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CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Cats Walk off on Leonard's Sac Fly

May 23, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


LYNCHBURG, VA (MAY 23, 2011) - Joe Leonard's sacrifice fly scored Todd Cunningham from third base and the Hillcats beat the Dash 2-1 in 11 innings on Monday night at City Stadium. Winston-Salem tied the game with two outs in the ninth inning on a wild pitch, but could not push across another run and dropped the series opener.

After a 70-minute rain delay to start the game, prospect right-handers Andre Rienzo and Arodys Vizcaino lived up to their billing as the two combined for a terrific pitcher's duel. The Dash (19-25) had scoring chances in the second and fourth innings against Vizcaino but could not cash in, leaving runners at third and second base, respectively.

The Hillcats (16-26) broke the ice in the fifth inning against Rienzo. Barrett Kleinknecht and Shawn McGill connected for doubles on consecutive pitches, the second scoring Kleinknecht to give Lynchburg a 1-0 lead.

Rienzo lasted six innings, allowing that lone run on five base hits and one walk to go along with eight strikeouts. He did not factor in the decision because of the late-inning drama.

Vizcaino was even better than the Brazilian. The 20-year-old threw seven shutout innings and yielded just three hits while striking out five on a steady diet of mid-90s fastballs and wicked curves.

Tyler Saladino led off the ninth with a double and got to third base on a groundout. After new pitcher Blaine Sims struck out Jared Mitchell, Lynchburg manager Luis Salazar brought in Eliecer Cardenas to face Ian Gac. On a 1-1 offering, Cardenas uncorked a wild pitch that skipped past the catcher McGill and scored Saladino to tie the game. Gac ended up striking and the Hillcats were held scoreless in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.

The Dash had runners aboard in both the tenth and 11th innings, but could not score against Cardenas (1-1).

Brandon Kloess entered the game for Winston with one out in the tenth inning and struck out the first three men he faced. But with one out in the 11th, Adam Milligan singled to center and was pinch-run for by Cunningham, who moved to third on a base hit by Joey Terdoslavich. After a coaching visit to the mound by Julio Vinas, Leonard hit the first pitch he saw in the air to center field. Jared Mitchell positioned himself to hurl homeward after making the catch, but his throw to the plate was too late and Cunningham slid in for the winning run.

Kloess (1-2) took the loss while Cardenas (1-1) vultured the win after blowing the save. The loss snapped the Dash's four-game winning streak in extra-inning games and was the Hillcats' first walk-off win of the season.

Winston and Lynchburg play the middle game of their series on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. RHP Ryan Buch (-,-) makes his Advanced-A debut for the Dash against Hillcats LHP Chris Masters (3-2, 2.70). The audio broadcast of the game starts at 5:45 on www.wsdash.com .

The Dash return to BB&T Ballpark on Monday (Memorial Day) for a special 4 p.m. game against the Potomac Nationals.

Fans may purchase tickets for every game this season by calling the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or by visiting www.wsdash.com .

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