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CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Rocks Sneak Past Dash In Slugfest

April 24, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM, NC (APRIL 24, 2011) - Wilmington jumped out to an early six-run lead, held off a Dash rally to beat Winston-Salem 11-10 on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark. The Blue Rocks captured the series victory with the win and sent the Dash to its second straight series defeat.

For the third time in the four-game series, Wilmington (11-5) scored at least three runs in two straight innings. Sunday afternoon, the Blue Rocks did so in the first two innings. In the opening frame, Alex McClure reached on a fielder's choice before Rey Navarro singled. Nick Francis then doubled to score McClure for the game's first run. John Whittleman walked to load the bases before Tim Ferguson was hit by a pitch from starter Justin Collop. Navarro scored, and Francis later scored when Jose Bonilla reached on a fielder's choice to make the score 3-0.

The Dash (7-9) responded with one run in the bottom of the first. Daniel Wagner tripled to start the inning, extending his hitting streak to a team-long ten games. He scored after Jared Mitchell struck out and attempted to reach first on a dropped third strike. Bonilla threw to first base, allowing Wagner to cross home for Winston's first run.

In the second, the Rocks again loaded the bases. McClure reached with a single and advanced to second after Navarro was hit by a pitch. Francis followed with a groundball that Austin Yount fielded and tried to tag McClure heading to third. Though he appeared to leave to base path while avoiding the tag, McClure was called safe at third, putting runners at every base. Whittleman stepped in and hammered the next pitch over the right-centerfield fence for a grand slam, putting the Rocks on top 7-1.

Winston-Salem added two more runs in the second after Andy Wilkins walked to start the inning, and Yount knocked his second home run of the season.

Wilmington jumped on reliever Santos Rodriguez for one run in the fourth, after Francis homered for the second time in as many games.

The Dash responded in that inning again after Yount led off with a triple and scored on Kyle Davis' ground out. Nick Ciolli then blasted his first home run of the season to make the score 8-5.

The tete a tete continued into the sixth when the Rocks scored one run. Francis singled, and scored on a double by Whittleman.

Wilmington added another insurance run after Joey Lewis began the seventh with a double and came around to score on a single by Merrifield.

The Dash started to close the gap in the bottom of the seventh. Luis Sierra walked to start the frame, and Ciolli doubled off the foot of Rocks reliever Kevin Chapman. Wagner grounded out to score Sierra, and Ciolli scored on Jose Martinez's infield single. Jared Mitchell followed with a line drive single to right field and Ian Gac walked to load the bases. With the tying run at first base, Wilkins popped a fly ball into right field, that Francis misplayed and two runs scored. The Dash first baseman was given a single and an RBI, and the second run, Mitchell, scored on an error. The tying run moved up to third base, but Yount popped out and Davis struck out to end the inning with the score stuck at 10-9

Ferguson added a solo home run in the eighth inning to put the Blue Rocks in front by two.

That home run proved to be critical, as Gac hit a towering home run out to left field in the bottom of the ninth to pull within one with one out. Reliever Ryan Dennick shut down the next two hitters to end the game and earned his first save of the season.

Elisaul Pimentel (2-0) got the win after throwing six innings and striking out five. Collop (0-2) took the loss.

Notes:

The 16 hits and three home runs were the most allowed in a single game by Winston-Salem so far this season... Whittleman's grand slam was the first against the Dash and the second in BB&T Ballpark history... The Dash fell to 3-6 in one-run games with the loss... The game was the first time that Winston scored double-digit runs this season and also marked the highest run total surrendered of the year.

Winston-Salem welcomes Frederick to BB&T Ballpark for the first time this season Monday at 7 p.m. Winston sends out RHP Terry Doyle (0-1, 3.60 ERA) against former Dash RHP Jake Rasner (1-1, 6.30), who starts for Frederick.

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

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Carolina League Stories from April 24, 2011


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