CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Round-Tripper Trilogy: Salem Pounds Myrtle 8-3

Published on August 17, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


Salem, VA (August 17, 2011) - For just the second time in the history of LewisGale Field, Salem belted back-to-back-to-back home runs, with Kolbrin Vitek, Bryce Brentz, and Miles Head all going yard in a six-run third inning, easing the Red Sox over the Pelicans 8-3 on Wednesday night. Vitek crushed a three-run bomb to break a 1-1 tie, and, four pitches later, Brentz and Head launched consecutive pitches from Wilfredo Boscan over the fence to give the Red Sox a 6-1 lead. All three homers soared over the left-field wall, and the Sox never looked back en route to a series-clinching victory in the rubber game.

The six-run third provided plenty of support for Anthony Ranaudo, who improved to 4-5 by dealing five strong innings with five punchouts. Ranaudo allowed one run in the first and one more in the fourth, but commanded the strike zone well in his first appearance in 10 days, throwing 47 of his 70 pitches for strikes. In relief, Manny Rivera piggybacked Ranaudo and tossed four frames to earn his first save since his days in the Dominican Summer League in 2007. Rivera retired the first nine men he faced before allowing one run in the ninth inning.

Pelican starter Wilfredo Boscan pitched with a 1-0 lead after Jared Prince's first-inning single scored Ryan Strausborger, and the Myrtle Beach righthander retired the first five Sox batters of the ballgame. Salem mustered a pair of two-out hits in the second, but Boscan escaped unscathed.

In the third, however, seven straight Red Sox registered base hits to open the frame. Shannon Wilkerson doubled down the left-field line, extending his hitting streak to nine games. Derrik Gibson beat out a bunt single, and Peter Hissey drilled an RBI single to right to tie it up at one. With two on, Vitek pulverized a 2-1 offering for his third dinger of the season, lifting Salem into the lead for the first time. Brentz followed Vitek's blast with a skyscraping shot of his own, his 17th home run with Salem and his 28th overall for the season. And on the very next pitch, Head elevated another deep drive to left, connecting for his fifth with Salem and 20th overall in 2011. Heiker Meneses dropped a bloop double into right field for Salem's seventh straight hit, though Meneses was stranded at third to conclude the inning.

While the trilogy of homers stole the show, Meneses' three hits, including two doubles, led Salem's 14-hit barrage. The 20-year old infielder has hit in all nine games since joining Salem, recording multiple hits in six straight contests. Overall, Meneses has gone 17-for-38, a .447 clip, with five doubles and five RBI. Hissey, Vitek, Head, and Jorge Padron joined Meneses with multiple hits for Salem.

Wrapping up the homestand with three wins in the last four games, the Sox now venture to Wilmington for a four-game series. Chris Hernandez will toss the Thursday night opener for Salem, while Wilmington will counter with Justin Marks. First pitch is slated for 7:05 from Frawley Stadium.

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Carolina League Stories from August 17, 2011


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