Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (April 24 at Salem)
April 24, 2016 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
Winston-Salem is one win away from its second four-game road sweep since becoming the Dash in 2009. The Dash tangle with the Salem Red Sox at 4:05 p.m.
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WINSTON-SALEM DASH (7-10) at SALEM RED SOX (10-7)
RHP Thad Lowry (0-1, 3.77 ERA) vs. RHP Travis Lakins (1-1, 3.29 ERA)
4:05 p.m. - LewisGale Field (Salem, Va.)
Game #18 (Road Game #11)
COOPER, OFFENSE THRIVE IN 9-3 VICTORY
For the third consecutive night, Winston-Salem did not trail against first-place Salem. The Dash knocked off the Red Sox 9-6 in front of a sold-out crowd at LewisGale Field on Saturday night. With the game tied 2-2, the Dash's offense erupted with six runs in the sixth inning, during which 11 men came to the plate. Eight Dash hitters recorded at least one hit, while seven scored at least one run. On the mound, righty Matt Cooper limited Salem to just two runs on six hits over a career-high six innings for his first professional quality start. He whiffed a career-best nine in his first win of 2016.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
Before this three-game series, Winston-Salem was 4-10 overall and owned a team batting average of .233. In these three victories, the Dash boast a .378 team average, and they have scored more runs (29) than any three-game stretch since May 6-8, 2015, when they rattled off 31 runs. The Dash have collected 48 hits after averaging just 8.3 in their first 14 contests.
LEADING THE CHARGE
Infielder Nick Basto has been the focal point of Winston-Salem's offense all year long. Thanks to his 10-for-15 showing in this series, Basto has vaulted to the top of the Carolina League in average. His .424 mark is 36 points better than Wilmington's Ryan O'Hearn for first place, and it stands third in all of Minor League Baseball. The former fifth-round pick also paces the circuit in hits (28), while he stands tied for first in on-base percentage (.486) and third in total bases (38).
MORE ON BASTO
Last year, Basto finished with a .203 average in 83 games. He did not record his 28th hit in High-A until July 20, his 44th game. Before this season, the Davie, Fla., native amassed three hits in a game just 13 times in 347 professional contests. Basto has already reached or eclipsed three hits five times in 2016, including all three games of this series in Salem.
TRENDING UPWARD
Basto is not the only Dash hitter who has shined as of late. Brett Austin is riding a six-game hitting streak and a five-game RBI streak. Hunter Jones is 7-for-15 in this series after enduring a 1-for-19 funk. After starting the season 6-for-51 (.118), Louie Lechich is 8-for-18 (.444) over his last four games. Marcus Davis has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 starts.
ROAD WARRIORS
For the first time since July 3-15 of last year, the Dash have rattled off five consecutive wins away from BB&T Ballpark. Should the Dash win on Sunday, they would record their first six-game road surge since April 18-May 1, 2012. A victory would also clinch Winston-Salem's first four-game road sweep since April 19-22, 2010, at Myrtle Beach, which stands as the only four-game road brooming since the nickname change to Dash prior to the 2009 season.
MONTILLA'S CYCLE
On Friday night, Gerson Montilla recorded the first cycle by a Winston-Salem hitter since May 14, 2008, when Brandon Allen accomplished the feat against Lynchburg. It was the first cycle in the Carolina League since Carolina's Jerrud Sabourin on July 19, 2014. He homered in the first, doubled in the second, tripled in the fifth and singled in the ninth. Friday marked Montilla's 766th game in Minor League Baseball.
DASH DOTS
Former Dash catcher Kevan Smith earned his first career promotion to the Major Leagues on Sunday...Smith played 123 games with the Dash between 2012-13 and helped Winston-Salem reach the 2012 Mills Cup Finals...He is the 33rd Dash alumnus to reach the Majors, and all but one of those players have earned their initial promotion while in the White Sox system...Toledo no-hit Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday, one night after the Knights won on a walk-off grand slam from Danny Hayes...Carson Fulmer earned his first Double-A win on Saturday at Chattanooga.
Carolina League Stories from April 24, 2016
- Mudcats Fall Short in Series Finale, Lose 4-2 in Myrtle Beach - Carolina Mudcats
- Thorpe Pitches Pelicans to Series Win, Birds Defeat Mudcats 4-2 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Salem Edges Winston to Avoid Sweep - Winston-Salem Dash
- Salem Steals Series Finale from Winston-Salem, 3-2 - Salem Red Sox
- P-Nats Top Blue Rocks 3-1 in 12 Frames to Seal Five-Game Sweep - Potomac Nationals
- Extras Not Enough for Blue Rocks, Lose 3-1 in 12 Innings - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Hillcats' 10-Game Winning Streak Snapped in 5-2 Loss - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Wynns, Olesczuk Power Keys to 5-2 Win over 'Cats - Frederick Keys
- April 24 - Carolina Mudcats Game Information - Carolina Mudcats
- McLaughlin Transferred Back to Carolina; O'Neal to Danville - Carolina Mudcats
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (April 24 at Salem) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Former Pelican Cody Ege Called up to Big Leagues - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- White Sox Promote Dash Alumnus Smith to Big Leagues - Winston-Salem Dash
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