CarL1 Salem Red Sox

Sox Outlast Nats 9-7 Friday Night

Published on May 4, 2018 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Salem Red Sox News Release


WOODBRIDGE, VA - The Salem Red Sox withstood a late charge from their hosts Friday night, slugging a team-record five homers in a hard-fought 9-7 victory over the Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium.

Salem (16-12) grabbed a share of first place with the win, as they started the day just one game behind the home team. The Nationals (16-12) got a grand slam in the ninth inning to make the Sox sweat, but lined out to end the game with the tying run at the plate. Kyri Washington hit three homers, becoming the sixth player in Salem history to achieve that mark, and the third Salem Red Sox player to do so after Jose Sermo (2016) and Michael Chavis (2017).

The Sox leapt out in front early on against Potomac starting pitcher Joan Baez (L, 1-2). With one out in the top of the first, Brett Netzer jumped all over a 2-0 fastball and belted it out of the park to right field. It was Netzer's first professional homer, and it put Salem ahead 1-0.

Salem broke the game wide open in the top of the second. Bobby Dalbec and Tyler Hill rapped back-to-back singles to open up the inning, and Washington scorched a 1-2 fastball over the left field wall for a three-run blast, his second homer of the year. The Sox weren't done yet, as Eddy Reynoso scratched out an infield single, and Santiago Espinal singled to move him up to second. After Netzer struck out, Roldani Baldwin worked a walk to load the bases, and Jerry Downs came through with a two-out, two-run single to run the lead to 6-0.

Potomac got on the board in the bottom of the second against Salem starter Jake Thompson (W, 1-2). With one away and the bases empty, Rhett Wiseman smashed a fastball over the right-field wall for a solo homer to trim Salem's lead to 6-1.

The parade of dingers continued in the top of the sixth, as Washington led off against the new Potomac reliever Hayden Howard by smoking a solo shot to left field. It was his second of the game, and it ran the lead up to 7-1. The P-Nats wouldn't be so easily dismissed, though. In the bottom of the inning, Anthony Rendon led off with a double before Juan Soto crushed a two-run bomb to right, cutting the lead to 7-3.

Salem kept their bats booming in the eighth and ninth innings. Washington was the first to face another new reliever, James Bourque, and promptly deposited a fastball over the right field fence for another solo homer to make it an 8-3 game. Roldani Baldwin belted a solo shot of his own in the top of the ninth, taking Bourque deep to make it a 9-3 game.

Potomac made the Sox sweat in the bottom of the ninth, as Edwin Lora led off with a scratch single against new reliever Jared Oliver. The righty then walked Telmito Agustin and Blake Perkins to load the bases, and Spencer Kieboom made him pay, hitting a wall-scraping grand slam to right. It was Kieboom's second grand slam of the season against the Sox, and it cut the lead to 9-7. Oliver did strike out Jake Noll before Matthew Gorst (S, 4) entered to fan Soto, but Ian Sagdal singled to bring the potential tying run to the plate. Tres Barrera ripped a liner to left, but Washington leapt high to snare the ball and secure the win for the Sox.

Thompson earned his first professional victory, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks in six innings while whiffing five. Hildemaro Requena pitched three scoreless frames of relief, surrendering only three hits. Oliver was touched up for four runs on two hits and two walks against one strikeout for his only out recorded. Gorst gave up one hit and notched one strikeout among his two outs for the save.

The Sox will try to wrest first place from their hosts Saturday night, with righty Bryan Mata taking the ball for Salem against Potomac right-hander Kyle McGowin. First pitch from Pfitzner Stadium is at 6:35 p.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 6:15 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.

Check out the Salem Red Sox Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 4, 2018


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