Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (April 23 at Salem)
April 23, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
The Dash have outscored Salem 20-10 en route to a pair of victories thus far in this series. On Friday night, Gerson Montilla's cycle--the first by a Winston-Salem hitter since 2008--propelled the Dash to a 13-8 win. The series continues at 6:05 p.m. on Saturday from LewisGale Field. Full game notes attached.
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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (6-10) at SALEM RED SOX (10-6)
RHP Matt Cooper (0-1, 4.20 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Kent (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
6:05 p.m. - LewisGale Field (Salem, Va.)
Game #17 (Road Game #10)
DASH CRUISE BEHIND MONTILLA'S CYCLE
Gerson Montilla's cycle propelled the Dash to a 13-8 win in Salem on Friday night at LewisGale Field. Montilla delivered a three-run homer in the Dash's five-run first, and he followed with an RBI double in Winston-Salem's four-run second. The former Arizona farmhand added a triple in the fifth and a single in the ninth to cap the cycle. Montilla was one of seven Dash hitters with at least two hits and four with multi-RBI efforts. Salem only brought the tying run to the plate once in the contest, but Danny Dopico stranded the bases loaded in the eighth inning.
BEEN QUITE A WHILE
In the Dash era (2009-present), no Winston-Salem hitter had recorded a cycle until Friday night. The franchise's last cycle took place in the final season under the Warthogs moniker when Brandon Allen accomplished the feat against Lynchburg on May 14, 2008. It was the first cycle in the Carolina League since Carolina's Jerrud Sabourin on July 19, 2014.
MORE ON MONTILLA
In addition to his first cycle, Montilla matched a career-high with four hits. He also scored four times, the most by a Winston-Salem hitter since Joey DeMichele posted a Dash-record five on April 27, 2014, also at Salem. Playing in his 766th Minor League game, Montilla collected his 71st home run and 15th triple, both of which were his first such hits in the White Sox system.
BASTO'S BIG NIGHT
Montilla was not the only Winston-Salem hitter to churn out a huge performance. Nick Basto amassed four hits for the first time in a Minor League game. He and Montilla became the first Dash hitters with four-hit showings since Omar Narvaez on September 1, 2015. Thanks to this huge night, Basto now leads the CL with a .403 average, which is 13th-best among all Minor League qualifiers. His 25 hits are even with Wilmington's Ryan O'Hearn for the top spot on the circuit and tied for fifth in the Minors.
OTHER BIG SHOWINGS
The Dash banged out 20 base hits, their highest single-game total since a 23-knock effort in a 15-3 shellacking of Potomac on August 21, 2011. Marcus Davis went 3-for-5 with a career high-tying three RBIs. Louie Lechich logged a three-hit game, which ties his professional high-water mark. Ryan Leonards matched a career-high with three runs scored even though he did not muster a base hit. His three runs came from reaching twice on an error and a hit by pitch.
QUICK STARTS
Before this series, Winston-Salem had scored just four runs in the first inning over its first 14 contests. However, the Dash have plated eight runs in the first frame, and they took the lead for good after two batters on Thursday and three batters on Friday. Winston-Salem is now +5 in run differential against Salem, though the Red Sox own a 4-2 advantage in the standings due to their four-game sweep of the Dash last week.
PITCHING NOTES
Even though Spencer Adams surrendered a career-high six earned runs Friday, he became the first Dash hurler to earn his second victory. He also owns a share of second place in the Carolina League with 22 strikeouts, including three on Friday. Adams became the first Dash starter to give up more than three earned runs this season. Winston-Salem's starting rotation boasted a 2.91 ERA before Friday's outing.
DASH DOTS
Salem had won seven straight and had limited every opponent to no more than six runs before this series...Winston-Salem has strung together 20 runs in a two-game span for the first time since a 24-run outburst on May 7 and 8 of last year...Hunter Jones swiped his 10th base on Friday, propelling him into a tie for third in the CL in that category...In all of Minor League Baseball, Jones is tied for fifth...The Dash have scored first in eight of their first nine road games in 2016 (just two of seven home contests).
Carolina League Stories from April 23, 2016
- Stinnett, Happ Lead Pelicans Past Mudcats 6-5 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Late Comeback Falls Short in 6-5 Loss - Carolina Mudcats
- Seven Not the Magic Number for the Blue Rocks, Lose 5-2 to Potomac - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Valdez K's 11, P-Nats Take Fourth Straight with a 5-2 Win - Potomac Nationals
- Brown and Polanco Blank Frederick, 3-0 - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Dash's Offense Shines Again in Third Straight - Winston-Salem Dash
- Keys Shutout for Second Time in Series, 3-0 to Lynchburg - Frederick Keys
- Red Sox Welcome Sellout Crowd in 9-6 Loss to Dash - Salem Red Sox
- April 23 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- Potomac Nationals 2016 Game Notes vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks - Potomac Nationals
- RHP Adam Lau Joins Salem - Salem Red Sox
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (April 23 at Salem) - Winston-Salem Dash
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