Bonemer's Late Blast Lifts Dash Past Wilmington
Published on May 17, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (May 17th) - Trailing entering the bottom of the eighth, Caleb Bonemer crushed a three-run home run to left field, lifting the Winston-Salem Dash (23-16) to a 7-5 comeback victory over the Wilmington Blue Rocks (19-19) at Truist Stadium.
With the game slipping away late, Bonemer delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon.
The late blast capped another back-and-forth battle between the two clubs.
Wilmington struck first in the second inning on a solo home run from T.J. White, but the Dash answered immediately with two runs in the bottom half behind RBI production from Ely Brown and Alex Ungar.
The Blue Rocks tied the game in the fourth on a solo shot from Ethan Petry, but Winston-Salem regained the lead moments later when Arxy Hernandez launched a home run to left field.
The Dash added another run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Boston Smith, extending the advantage to 4-2.
Wilmington continued to chip away. The Blue Rocks cut the deficit to one in the sixth before taking a 5-4 lead in the eighth on a two-run home run from Gavin Dugas.
But the lead didn't last long.
After a hit batter and another baserunner put traffic on the bases in the bottom of the eighth, Bonemer turned on a 1-1 pitch and sent it over the left-field wall, igniting the crowd and swinging momentum back to Winston-Salem for good.
The Dash bullpen closed things out in the ninth, stranding two runners to secure the victory.
Bonemer's home run proved to be the difference as Winston-Salem claimed the series finale and capped a strong stretch at Truist Stadium.
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