Warbirds Bounce Back to Beat RidgeYaks
CarL Wilson Warbirds

Warbirds Bounce Back to Beat RidgeYaks

Published on August 20, 2026 under Carolina League (CarL)
Wilson Warbirds News Release


SALEM, VA - The Wilson Warbirds jumped out to a 10-1 lead but had to hang on late as they defeated the Salem RidgeYaks 11-10 on Thursday night at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

Wilson (61-53, 25-23 second half) trailed 1-0 before they got the offense going in the third, scoring three times which was led by a two-run double from Juan Ortuno to push the Warbirds in front 3-1.

In the fifth, Wilson tacked on another run thanks to a sacrifice fly from Handelfry Encarnacion for a 4-1 advantage.

The Warbirds delivered a big blow in the seventh when they plated six runs highlighted by RBI hits from Brailyn Antunez and Filippo Di Turi along with several defensive miscues from the RidgeYaks which stretched the lead to 10-1.

Salem (51-63, 26-24 second half) mounted a comeback against the Wilson bullpen scoring eight runs in the seventh. D'Angelo Ortiz doubled home a pair, and Louis Andujan crushed his seventh home run of the season to help lead the comeback effort and when the dust settled, the Warbirds lead shrunk to 10-9.

Wilson responded in the eighth when Harry Blum tossed a ball to the backstop, allowing Antunez to score and give the Warbirds an 11-9 lead.

Trailing by two in the ninth, Salem put the first two men on base against Andrew Gains (S, 1). With one down in the frame, Starlyn Nunez floated a ball to center which cut the lead to one at 11-10. That would be as close as the RidgeYaks would get as Andrews Opata struck out swinging to end the game and give Wilson the 11-10 victory.

Cesar Espinal (W, 2-0) earned the win tossing 1.1 innings out of the bullpen while Williams Montero (L, 0-3) suffered the loss.

The series continues Friday night at 6:35 p.m. when Wilson sends right hander Tyler Renz (2-6, 4.52) to the hill while Salem counters with righty Leighton Finley (6-4, 5.75).

Check out the Wilson Warbirds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from August 20, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central