CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Justice for Dash as Winston Bashes Christiani

Published on July 12, 2010 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, NC (JULY 12, 2010) - The Dash hit a pair of eighth-inning home runs off Nick Christiani to snap a tie game and beat the Hillcats 7-4 on Monday night at BB&T Ballpark. Christiani was the pitcher who set off a bench-clearing brawl last week by drilling Ozzie Lewis in Lynchburg; he suffered the loss by allowing four runs in the eighth. The win salvaged the series for Winston-Salem, which will set out for a seven-game road trip on Wednesday.

After falling behind in each of the last two games, the Dash (11-7, 54-34) scored the first run in the first inning off Hillcats starter Lance Janke. Eduardo Escobar tripled with one out and Jon Gilmore brought him home with an RBI single to make it 1-0 Winston.

Lynchburg (7-11, 36-52) tied the game in the third with a run against Stephen Sauer. Brodie Greene singled with two outs and scored on a triple by Felix Perez.

Winston-Salem jumped back on top in the fourth inning. After the first two men reached base, Logan Johnson hit an RBI single to right, scoring Lewis. Luis Sierra followed with an RBI sacrifice fly to left, bringing Jose Martinez home from third base to give the Dash a 3-1 lead.

Sauer threw very well for the third straight start, tossing six innings of one-run ball. But, once again, he was unable to pick up the win as Chris Sale gave up a pair of runs in the seventh to tie the game. After an error earlier in the inning, Sale allowed RBI singles to Greene and Carlos Mendez, the latter making it a 3-3 contest.

Christiani entered the game for Lynchburg in the seventh. A week earlier, he drilled Lewis with a fastball in the back that appeared to be intentional. Both benches cleared as the two teams engaged in a shoving match on the diamond. Five players, including Christiani, were ejected.

After he threw a scoreless seventh inning, Christiani returned to the mound for the eighth. With one out, Johnson drilled a line drive over the right field fence for a solo home run to give Winston-Salem a 4-3 lead. The Dash picked up a pair of base hits before Drew Garcia grounded out, bringing up Brandon Short. The slumping centerfielder proceeded to deposit a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a three-run home run, extending Winston's lead to 7-3.

Kyle Bellamy gave up a run in the ninth, but struck out Neftali Soto to end the game. Bellamy (5-0) earned the win with two innings of relief. Christiani (1-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs on the two homers in 1.2 innings.

Winston-Salem avoided what would have been its first home sweep with the victory. The Dash won despite what was, at times, a sloppy defensive effort, including three errors.

After a scheduled day off on Tuesday, Winston begins a four-game series with the Salem Red Sox on Wednesday. RHP Terry Doyle (5-3, 3.53) opposes RHP Michael Lee (6-3, 4.06) in a 7:05 p.m. start. The audio broadcast begins at 6:45 on www.wsdash.com .

The Dash returns to BB&T Ballpark on Thursday, July 22 for a series against the Potomac Nationals.

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

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from July 12, 2010


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