
It was the first time in Weiland's last eight starts that he gave up multiple runs. With nobody out in the sixth, Mike Moustakas blasted a two-run double high off the right-center field wall to tie the game at three. But Weiland dug in and struck out the next three Blue Rock batters in order to keep the contest knotted at three.
Ryne Miller earned the win in relief, his team-leading eighth victory of the season. Miller pitched two scoreless innings before handing the ball off to Derrick Loop, who picked up his 12th save of the season. Loop gave up a one-out single to Paulo Orlando in the ninth, but he retired Walton via a ground-ball and struck out Ryan Eigsti to end the game. Eigsti finished 0-4 with four Ks.
Both Lin and Jones drove in two runs apiece, while Kris Negron was the lone Sock with multiple hits, registering a single and a double in three plate appearances for Salem. Everyone in the lineup but Anthony Rizzo and David Mailman tallied at least one base hit on the evening.
The Sox and Rocks reunite on Saturday evening for the middle matchup of the three game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05, with Eammon Portice ready to duel Rowdy Hardy on the hill.
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