Spring's HR Ties It; Cats Walk-Off 5-4
June 6, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Lynchburg, VA (June 6, 2011)- Adam Milligan slapped a single down the left field line with one out in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Todd Cunningham from second to give the Lynchburg Hillcats a 5-4 walk-off victory over Salem on Monday night. Milligan's game-winning base knock countered a Red Sox rally in the top of the ninth that tied the game at four.
Trailing 4-1 entering the final frame, Zach Gentile and David Mailman smacked back-to-back singles and James Kang was lifted for pinch-hitter Matt Spring. On a 2-2 count, Spring sent a soaring shot off the scoreboard in left-center, knotting the game at four. The homer was Salem's second three-run pinch-hit blast of the season, with the other coming on April 27 from Shannon Wilkerson. The Sox seemed poised to possibly take the lead as the next two runners reached, but Kolbrin Vitek's attempted sacrifice bunt was unsuccessful and Dan Butler grounded into an inning-ending double play to end the threat.
In the last of the ninth, Dennis Neuman walked Cunningam on five pitches and then threw away a throw to first on a sacrifice bunt by Andrelton Simmons. After Phil Gosselin popped up an attempted sac bunt for the first out, Milligan sent a chopper down the left field line, scoring Cunningham from second to give Salem its first walk-off loss of the year.
The wild ninth inning capped a back-and-forth affair that initiated with strong starts from Lynchburg's Aaron Shafer and Salem's Junichi Tazawa. Making his fourth rehab appearance with Salem, Tazawa yielded three hits in three scoreless innings, striking out three and facing just two over the minimum. Tazawa tossed 33 pitches in the three frames, with 19 going for strikes.
Shafer countered with five solid innings of his own, giving up one run, while scattering seven hits and striking out four.
Lynchburg got on the board first in the fourth against Pete Ruiz, who replaced Tazawa. A two-out error by James Kang extended the inning, and Gerry Rodriguez sprayed an RBI single to left-center to give Lynchburg a 1-0 lead.
Salem countered in the top of the fifth with three consecutive base knocks. Kang led off with a double and scored two batters later on an RBI single from Peter Hissey. The Sox center fielder notched his first three-hit game of the season by going 3-for-4 with an RBI on the night.
The Hillcats quickly responded with a pair of runs off Ruiz in the fifth. Simmons scored L.V. Ware on a sac fly and Milligan crushed an RBI triple to put Lynchburg up 3-1.
Blaine Sims shut the Sox offense down for the next three innings before running into trouble in the ninth. After the first two had reached, Andrew Wilson entered and earned the win, despite giving up the homer to Spring.
Spring's blast was only Salem's second extra base hit of the night, to go along with nine singles. The rally couldn't offset three Salem errors, as the Hillcats were able to score two unearned runs, including the game-winner, in the slim one-run victory.
Having lost four straight, the Sox look to return to their winning ways with Ryan Pressly on the bump in Lynchburg on Tuesday at 7:05. The Hillcats will counter with Zeke Spruill, whom the Sox defeated last Thursday.
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Carolina League Stories from June 6, 2011
- Spring's HR Ties It; Cats Walk-Off 5-4 - Salem Red Sox
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- Milligan Comes Through for 'Cats - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Myrtle Streak Ends as Dash Win 3-2 Thriller - Winston-Salem Dash
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- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- K-Tribe Notes for Monday - Kinston Indians
- Ryan Zimmerman Set for Rehab Start Tonight - Potomac Nationals
- Terdoslavich Takes Home Player of the Month Honor - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Sierra Promoted to Birmingham - Winston-Salem Dash
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