CarL1 Salem RidgeYaks

Nationals Outlast Red Sox 9-8 in 12 Innings

Published on June 2, 2009 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


Salem, VA (June 2, 2009) - The Red Sox continuously battled back but ultimately fell short for the fourth straight game and the seventh time in the last eight, falling 9-8 to the Nationals in 12 innings at Lewis-Gale Field on Tuesday evening. Potomac scored at least one run in six of the first seven innings, but Salem rallied thanks to timely hitting and a bunch of Nationals' errors, finally blasting the equalizing homer in the ninth inning to tie the score at eight. Mike Jones went 3-6 with a game-tying homer with one down in the last of the ninth, but he grounded out quietly to begin the bottom of the twelfth with Salem trailing 9-8, and the Nationals' Chris Rivera recorded the final six outs of the game to earn his first win as a member of the Washington organization.

The winning run scored with two outs in the top of the twelfth, when Francisco Plasencia beat out a grounder to second-base and Dan Lyons scored from third. Salem second-baseman Luis Segovia fielded the ball cleanly to his left in shallow right-field, but slipped, delaying the throw to first. When he released from one knee, he had little chance of getting the hustling Plasencia. Lyons reached to begin the inning via a throwing error by Red Sox third-baseman Jon Hee, making the go-ahead tally unearned off reliever Jose Alvarez, who suffered the loss, his first of the season.

Potomac took advantage of early-inning wildness from Salem starter Bryan Price, who walked five in just three innings on the hill. The Nationals scored single runs in each of the first three innings off Price, but also stranded six baserunners in the first three frames. The Nationals left 13 on base over the course of 12 innings, but capitalized on enough opportunities to cash in the win.

Trailing 3-0 after three, the Red Sox finally broke through off Nationals hurler Tom Milone, recorded three straight hits after Segovia worked a two-out walk. Hee came through with a two-run double and later scored on Danny Espinosa's throwing error that immediately followed Jones' infield single, and the Sox had evened the score at three.

The all-square setup would be short-lived for the Sox, however, as Plasencia's sacrifice fly off Salem reliever Kyle Fernandes in the top of the fourth made it 4-3. The Nationals scored four more times off Andrew Dobies in the sixth and seventh innings while the Red Sox were held at bay, except for a sac fly that scored a single run in the sixth. At the seventh-inning stretch, Salem trailed 8-4.

But with Milone out of the game, the Red Sox rallied for one in the seventh and two in the eighth, culminating in the Jones round tripper to complete the comeback in the ninth, sending the game to the tenth. Neither team had a baserunner in the first two bonus frames, but the Nationals came through in the top of the twelfth to earn their second straight win over the Sox.

Negron and Jones each finished with three hits for Salem, who fell to a season-worst 23-29, while Boomer Whiting and Sean Rooney tallied three apiece for Potomac, which improved to 28-21.

The Sox aim to avoid being swept by the Nats on Wednesday evening in the final game of a six-game homestand. Salem's Kyle Weiland will oppose the Carolina League's ERA leader Brad Meyers, with the game time set for 7:05.

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Carolina League Stories from June 2, 2009


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