How Sweep It Is: Dash Take Two More from Hickory
Published on April 30, 2023 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Following two consecutive rain outs, the Winston-Salem Dash and Hickory Crawdads battled in a second doubleheader. Runs have been at a premium all series, and Saturday night was no different. In game one, the Dash waited until the fifth for the bats to come alive but it was enough, taking game one 4-1. In game two, Winston-Salem had to come from behind to complete the sweep, winning 4-2, in front of 5,978 fans on Saturday night at Truist Stadium.
In game one, pitching dominated on both sides. Winston-Salem (13-5) gave the ball to Jared Kelley making his first start of 2023, opposing Kumar Rocker for Hickory (10-8). Both starters made quick work of the first two innings, facing one over the minimum, but Kelley was relieved by Kohl Simas in the third.
Rocker and Simas continued to trade scoreless innings until the bottom of the fifth when the Dash offense came to life. Shawn Goosenberg and Ivan Gonzalez both singled putting two runners on against Rocker, and with two outs, the Dash broke the deadlock thanks to a 106 MPH single off the barrel of Terrell Tatum putting Winston-Salem ahead 1-0. Next batter Loidel Chapelli laced a double to right center bringing in Gonzalez and Tatum to extend the lead to three. Winston-Salem was not done there. After a DJ Gladney single, Wilfred Veras roped a double that hopped over the short wall in right scoring another run making it 4-0.
The four spot was all the Dash needed in game one as Hickory only put up a run in the seventh but Everhett Hazelwood shut the door securing the 4-1 win.
About 35 minutes later, the two teams went at it again for game two with the Dash playing as the road team. Hickory jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a pair of throwing errors in the second, but Tommy Sommer was unfazed and got help from his offense. In the top of the fourth, former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Chris Lanzilli propelled the Dash in front with a two-RBI double to left-center, and Taishi Nakawake made it a 3-1 game on an RBI single plating Lanzilli.
Sommer went back to work in the bottom of the fourth getting the Crawdads to go down 1-2-3, and in the fifth, Gladney added insurance. The power bat blasted a home run to straightaway center extending the lead to three, 4-1.
Sommer worked his way through five innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The southpaw went a season long five innings, allowing only three hits and giving up one unearned run.
In the sixth, Hickory got a run back to make it 4-2, but in the seventh, Dash manager Guillermo Quiroz went to his closer, Tristan Stivors, to shut it down. He wasted no time in the seventh punching out the first two batters he faced and got Yenci Pena to ground out ending the game and giving the Dash their second double header sweep of the week with a 4-2 win.
With the sweep, Winston-Salem holds a three-game lead over the Crawdads for first place in the South Atlantic League south division.
The Dash go for the series win against the Crawdads on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Truist Stadium.
South Atlantic League Stories from April 30, 2023
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- Wrobleski Hits for the Cycle; Tourists Split Double-Header - Asheville Tourists
- Six Home Runs from the Grasshoppers Lift Them to a 12-1 Victory and Series Win - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Renegades Blast Greenville, 15-2 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- Tatum Walks off Hickory, 6-5 - Winston-Salem Dash
- HVR Game Notes - April 30, 2023 - Hudson Valley Renegades
- BlueClaws, Cyclones Rained out on Sunday - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Cyclones, BlueClaws Washed Away Once More on Sunday - Brooklyn Cyclones
- How Sweep It Is: Dash Take Two More from Hickory - Winston-Salem Dash
- Blue Rocks Come Back To Sweep Double-Header - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Blue Rocks Hold Early Lead Behind Saenz Strong Start - Wilmington Blue Rocks
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