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CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Salem Wins at 1:14 Am, Splits Twin-Bill

September 3, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


Winston-Salem, NC - Where to begin'

The Dash weathered a 77-minute rain delay and overcame a 6-4 deficit in the final frame to garner the opener on a Nick Ciolli walk-off homer, prevailing 8-6 in dramatic fashion. About three and a half hours later, after a thirty-minute intermission and seven more innings that were interrupted for 23 minutes when all the lights went out around midnight, the Salem Sox hung on for a slim 7-6 triumph on Saturday morning, stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the last to sneak away with a split of the topsy-turvy doubleheader. Overall, the Sox leave Winston-Salem with two wins in three games as they head to Myrtle Beach for the final three-game set of the 2011 season, while the Dash sit percentage points behind the Indians in a virtual tie for the final playoff berth with three games remaining.

Winston erased three separate deficits in its game one win, including the two-run gap into the last of the seventh. With one out, Juan Silverio singled and Andy Wilkins launched a two-run game-tying blast off Jeremiah Bayer over the right-field bleachers. Bayer walked Ian Gac and T.J. Hose entered to face Ciolli, who smothered a game-ending dinger over everything in right field and beyond. The walk-off result made a loser of Bayer and a winner of Taylor Thompson.

Heiker Meneses highlighted Salem's offensive performance in the opening contest, connecting for his first Carolina League homer in the top of the fifth inning. With the score tied 1-1, Meneses took Ryan Buch deep for a three-run bomb, surging Salem to a 4-1 lead. The Dash responded with three in the sixth to even the score, but the Sox utilized a Bryce Brentz RBI single to surge back on top with a pair in the top of the seventh. It would be the third time that Salem would assume an advantage only to have the Dash promptly erase it.

In the wacky nightcap that began at 10:15 PM, Salem jumped to an early edge again, scoring twice in the second and twice more in the third against Andre Rienzo. Pitching with a 4-zip lead, however, Chris Hernandez surrendered two in the last of the third and three more in the fourth, vaulting the Dash to the 5-4 score.

Things got kooky in the top of the fifth, when Salem scored three times to soar to a 7-5 edge. Miles Head drilled a two-run double and Shannon Wilkerson lifted a sacrifice fly that scored Head and cleared the bases with two outs. Right around when the clock struck midnight, all the lights at BB&T Ballpark went dark. Crazily, it was the second straight series finale between the Sox and the Dash in Winston that was halted because of a stadium lighting issue. Back on July 5, Salem's 3-2 win was interrupted in the top of the ninth. Again, the getaway day contest came to a screeching stop because of the temporary blackout, with the lights needing 23 minutes to become fully restored.

In the last of the seventh, Winston nearly overcame another two-run deficit, but the Sox bullpen barely hung on. Wilkins' double began the frame, and the Dash DH moved to third on Gac's fly-out to deep center and scored on Ciolli's sac fly. With the score 7-6 and the Sox one out from victory, Mike Blanke was down to his final strike before prolonging the game with a bloop single. Luis Sierra singled to move pinch-runner Jared Mitchell to third, and Kyle Colligan drew a walk to load the bases. But Anatanaer Batista entered to retire Daniel Wagner on a grounder to the mound, ending the night at 1:14 AM, seven hours and 14 minutes after it was scheduled to begin.

Fans were denied fireworks because of the late finish, although Dash manager Julio Vinas was bizarrely ejected in the top of the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. Plate umpire Kiff Kinkead tossed Vinas just seconds after punching out a Salem batter, and Vinas, appearing more perplexed by the sudden ejection, provided the fans with an entertaining outburst in the face of the umpire.

Salem journeys to Myrtle Beach for the final series of the season, beginning on Saturday night at 7:05. Drake Britton is scheduled to start for the Sox, while Zach Osborne is slated to pitch for the Pelicans.

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