Dash Outmatched by Emperor's Pitching in 9-4 Defeat
June 17, 2025 - South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
Winston-Salem, NC - The Winston-Salem Dash (24-40) could not overcome a fast start from the Rome Emperors (29-35) and fell 9-4 in the series opener Tuesday at Truist Stadium. Despite a four-run eighth inning from Winston-Salem, the early damage from Rome and a slow offensive start for the Dash proved too much to erase.
The Dash looked all but defeated on Tuesday as the game reached the bottom of the eighth. Up to that point, the Dash had been held to a single hit and just two baserunners under the watch of Rome starter Herick Hernandez. Winston-Salem also found themselves in a 9-0 hole.
However, as they have done for the majority of the first half of the season, the Dash refused to go down without a fight.
The inning got underway with a Sammy Zavala single and a Jackson Appel walk. With the two-out and nobody out, Hernandez passed the mound duties to Samuel Strickland for Rome.
Two batters later, Luis Pineda singled to load the bases, and Jordan Sprinkle was hit by a pitch, getting the Dash their first run of the game. With the bases still loaded, Sam Antonacci delivered a two-run single and made it a 9-3 deficit.
The very next batter, Jeral Perez, laced a single to make it 9-4.
Later in the inning, Arxy Hernandez had a chance with a pair of runners in scoring position, but the Dash shortstop came up empty and fell on strikes.
Despite the late push in the eighth, the Dash ran out of gas in the ninth and fell by a 9-4 final.
The Hernandez strikeout was one of 13 recorded by the Rome pitching staff. Winston-Salem did not scratch a hit until the bottom of the sixth.
The Emperors jumped on Dash starter Dylan Cumming in the top of the first. After a single, a hit batter, and a walk loaded the bases, Justin Janas delivered a two-run single to right-center.
Keshawn Ogans followed with an RBI double to push the Rome lead to 3-0 before the Dash recorded the third out, and before Cumming could record a full inning. In his first start with Winston-Salem, the right-hander surrendered three runs on three hits and only went .2 innings.
Rome added two more in the third, once again from Janas, this time a two-run triple to pad the lead to 5-0.
A solo homer from Bryson Horne in the sixth and another solo shot from Mac Guscette in the eighth helped Rome stretch the lead to 7-0. The Guscette home run in the eighth opened a three-run, four-hit inning for the Emporers, and put the nail in the coffin with the 9-0 lead.
The late spark by the Dash was just too little, too late, and they fell by the 9-4 final.
In the end, Cumming (1-1) was tagged with the loss, surrendering the three runs on three hits and a walk in just 0.2 innings of work. Hernandez (1-4) picked up his first win of the season for Rome in one of his best starts of the season. The lefty allowed just two runs and two hits over 7.1 innings while striking out nine.
The Dash will look to bounce back in game two of the six-game set on June 18. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from Truist Stadium.
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