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Salem Red Sox

Magic Number Remains One Heading Into Final Regular Season Game

September 6, 2009 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Lynchburg, VA (September 6, 2009) - With a chance to punch their postseason ticket on Sunday night, the Red Sox offense went quiet, leaving it to the season's final day to decide the final playoff participant in the Carolina League's Southern Division. Lynchburg defeated Salem 1-0 behind dominant performances from Jeff Locke and Ronald Uviedo, who combined for a four-hit shutout to keep Kinston mathematically alive heading into Monday. Locke tossed six and two-thirds scoreless innings, allowing just four hits before Uviedo entered with two outs in the seventh and retired all seven batters he faced over the final two and a third to postpone Salem's celebration.

The lone run off Salem starter Eammon Portice came in the very first inning. Hillcats leadoff man Chase d'Arnoud opened with a wall-ball double and scored a couple batters later on Jordy Mercer's sacrifice fly that made it 1-0. Little did everyone know that Mercer's RBI would be the score the game's lone tally as both starters shined after the first.

Portice completed six innings, yielding six hits and the one run without walking a batter and striking out six. With the half dozen Ks, he raised his season total to 141 for the year, most in the Carolina League by 10 heading into the final day. Jason Rice entered in the seventh and plastered a couple goose-eggs on the board, pitching around a couple hits and getting some help from his defense. Eric Fryer doubled off Rice with two down in the seventh, but the Cats catcher was thrown out by Brad Correll when he tried to score from second on Alex Presley's single. Salem also threw out Hillcats DH Tony Sanchez at the plate when he tried to score from first on Matt Hague's double in the fourth inning. David Mailman began the from left and also received credit for an outfield assist.

But Salem could not capitalize on the good defense. Three of Salem's four hits led off innings, but the Sox never advanced a runner past second base. The game was played sans a single walk issued by either team, keeping a brisk pace that concluded the action in two hours and six minutes.

Regardless of how the Indians fare, the Red Sox still control their own destiny as they strive towards the postseason. The Indians play in Woodbridge against the Nationals at 1:05 with Nick Hagadone pitching against Will Atwood. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Hillcats wrap up their regular seasons at 2:05 with Stephen Fife throwing against Matt McSwain. Salem knows they clinch with a win; they can also clinch with a loss. If a Red Sox loss is coupled with an Indians win on Monday, the two teams would meet on Tuesday at Lewis-Gale Field in Salem for the second one-game playoff in Carolina League history, with the winner advancing to face Winston-Salem on Wednesday in the Southern Division Championship Series.

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