Red Sox Fall Behind Early, Drop Game Two to Charleston
CarL Salem Red Sox

Red Sox Fall Behind Early, Drop Game Two to Charleston

Published on July 23, 2025 under Carolina League (CarL)
Salem Red Sox News Release


SALEM, Va. - The Salem Red Sox (36-54, 10-16) couldn't keep pace with the Charleston RiverDogs (49-41, 14-10), falling 6-3 on Wednesday night at Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

After a high-scoring series opener that featured 27 combined hits and 14 total runs, game two got off to a much quieter start. Both teams went scoreless in the first two innings before Charleston broke through in the third.

Angel Mateo, the league leader in RBIs, delivered once again with a run-scoring single to bring home Narciso Polanco and give the RiverDogs a 1-0 lead. It marked Mateo's 60th RBI of the season.

Charleston kept the pressure on in the fourth with a three-run outburst. Jose Perez knocked in a run with a single, Theo Gillen brought home another on a throwing error (E6), and Polanco laced an RBI double down the left-field line to stretch the lead to 4-0.

Salem starter Ben Hansen exited after just 3.1 innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out three. He was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-4 on the season.

On the other side, Charleston starter Trevor Harrison was dominant. The No. 10 prospect in the Rays organization retired the first nine batters in order and went on to toss six innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts, earning his seventh win of the year.

The RiverDogs extended their lead to 5-0 in the sixth when Nathan Flewelling dropped a soft RBI single into center field.

Salem finally broke through in the bottom half of the sixth. Fraymi De Leon reached on an error, Justin Gonzales followed with a single, and Andruw Musett added his first hit of the series, an RBI knock to get the Sox on the board.

In the seventh, the Sox kept the momentum going. Frederik Jimenez led off with a single, Karim Ayubi followed with a double, and Yohander Linarez loaded the bases with a single of his own. With the tying run aboard and no outs, Charleston relied on reliever Andy Rodriguez, who settled in quickly thereafter. He induced a double-play grounder from De Leon to bring home one run, then allowed an RBI single to Gonzales to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Charleston tacked on one more in the eighth thanks to a pair of wild pitches, pushing the final score to 6-3.

Despite the loss, Salem had some bright spots offensively. Karim Ayubi continued his torrid stretch at the plate, going 2-for-4 and extending his hitting stretch to 12 of his last 14 games. Since June 13, Ayubi has raised his batting average by 69 points, hitting .393 over that stretch.

Justin Gonzales also remained hot, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and extending his hitting streak to six games, matching his season high. Natanael Yuten added a hit as well, pushing his hitting streak to a season-best seven games.

Moises Palma closed it out for Charleston, recording the final six outs to earn his first save of the year.

With the loss, Salem now trails the six-game set two games to none. The series continues Thursday night from Carilion Clinic Field. Right-hander Joey Gartrell will make his first post-All-Star break appearance, facing off against Charleston's Jose Urbina, the Carolina League's ERA leader. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

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Carolina League Stories from July 23, 2025


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