Weather Chills Winston-Salem's Defense in 7-2 Loss
Published on April 9, 2016 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Lynchburg took advantage of five Winston-Salem errors and cruised to a 7-2 victory on a cold Saturday night at Calvin Falwell Field.
A combination of temperatures in the 30s and winds upwards of 20 mph befuddled the Dash's defense, which posted its worst showing since a six-error effort against Potomac on June 15, 2014. Four of the five errors came in the Hillcats' two scoring innings, and they resulted in three unearned runs.
After Winston-Salem (1-2) seized a short-lived 1-0 lead in the fifth, Lynchburg (2-1) finally took advantage of a scoring change against Thad Lowry (0-1), who had stranded five runners in the previous two innings. The 'Cats loaded the bases with one out, largely thanks to a pair of errors on one play that could have been a double play. Highly-regarded prospect Bobby Bradley then singled home two on a 3-0 pitch. Yu-Cheng Chang followed with an RBI single, and a Taylor Murphy RBI groundout capped the four-run frame.
Lowry, who set down the first six High-A batters he faced, only retired one in the fifth, and all four runs of the inning were his responsibility.
The sixth inning brought about more of the same. Euclides Leyer set down the leadoff hitter before two walks and two hit by pitches made it 5-1. Chang followed with a fielder's choice that accompanied another error, chasing home two more runs and capping Lynchburg's scoring.
The Dash's lone offense came in the form of a pair of run-scoring singles. In his first game with the Dash, Ryan Leonards singled home Marcus Davis in the fifth. Three innings later, Louie Lechich laced a one-out double to left, and Gerson Montilla plated him with a single. Both of those hits were the first of Lechich and Montilla's Dash tenure.
Otherwise, Lynchburg's pitching trio of Luis Lugo (1-0), Justin Garcia and Cameron Hill befuddled Winston-Salem. Lugo worked into the sixth inning and gave up just one unearned run on three hits en route to a win, his second against the Dash in four tries. Garcia worked two and a third innings before Hill slammed the door on the Dash in the ninth.
As a result, Winston-Salem will strive for a season-opening split in this four-game series, which comes to an end Sunday at 2 p.m. The Dash will send Jordan Stephens, the White Sox 13th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, to the mound, while Lynchburg counters with fellow right-hander Julian Merryweather. Both men will be making their High-A debuts. Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 p.m. on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App.
The Dash return to the Triad this Thursday for a week-long homestand that kicks off the seventh season at BB&T Ballpark. Tickets for the exciting homestand, which features a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday on April 14 and a Fireworks Friday on April 15, are available by calling (336) 714-2287 or visiting wsdash.com.
Carolina League Stories from April 9, 2016
- Keys Post First Shutout of 2016 - Frederick Keys
- Pelicans Bats Go Quiet in Shutout Loss - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Bradley Propels Hillcats to 7-2 Win - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Weather Chills Winston-Salem's Defense in 7-2 Loss - Winston-Salem Dash
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (April 9 at Lynchburg) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Saturday Night's Matchup vs.Wilmington Washed Out - Potomac Nationals
- Saturday's Game Between Wilmington and Potomac Postponed - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Tonight's Game Postponed Due to Extreme Weather - Carolina Mudcats
- Saturday's Game vs Carolina Postponed - Salem RidgeYaks
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