Canada Day Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes
Published on July 1, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM DASH (4-3, 36-41) @ POTOMAC NATIONALS (4-4, 33-44)
Friday, July 1, 2011, 7:05 p.m. | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium | Woodbridge, VA
Webcast available on www.wsdash.com 15 minutes before first pitch
Game No. 79 | Road Game No. 38 | 2011 Home Record 20-20 | 2011 Road Record 16-21
LHP Joe Serafin (0-6, 5.80) @ RHP Cameron Selik (2-5, 3.45)
Sentenced to Eternal Demnation: For the second straight game, four runs were enough for the P-Nats to slip by the Dash, as Potomac won 4-2 last night, one night after winning 4-3 in ten innings. Both teams scored early runs and the Nationals took the lead in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Eury Perez. The P-Nats added two more in the sixth inning on run-scoring hits by J.P. Ramirez and Francisco Soriano. Potomac received terrific pitching from starter Paul Demny, who improved to 3-0 in four starts against Winston-Salem this season. Demny allowed one run on five hits over seven innings and struck out a career-high eight batters. The back-to-back losses served the Dash their first series defeat of the second half. Winston will hope to salvage the series with a win tonight and avoid what would be the team's first sweep since April 29 - May 1 at Wilmington.
Jake-Bitten: Jake Petricka's Carolina League debut did not go as smoothly as he would have hoped last night. Petricka, the top starting pitching prospect in the White Sox organization, suffered the loss after allowing two runs on four hits and three walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out one batter and had a hard time settling into a groove. The leadoff batter reached base in all four innings that Petricka started. The right-hander was making his first non-rehab start since injuring the intercostal muscle on his left side in mid-May with Kannapolis.
Ty High: After missing the first month of the season with a broken hand, Tyler Saladino has taken off offensively. He bounced back nicely from losing his seven-game hitting streak on Monday in last night's series opener, going 2 for 4 with an RBI triple and a run scored. He has a base hit in 13 of his last 16 games and a multi-hit game in nine of the last 15 contests he has played in. Since June 5, Saladino is batting .343 (24 for 70) with seven doubles, a triple, four homers, 11 RBI, and ten runs scored. He has raised his batting average 71 points to .253 during this period.
When You're in Trouble, Just Call D.W.: Daniel Wagner has quietly started to heat up at the plate after a vexing first half of the season that saw the second baseman consistently hit laser beams right to opposing defenders that were converted into outs. Wagner has hit in 11 of his last 13 games and is currently riding a five-game hitting streak. Over the last 13 games, the Kannapolis native is hitting .314 (16 for 51) with four doubles, one RBI, and five runs scored. He has raised his season average 19 points to .229 during this period, the highest it has been since May 14.
Recovery Summer: Jose Martinez' first full healthy season as a professional continues to proceed swimmingly. Martinez missed roughly two full seasons worth of baseball from 2008 - 2010 after a series of right knee injuries that required three separate surgeries. Café is hitting .302, good for third in the Carolina League. After a six-game stretch when he went 1 for 23 that spanned the end of May and beginning of June, Martinez has hit in 18 of his last 21 games. He is batting .314 (27 for 86) during this period with 11 RBI. His 12 RBI in June were the most he has had in any month this season.
Chicks Dig the Long Ball: Winston-Salem has done the bulk of its damage against opposing pitchers in the second half via the home run. Of the 21 runs scored by the Dash since the All-Star break, 13 have come off of ten homers. Winston leads the Carolina League in home runs this season with 70, 15 more than second-place Salem.
Another Gac-Breaker: All-Star designated hitter Ian Gac's eighth-inning two-run home run on Sunday proved to be the game-winner for Winston-Salem as the Dash reversed a pair of deficits to win the series opener. The dramatic home run was nothing new for the slugger; in fact, it has become habit for Gac to hit important home runs this season. Of his league-leading 19 homers, 11 have either tied the game or gave the Dash the lead. In addition to topping the Carolina League in home runs, Gac also leads the league in games played (77), extra-base hits (40), runs scored (51), total bases (152), and HR/AB ratio (1/15.21). He also ranks among the league leaders in at bats (3rd, 289), RBI (2nd, 52) doubles (4th, 21), and slugging percentage (4th, .526).
Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Cameron Selik (2-5, 3.64) makes his ninth start of the season for Potomac and first against Winston-Salem. He started the season with low-A Hagerstown where he went 3-0 with a 0.31 ERA in five starts. He allowed only one run in 29 innings with the Suns, and made his first start for Potomac on May 7 against Kinston. Though he gave up three runs (two earned) in six innings and got the loss, that start was his first complete game of the year. Against Wilmington on June 3, Selik gave up one unearned run on seven hits and got the win in nine innings of work (second complete game). The San Diego native was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2010 MLB First Year Player Draft out of the University of Kansas. He spent last year with Short Season Vermont and made 15 appearances out of the bullpen. He was 1-0 with a 2.54 ERA and registered one save in 28.1 innings. Selik grew up as a catcher and corner infielder, but converted to a pitcher while at Grossmont College in 2008. Shortly after that, he injured his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. UNLV had offered him a scholarship, but reneged and Selik instead attended Kansas.
Carolina League Stories from July 1, 2011
- P-Nats Drop Series Finale 7-2 to Dash - Potomac Nationals
- Salem Matches Season-High with 13 Runners Left On Base - Salem Red Sox
- Big Sixth Inning Muscles Dash Past Nats - Winston-Salem Dash
- Rocks Escape with Win to Avoid Sweep - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Keys Win Rubbermatch in Lynchburg - Frederick Keys
- Birds Squander Lead in Rubber Game - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Hillcats Lose Rubber Game to Keys - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Kinston Comes Back to Beat Myrtle Beach 5-3 - Kinston Indians
- Canada Day Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes - Winston-Salem Dash
- Pelicans Game Notes - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Dash to Celebrate Independence Day Weekend at BB&T Ballpark - Winston-Salem Dash
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- K-Tribe Home for the Holiday - Kinston Indians
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