CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Salem Sox vs. Dash - Game Notes - June 3, 2013

Published on June 3, 2013 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


A Ferocious Fortnight: The Salem Sox begin Monday night with exactly two weeks remaining in the first half. Incredibly, the Sox will squeeze 17 games into these 14 days, with doubleheaders tonight, this Friday, and a week from Thursday. If Salem could get on a roll, they could contend for the first half title. But there is little margin for error; the Sox are six games behind first-place Myrtle Beach and five behind Winston-Salem, but the Pelicans have lost nine of their last ten and the Dash are Salem's opponent for the next five games.

It Only Takes One, Part I: The red hot Red Sox offense cooled off on Sunday, but somehow mustered enough offense despite delivering only one hit. Brandon Jacobs' RBI double drove in two runs, and Salem's nine walks with one Myrtle Beach error added one more unearned tally that provided enough offense to prevail. In the previous five games, Salem was hitting .321 (54-for-168), with double digit hits in four of the previous five games.

Ball Fours: The Red Sox drew 21 walks in their three-game weekend series against Myrtle Beach, receiving five on Friday, seven on Saturday, and nine on Sunday. While the Sox have the league's lowest batting average (.238) for the full season, Salem's .318 OBP is better than both Wilmington and Myrtle Beach. With three walks on Sunday, Garin Cecchini moved into the league lead in the free pass category. Cecchini now has 32 walks on the year. He leads the league in both batting average (.358) and on-base percentage (.469).

May Men: Without a doubt, Salem's two hottest hitters in May were Garin Cecchini and Blake Swihart. With averages of .326 and .324, respectively, the aforementioned duo finished second and third-best in Carolina League batting averaged this past month. Only Frederick's Christian Walker (.333) was better. Since April 13, Cecchini and Swihart are one and two in the league in hitting, with averages of .349 and .314, respectively. Swihart has been red hot this past week, reaching base in 15 of his last 25 plate appearances. In his last six games, Swihart has nine hits and six walks, with a .474 (9-for-19) clip including with four doubles, three RBI, six walks, and just one strikeout.

It Only Takes One, Part II: Did you realize that each of Salem's last five victories have been by one run? In fact, it has been over two weeks since the Red Sox won a game by multiple runs; Salem crushed Frederick 10-2 on Friday, May 17. Overall, the Sox have played 22 one-run games on the season, more than anyone else in the Carolina League. Salem has also played more one-run games than anyone in the Florida State League or the California League. The Sox are 12-10 in these contests, but bizarrely, the Sox are 2-9 in games decided by two or three runs.

The Streak Continues...: Salem scored its first run in the fourth inning on Sunday night, extending it's streak to 72 straight games with at least one run. The Sox have not been shutout since August 12, 2012 at Wilmington. Salem is the only team in the CL to score at least one in every game so far in 2013.

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Carolina League Stories from June 3, 2013


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