Gonzalez Shines in 8-1 Red Sox Victory
August 3, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Frederick, MD (August 3, 2010)- Miguel Gonzalez was masterful over six and two-thirds innings and the Red Sox scored four runs in the top half of the first to set the tone in an 8-1 rout over the Frederick Keys on Tuesday night at Harry Grove Stadium. Gonzalez carried a no-hitter into the sixth, but Phillip Britton singled to right with one out to break up the bid.
Pitching into the seventh inning for the first time since September of 2007, Gonzalez struck out a career-high nine batters, blowing away his previous high of five. Gonzalez set the tone early by striking out the side in the bottom of the first. The Pacoima, CA native retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced before ceding a base hit to Britton. The lone batter to reach prior to Britton was Miguel Abreu, who was hit by a pitch with two outs in the second. Gonzalez ended up allowing an unearned run on two more hits in the seventh as Abreu brought home Billy Rowell with sac fly. The righthander improved to 6-2 on the year, while the Sox picked up their ninth win in 11 Gonzalez starts.
Zach Hammes came on in relief of Gonzalez and shut the door on the Keys by retiring all seven batters he faced in the final 2.1 innings.
Salem provided all the offense Gonzalez needed in the top half of the first inning. Mitch Dening started the game off with a bang, homering on the second pitch of the contest to left-center field to put the Sox up 1-0. With a runner on first and two outs, Tim Federowicz and Dan Butler smacked back-to-back RBI doubles to put the Sox up 3-0. Drew Hedman attributed his first of three singles on the night with a two-out, two-strike RBI base knock to increase the Salem advantage to 4-0.
The Sox extended their lead with a solo run in the fifth on an RBI groundout from Alex Hassan to increase the lead to 5-0. An inning later, Jon Hee singled in Ryan Dent after a passed ball allowed Hedman to score to put the Sox up by seven. Hassan capped off the spectacular night all around with a solo shot with one out in the ninth to provide the final margin.
The bottom four batters in the Salem order went a combined 9-for-18 with three RBI. Hedman led the way with three hits, while Hassan, hitting out of the cleanup spot for just the second time all year, recorded two hits and two RBI. Eight of the nine Sox tallied a hit in the game, with Hissey being the lone player without a base knock. The balanced Salem attack was highlighted by the fact that eight Sox players scored a run, but no player scored more than once. Hee was the only Sock to not score, but he made up for it with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate.
After splitting the first two games of the series, Salem and Frederick battle in the rubber game of the three-game set on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM. Reigning Carolina League pitcher of the week Michael Lee takes the ball for the Sox against the Keys' Zach Clark.
• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...
Carolina League Stories from August 3, 2010
- Kinston Splits Double Dip with Myrtle Beach - Kinston Indians
- Potomac Vaults into First Place in Lynchburg - Potomac Nationals
- Salem Dominates from Start to Finish - Frederick Keys
- Loman Muscles Dash Past Rocks - Winston-Salem Dash
- Gonzalez Shines in 8-1 Red Sox Victory - Salem Red Sox
- Early Lead Not Enough in Game Two - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Potomac Returns Home Next Monday for Seven Game Homestand - Potomac Nationals
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
