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 Winston-Salem Dash

Hillcats End Dash's Five-Game Win Streak With

August 14, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Behind a strong pitching performance and three RBIs from Bobby Bradley, Lynchburg halted Winston-Salem's five-game winning streak with a 6-0 victory in the series finale on Sunday at Calvin Falwell Field.

Lynchburg starter Matt Esparza (1-2) silenced the Dash (24-26, 52-68) offense, going 5.2 innings and allowing five hits and one walk while striking out six. Relievers Billy Strode, Jordan Milbrath and Mitch Brown combined to strike out five batters and yield one hit in 3.1 frames.

Winston-Salem's pitching staff did halt Francisco Mejia's 50-game hitting streak. After an error in Saturday's contest was changed to a double after the game, the 20-year-old Hillcats backstop went 0-for-3 less than 24 hours later. The streak stands as the longest in the Minors in 62 years and the longest ever by a Minor League catcher.

For the first time this series, Lynchburg (29-21, 74-46) took the early edge. With second and third and one out, Bradley stroked a sacrifice fly to center against Zach Thompson (2-4) to put the Hillcats up 1-0.

Lynchburg added to its edge in the fourth. After back-to-back singles by Yonathan Mendoza and Tyler Kreiger to lead off the inning, Mejia bounced an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 Hillcats. Bradley followed with a two-run blast to dead center, giving Lynchburg a four-run lead. The Hillcats first baseman leads the Carolina League with 25 dingers and 91 RBIs.

Claudio Bautista provided the knockout blow with a two-run blast in the sixth. Thompson went 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits and six earned runs.

With the loss, Lynchburg snaps Winston-Salem's stretch of five consecutive wins, which tied a season-high. The Dash also won five in a row from July 25-29.

Alex Katz, who made his High-A debut on Sunday, tossed 2.1 hitless innings and struck out two batters. The left-hander posted a 3.44 ERA in 30 relief appearances prior to his call-up to Winston-Salem. Also, Mason Robbins extended his hitting streak to six games with a single in the sixth. Robbins, who leads the Carolina League with a .322 average, is 13-for-26 during this stretch.

The Dash continue their road trip with a four-game set against Myrtle Beach at TicketReturn.Com Field, beginning on August 15 at 7:05 p.m. Winston-Salem sends right-hander Thad Lowry (8-7, 3.97 ERA) to the hill against righty Jake Stinnett (8-4, 4.45 ERA). The Pregame Dash begins at 6:50 p.m., and fans can tune in at wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App.


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