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CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Salem Erupts For 16, But Blanked In Nightcap

April 27, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Kinston, NC (April 27, 2011) - The Sox blasted four home runs, delivered 17 hits, and crushed the Indians 16-6 in the opener, but their prolific offense was silenced by Geovanni Soto in the nightcap, dealing Salem a 6-0 setback to create a doubleheader split. The Red Sox and Indians will square off in the fourth and final game of the series on Thursday, with Salem searching for a 3-1 series win.

Game one became a blowout very quickly as the Sox scored twice in the first inning and then exploded for ten runs in a wild second inning. Twelve consecutive Red Sox reached base to begin the second inning before an out was recorded by the Indians. Kinston starter Clayton Cook did not last long, pitching one plus and getting hammered for nine earned runs. Shannon Wilkerson crushed a three-run homer off reliever Chris Jones, the first of two round-trippers in the game for Wilkerson in a game that he did not even start. The first home run was a pinch-hit bomb, filling in for David Mailman who had been hit by a pitch to begin the ten-run second.

Reynaldo Rodriguez also homered for the third straight game, launching a two-run drive in the third that made it 14-2. It was the second straight home run that Rodriguez hit on an 0-2 pitch. Jeremy Hazelbaker also went deep for the Red Sox, sending his fourth dinger of the season down the right-field line off Marty Popham, making it 15-2.

Dan Butler went 3-5 with two doubles for the Sox, finishing as one of seven Salem players with multiple hits in the opener. Wilkerson's four RBI led the team, while Rodriguez and Hazelbaker each drove in three more.

In game two, Salem's offense never found a groove against 19-year old lefthander Geovanni Soto, who struck out six over six scoreless innings. Preston Guilmet tossed the seventh to complete Kinston's first shutout victory of the year; it was also the first time in 2011 that Salem got blanked.

Kolbrin Vitek recorded hits in both games to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, while Rodriguez extended his consecutive games on-base streak to 16. Rodriguez went 3-6 in the twin-bill, raising his average to .406 on the season.

Since Myrtle Beach also split its doubleheader vs. Potomac, the 13-5 Red Sox remain a half-game ahead of the 13-6 Pelicans in the Carolina League Southern Division heading into Thursday's action.

Salem sends Chris Balcom-Miller to the mound in the series finale at Grainger Stadium. T.J. House is set to toss for Kinston, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30.

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