Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (September 18)
Published on September 18, 2021 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release
The Dash take on Asheville for the fifth game in a six-game set tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m..
WINSTON-SALEM DASH (42-75) vs. Asheville Tourists (53-61)
LHP Dan Metzdorf (4-6, 5.56 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Gruller (0-0, 4.85 ERA)
7:00 p.m. - Truist Stadium (Winston-Salem, NC)
Game #118
SECOND INNING DOOMS DASH IN LOSS
The Asheville Tourists plated seven runs in the second inning en route to a 14-4 win over the Winston-Salem Dash Friday.
The Tourists nabbed a first inning run off Winston-Salem starter Cooper Bradford courtesy of a Yainer Diaz RBI single, giving the Tourists some early breathing room before their breakout inning. After the dust settled in the second frame, Asheville sent 11 batters to the plate and led 8-0.
In the home second, Samir Dueñez brought the Dash closer with a two-run homer to slash the deficit to a half-dozen. The Tourists plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to reach double figures, giving way to Luis Curbelo in the seventh to drill a two-run homer to draw Winston-Salem closer.
Come the eighth, Asheville scored four more on a grand slam from CJ Stubbs to take complete control, icing a 10-run victory for the visiting Tourists.
Curbelo smacked his team-leading 22nd homer of the night in the loss, breaking a tie with Alex Destino for the team lead. The trio of Kevin Folman, Ty Madrigal, and Jordan Mikel all struck out four in relief, with Dash pitching fanning 14 Tourists in the defeat.
THE KYLE GRULLER FILE
Making his sixth appearance and fourth start for the Tourists is the former Houston Baptist Husky Kyle Gruller. Gruller, who signed as non-drafted free agent in 2020, has pitched just nine times this year between the FLC Astros, Low-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers, and High-A Asheville Tourists with solid results. Through 26 innings, the Texan has struck out 33 and earned one save, walking 20 and allowing three homers. While in full-season ball Gruller has excelled at limiting hard conatct - holding batters to a .143 batting average on balls in play, showing a propensity to induce weak grounders or soft liners to rack up outs.
ONE MAN WOLFPACK
Prior to Thursday's game, the Chicago White Sox assigned Terrell Tatum to Winston-Salem from the ACL White Sox. Tatum, a 16th-round pick from NC State in this year's MLB Draft, was a First Team All-ACC honoree this year with the Wolfpack after slashing .317/.423/.543, helping lead NC State to the College World Series. With the ACL White Sox, Tatum amassed an OBP of .441 while blasting eight doubles in the the Grand Canyon State.
A LOOK AHEAD...WAY AHEAD
With the 2021 season winding down, the Winston-Salem Dash announced their schedule for the 2022 season. While the six-game sets are back for another season, the Dash will open the 2022 campaign with a three-game series against the Hickory Crawdads on April 8. After the Crawdads visit Truist Stadium, the Dash renew their intrastate rivalry with the Greensboro Grasshoppers in the Camel City, marking the first of four series between the now-familiar foes.
The final four series of the year will all be held in the state of North Carolina, with road trips to Hickory and Greensboro on the docket as well as home series against the Asheville Tourists and Brooklyn Cyclones. Winston-Salem will play the Cyclones (Mets) and Aberdeen IronBirds (Orioles) for the first time in franchise history in 2022.
A PREVIEW OF TOMORROW
Both Asheville and Winston-Salem will wrap up the 2021 season with the same pitchers that began their most recent six-game series. For the Dash, Jesus Valles is slated for his fourth start of the year with Winston-Salem. Valles allowed five runs in 4.2 innings in the series opener against Asheville, striking out five and walking one.
The Tourists entrust Misael Tamarez with the final start of the season Sunday. The righty is making his seventh start with Asheville, hurling five shutout innings in the series opener on Tuesday. With both Low-A Fayetteville and High-A Asheville, the right-hander has struck out 101 batters in 73.2 innings, walking just 35.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 18, 2021
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