CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Tejeda Goes 4-4 in Salem Victory

June 5, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Salem, VA - Salem hung in admirably against Myrtle Beach's top prospect, then pounded the Pelican bullpen to overcome deficits of 3-0 and 4-2 in Saturday's 6-4 triumph in front of 4,898 at Lewis-Gale Field. Oscar Tejeda led the way with a season-high four hits in four at-bats, including two doubles and an RBI single in Salem's four-run seventh inning that surged the Red Sox to their first lead of the night. After Alex Wilson struggled and lasted only four and a third innings, Blake Maxwell picked up the slack for the Sox, tossing three scoreless frames out of the pen to earn his second win on the season.

The Red Sox grinded against premier 19-year old pitching prospect Julio Teheran through five innings, finally breaking through on the scoreboard with two outs in the fifth. Salem loaded the bases in the second and came up empty, but Ryan Lavarnway doubled home a pair with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to avoid a similar fate, cutting a 3-0 deficit down to 3-2. Although Lavarnway was thrown out on a play at the plate to finish the inning, the momentum of the game had shifted, a sequence that began thanks to some superior defense in the top of the inning.

Left-fielder Alex Hassan made two spectacular leaping catches on consecutive plays with two runners on base in the top of the fifth to hold the deficit at only three runs. Both balls were crushed to left by Samuel Sime and Jesus Sucre, respectively, but Hassan made one aerial catch on a towering fly to the wall and another on a rocket liner that seemed destined for the wall until Hassan's perfectly timed running jump secured the grab. The pair of defensive gems set the stage for Salem to score six of the game's final seven runs to win for the second straight night.

Myrtle Beach plated one off reliever Lance McClain in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2, but the Sox transformed a two-run deficit into a two-run advantage in the exciting last of the seventh. Ryan Dent opened the frame with a bunt single, and the Salem shortstop took second on the pitcher's errant throw that soared down the right field line. Chad Rodgers then gave up two more singles to Mitch Dening and Peter Hissey before walking Ryan Lavarnway, which prompted his hook from the ballgame. Although Dening was picked off second base by Sucre, Tejeda delivered a game-tying RBI single off Benino Pruneda. With Lavarnway chugging for third, the relay throw from Luis Sumoza missed the cut-off man considerably, allowing Lavarnway to score the go-ahead run and advancing Tejeda all the way to third. On the very next pitch, Tim Federowicz belted a line-out to center, good for a sac fly that plated Tejeda to make it 6-4.

Rodgers was charged with three earned runs on three hits in one-third of an inning and suffered the loss, falling to 1-5 on the year. Pruneda tossed two-thirds of an inning and yielded two hits and the lone unearned run.

Dening and Hassan (two hits apiece) joined Tejeda with multi-hit games for the Red Sox, while Lavarnway's two RBIs give him 44 on the season, tied for the highest total in the Carolina League.

Salem will strive to make it three straight and nine of ten in 2010 over Myrtle Beach in the series finale on Sunday afternoon. Righthander Miguel Gonzalez will make his first start for the Red Sox, while lefty Matt Crim shall take the mound for the Pelicans. Game time is scheduled for 4:05.

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Carolina League Stories from June 5, 2010


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