Salem Explodes Early, Demolishes Wilmington 11-3
May 5, 2010 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release
Wilmington, DE (May 5, 2010) - Like a snowball rolling down a steep hill, the Salem Red Sox continue to gain momentum. The force of inertia manifested itself with a 10-run second-inning on Wednesday night in Wilmington, leading to an 11-3 triumph over the Blue Rocks. Anthony Rizzo, Will Middlebrooks, and Oscar Tejeda all went deep as the Sox cruised to their fifth straight win. The Red Sox improved to 12 games above .500 at 19-7, having taken eight of their last nine games. Salem will aim for a four-game sweep at Frawley Stadium on Thursday evening.
Salem's offense went down 1-2-3 in the first, but Wilmington starter Jairo Cuevas would not find similar ease in the second. He issued a four-pitch walk to Ryan Lavarnway to begin the inning, then surrendered back-to-back bombs by Middlebrooks and Tejeda, giving the Sox a 3-0 lead. That was just the beginning of Cuevas' troubles. He retired David Mailman after Drew Hedman singled, but then hit Jon Hee with a 1-2 pitch to bring the top of the order back around. Leadoff man Peter Hissey crushed a two-run triple to make it 5-0, Tim Federowicz singled to plate Hissey and give Salem a 6-0 edge, and Rizzo crushed a first-pitch two-run homer, a colossal meteor that cleared the secondary wall in right field and made it 8-0.
The Rizzo dinger chased Cuevas from the game, but reliever Manauris Baez and the Blue Rocks were not out of the woods yet. Salem scored twice more in the inning to make it 10-0, with Middlebrooks blasting an RBI double after Lavarnway walked, and Hedman connected for another RBI single. Both Middlebrooks and Hedman went 2-2 in the inning, the most prolific frame of the season for the Salem Sox.
The run support was plenty for Salem starter Stolmy Pimentel, who picked up the win to improve to 3-1 on the season. Pimentel permitted just one run on four hits and no walks in five and a third innings, striking out five Blue Rocks before handing the ball off to Michael Lee. The righthander reliever went the rest of the way, yielding two runs over the final three and two-thirds innings to pick up his second save of the year.
Federowicz and Tejeda led the Sox with three hits apiece as every Salem batter reached base in the ballgame. Tejeda drove in three to lead the squad, while Hissey, Rizzo, and Middlebrooks each plated a pair.
In the miscellany department, shortstop Jon Hee was hit by a pitch, his league-leading 7th HBP of the season.
At 19-7, Salem resides one game better than the Winston-Salem Dash in the Carolina League Southern Division.
Salem looks to sweep the Blue Rocks on Thursday night as Brock Huntzinger gets the start against Wilmington's Tim Melville. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Frawley Stadium.
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Carolina League Stories from May 5, 2010
- Wilmington Wiped Out by 10-Run 2nd Inning - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Salem Explodes Early, Demolishes Wilmington 11-3 - Salem Red Sox
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- Dash Snap Skid as Edwards Stifles Frederick - Winston-Salem Dash
- De La Cruz Gem Spoiled By Lynchburg Rally In The 9th - Kinston Indians
- Cats Comeback To Win After Three-Run Ninth - Lynchburg Hillcats
- K-Tribe Notes For Wednesday At Lynchburg - Kinston Indians
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Pelicans Announce Transactions - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Tribe Talk is On The Air and On-Line - Kinston Indians
- Rubber Ducky's And A Free Night For Bob's - Frederick Keys
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