RidgeYaks Rally Past Shorebirds, Even Series with 10-5 Victory
CarL Salem RidgeYaks

RidgeYaks Rally Past Shorebirds, Even Series with 10-5 Victory

Published on July 18, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Salem RidgeYaks News Release


SALEM, Va. - The Salem RidgeYaks (37-51, 12-11) responded in a big way Saturday night, scoring nine unanswered runs after an early deficit to defeat the Delmarva Shorebirds (32-57, 9-14), 10-5, at Carilion Clinic Field and even the three-game series.

Delmarva jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the second inning. Adriander Mejía singled before Junior Aybar reached on a fielder's choice and an errant throw by Salem starter Ethan Walker. Félix Amparo moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt before Jose Perez lined a two-run single to center. Later in the inning, Braylon Whitaker reached on another Salem error, allowing Perez to score the Shorebirds' third run.

The RidgeYaks answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame. Louis Andujar doubled and eventually came around to score when Justin Barry lined an RBI single to left, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

After a scoreless third inning, Salem seized control in the fourth. Andruw Musett was hit by a pitch before Andujar ripped his second double of the night. Avinson Pinto followed with a two-run single to center, and Anderson Fermin capped the inning with an RBI single to give the RidgeYaks their first lead at 4-3.

The offense kept rolling in the fifth. Musett doubled and later scored on a throwing error by Delmarva shortstop Jaiden Lo Re. After Louis Andujar reached on another Shorebirds error, Fermin delivered again with a two-run single, extending Salem's advantage to 7-3.

Salem added three more runs in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Skylar King doubled before Franklin Primera launched a two-run home run to left-center for his first homer of the season. Later in the frame, Andujar lined an RBI triple into left, stretching the lead to 10-3.

Delmarva plated two runs in the eighth on Miguel Rodríguez's RBI double and Mejía's run-scoring single, but reliever Harry Blum retired the final five batters he faced to secure the victory.

Jose Bello (1-3) earned his first win of the season, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four over 5.1 innings of relief. Walker allowed three runs, only one earned, over the first two innings before turning the game over to the bullpen. Walker is still bringing the stamina back up after batting with injuries a few months ago.

The RidgeYaks finished with 12 hits, led by Andujar's 3-for-5 performance with two doubles, a triple, three runs scored, and an RBI. Fermin drove in three runs with two hits, while Primera homered for the first time in his Single-A and collected two RBIs. Musett added two hits and scored twice as Salem improved to 37-51 on the season.

The RidgeYaks and Shorebirds wrap up their three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Carilion Clinic Field. It will be a rubber match as Salem looks to win their second straight series for the second time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. as right hander Leighton Finley will get the baseball for Salem.

Game Notes:

Jose Bello went 5.1 innings allowing just one run for his first Single-A victory since August 24, 2025

Franklin Primera belted his first career Single-A home run and collected his first career Single-A RBIs in the sixth inning

Salem has now homered in six straight ballgames since July 9 and has seen 18 total home runs over their last 14 games since June 30

Louis Andujar went 3-for-5 with three extra base hits

Andujar is batting .500 (4-for-8) with four extra base hits and a team best 1.875 OPS over the first two games of the series

After recording just one RBI, and batting .095 through his first 20 games in Single-A, Andujar is hitting a team best .357 (20-for-56) with 16 RBI, and three homers over his last 14 games since June 27

Andujar has recorded a hit in 11 of his last 14 games after collecting hits in just five of his first 20 games

Anderson Fermin went 2-for-4 for his second consecutive multi-hit, and three RBI effort

Fermin is batting .571 (4-for-7) with a team best six RBI over the last two games with a 1.524 OPS

Seven of the nine Salem starters recorded at least one hit with four Yaks seeing multi-hit efforts

Avinson Pinto has now reached base in 15-straight games since June 23

Salem has now scored 21 runs over the two games of the series

Since July 2, Salem has won eight of their last 12 games played, the Yaks leads the Carolina League since that stretch with a .296 average, 95 runs, 129 hits and 50 extra-base hits over their last 12

Check out the Salem RidgeYaks Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from July 18, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central