Salem Pounds Wilmington, 10-6
June 15, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Salem, VA (June 15, 2010)- Knowing that they needed to erase a three game deficit in the final six games of the first half, the Salem Sox came out on a mission Tuesday night at Lewis-Gale Field and thumped the Wilmington Blue Rocks 10-6. Salem scored five times in the fifth and three more in the sixth to put the Blue Crew away. However, the Sox were not able to cut into Winston-Salem's three-game lead as the Dash walked off 7-6 winners against Frederick.
Eight of the nine Salem batters recorded a hit on the evening, with five Sox players attributing multi-hit games. Ryan Dent led the hit parade by going 2-for-3 with a double, triple and a run scored.
Despite falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first, the Sox rallied to tie the game in the fourth on a Jorge Padron two-out double that scored Oscar Tejeda. Salem took control of the game in the fifth inning with six hits, five of which were singles against Wilmington starter Ivor Hodgson (2-6). Drew Hedman scored on a one-out single by Mitch Dening, but the real damage came with two outs. After Peter Hissey was retired for the second out, the Sox rallied for four consecutive hits, highlighted by Will Middlebrooks' two-RBI double that put Salem up 5-1. Padron would drive in Middlebrooks for his second RBI of the day to cap the five-run outburst. Padron has batted 10-for-24 (.417) in his last six games, climaxing with Tuesday night's 3-for-5 showing with a double and two RBI.
The four runs scored with two outs in the fifth were only part of the story, as Salem extended its advantage in the sixth with another three runs off the Blue Rock bullpen. Dening singled in Dent, who tripled with one out, while Dening scored three batters later on a single by Tejeda. The Sox added their ninth run of the night as Padron reached on an error that scored Ryan Lavarnway. Dening contributed his third RBI of the night in the seventh on a sac fly that scored Drew Hedman. In addition to his three RBI, Dening provided two hits and scored two runs on the evening.
Salem was at its best with two outs, as the Sox scored seven of their ten runs with two away. One of those two out runs came via a Ryan Lavarnway single in the fifth that scored Dening to give Lavarnway 51 RBI on the year, which is tops in the Carolina League.
Wilmington scored one in the eighth to make it 10-2. In garbage time, the Blue Rocks plated four more (three unearned) off Salem reliever Will Latimer, but the Red Sox easily held on for the 10-6 triumph.
Stolmy Pimentel (5-4) picked up the win for Salem, his first since the 15th of May. Pimentel battled through five solid innings on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out four and walking three. Cesar Cabral pitched a perfect two innings of relief, while Latimer surrendered five runs, only two of which were earned.
With Winston-Salem's victory, the Dash's magic number is down to three, meaning any combination of three Salem losses and Winston-Salem victories in the final five games of the half will clinch the division crown for the Dash. The Sox will look to cut into Winston-Salem's three and a half game lead on Wednesday night at 7:05 PM. Salem will send Miguel Gonzalez to the mound for his third start of the year against Wilmington's Alex Caldera, who boasts the third-best ERA in the league at 2.84.
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Carolina League Stories from June 15, 2010
- Newest Jones Belts Walk-Off Winner in Opener - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Pelicans Walk Off Winners in 12th - Potomac Nationals
- Salem Pounds Wilmington, 10-6 - Salem Red Sox
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- Ninth-Inning Dash Rally Spurs 7-6 Walk-Off Win - Winston-Salem Dash
- Cats Can't Rally, Fall in Opener - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Keys Can't Hold Dash Down - Frederick Keys
- Rocks Done In by Big Inning - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Reds Sign Lynchburg College Outfielder - Lynchburg Hillcats
- K-Tribe Notes for June 15th - Kinston Indians
- Kinston's Marty Popham Is the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Alex Wilson Promoted - Salem Red Sox
- Bring Dad to the Ballpark on His Big Day - Potomac Nationals
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