Sox Sweep Rocks, Take Finale 4-3
May 6, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
The Salem Red Sox capped off a four game sweep of the Wilmington Blue Rocks Thursday evening at Frawley Stadium, garnering the finale 4-3. Despite managing just four hits, the Salem Sox combined timely hitting with dominant performances on the mound by Brock Huntzinger and Mitch Herold. With the win, Salem moved two games ahead of the Winston-Salem Dash heading into their weekend series in the Piedmont Triad.
Both Huntzinger and Wilmington starter Tim Melville were in control over the first four innings, with the lone run coming on a 5-4-3 double play ball that plated Jamar Walton in the second and gave a 1-0 edge to Blue Rocks. Melville yielded just one hit to the Sox over the first four frames, quieting Salem's locked-in lineup.
But the Sox got rolling in the fifth inning when, with two outs, Ryan Dent worked the count to 3-2 before drawing a walk. With David Mailman batting, Dent stole second and third before Mailman also drew a free pass from Melville. The baserunning paid off as Dent scored on a two out wild pitch to tie the game. With Mailman up at second, Peter Hissey hammered an RBI single to left to give the Sox their first lead, and Tim Federowicz followed that with a double to left-center to plate Hissey and make it 3-1, culminating the two-out rally.
The Blue Rocks responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the fifth to even the score at three, but the Sox came out firing again the top of the sixth. After a one-out double to left by Will Middlebrooks, Melville unleashed a wild pitch that advanced Middlebrooks to third. The next batter, Oscar Tejeda, worked a 3-2 count and lofted a fly ball to right field that plated Middlebrooks and gave the Sox the a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.
Huntzinger tossed a scoreless sixth to complete his first six-inning outing of the year, and Mitch Herold finished the game up for the Sox on the mound, permitting just one baserunner over the final three innings to shrink his ERA to 0.47 on the year. Huntzinger's record moved to 2-2, while Herold earned his first Carolina League save.
With the victory, the Sox became the only 20-win team in all of minor league baseball, joining the Tampa Bay Rays as the only other 20-win team in professional baseball.
Salem will take its first ever swings at BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem, the new home of the Dash, on Friday evening at 7:00 PM. Fabian Williamson will get the start for the Red Sox against Charlie Leesman for the Dash.
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Carolina League Stories from May 6, 2010
- Sox Sweep Rocks, Take Finale 4-3 - Salem Red Sox
- Salem Sweeps Away the Rocks - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Peacock Shuts Down Myrtle Beach; P-Nats Win 4-0 - Potomac Nationals
- Pelicans Blanked Again, Drop Series to Potomac - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Webb's Two Homers Drive K-Tribe to 2-0 Win - Kinston Indians
- Hillcats Bested by Strong Pitching, Can't Sweep - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Ward Drives Keys To 5-4 Win Over Dash - Frederick Keys
- K-Tribe Notes - Kinston Indians
- Keys Shock Dash With Another Comeback Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Legendary Former Blue Rock Robin Roberts Passes Away - Wilmington Blue Rocks
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