CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Dash Drop Rare Close Game 3-1

August 8, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WILMINGTON, DE - There was no blowout to be seen on Monday night, rather a tightly contested 3-1 Wilmington Blue Rocks victory over the Dash at Frawley Stadium. In a game that came on the heels of four consecutive lopsided shutouts, Winston-Salem left ten men on base and could not get a big hit when needed en route to dropping the series opener.

Wilmington (17-26, 53-59) got off to a good start against Dash starter Jake Petricka. Advance, NC native Whit Merrifield singled to begin the first inning and Carlo Testa launched his third home run over the fence in right field to give the Blue Rocks an early 2-0 lead.

Petricka (2-6) worked out of jam in the fourth inning, leaving two men in scoring position, but could not escape the fifth unscathed. Gerard Hall led off with a walk and moved to second on Merrifield's bunt. After a Testa single put Blue Rocks on the corners, Nick Van Stratten singled home Hall with the third Wilmington run of the night. Petricka walked the next batter, but got Ryan Stovall to bounce into an inning-ending double play to avoid further harm.

The Dash (24-18, 56-56) left the bases loaded in the sixth inning, but finally cracked the scoreboard in the seventh. Daniel Wagner led off with a double and scored two batters later. Brady Shoemaker hit a high chopper to the right side of the infield that was gloved by the first baseman. But Stovall's throw got away from pitcher Jon Keck and Wagner scored from second base on the error.

Andy Wilkins followed the hit and error with an infield single, putting the tying runs aboard with one down for newly minted Carolina League "Player of the Week" Ian Gac. The slugger fell behind in the count 0-2 when the game took on a bit of a bizarre note. The automatic sprinklers at Frawley Stadium, apparently set to turn on at 9 p.m., emerged from the turf and sprayed the field, causing a delay of approximately 90 seconds until the sprinklers could be shut off. Gac worked it to a 3-2 count against Keck, but struck out swinging. Juan Silverio also struck out to end the inning and Winston's best threat.

Neither team put a man on base after the seventh, as Bryan Paukovits pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn his fifth save. He protected the win for Wilmington starter Justin Marks (7-8) who threw 5.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts to improve to 4-0 against the Dash this season.

Petricka suffered his second straight defeat to the Blue Rocks despite having a quality start. He threw a season-high-tying seven innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts, the most he has had in a Dash uniform this season.

Winston-Salem's previous four games had all been blowouts, with the losing team not scoring a run. The aggregate score of the last four games for the winning side was 41-0.

The series continues on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. when RHP Andre Rienzo (3-4, 3.72) opposes RHP Tim Melville (8-7, 4.33). The audio broadcast begins at 6:45 on www.wsdash.com .

The Dash return to BB&T Ballpark for a pair of games against the Lynchburg Hillcats on Monday, August 15 at 6 p.m. Fans may purchase tickets for every game this season by calling the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or by visiting www.wsdash.com .

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics



Carolina League Stories from August 8, 2011


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