CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

Published on May 10, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (13-18) vs. POTOMAC NATIONALS (11-19)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 7:00 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark | Winston-Salem, NC

Webcast available on www.wsdash.com 15 minutes before first pitch

Game No. 32 | Home Game No. 17 | 2011 Home Record 8-8 | 2011 Road Record 5-10

RHP Terry Doyle (0-4, 4.11) vs. RHP Trevor Holder (1-3, 6.18)

National Security Agency: Last night the Dash secured their fourth straight win with a 5-3 victory over the Potomac Nationals. Winston-Salem overcame a pair of one-run deficits to tie the game at 2-2 before scoring three times with two outs in the seventh inning. Jose Martinez walked and scored when Jared Mitchell doubled high off the wall in left against new pitcher Joe Testa. Ian Gac followed with a two-run home run to pad the lead. The Dash have matched their season-best four-game win streak from last month and look to extend it tonight as their series with the Nationals continues.

Ja(red)-Rules: Jared Mitchell ended a frustrating last few days with one of his biggest hits of the season in the seventh inning last night. Mitchell's RBI double off the top of the left field wall snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the Dash their first lead of the game. The centerfielder had entered the at bat 0 for 3 on the night with strikeouts in his first two plate appearances. Going back to his final at bat on Saturday night, Mitchell struck out in eight straight at bats before lining out to the shortstop in the fifth inning last night. His tiebreaking double, however, erased any memories of his difficult stretch at the plate as it sent Winston-Salem to its fourth straight win.

Honey Bunches of Hits: After gathering just 11 hits in their previous three games combined and batting .122, the Dash have collected 37 hits in their last four games, hitting .285 (37 for 130) in the process.

Back in Gac: Ian Gac's two-run home run in the seventh inning last night provided some needed insurance, as the Nationals scored a run and put a runner at third base in the ninth before eventually falling short in the series opener. The home run snapped a tie with Lynchburg's Joey Terdoslavich for the most homers in the Carolina League this season. Gac currently had nine home runs and is tied for second in the CL in RBI (23), fourth in slugging percentage (.588), third in extra-base hits (17), fourth in runs scored (23), and first in total bases (67).

Home Wreckers: The Dash finish up their seven-game home stand with the second of three games against the Potomac Nationals. Winston-Salem took two of three from the Nats last month at Pfitzner Stadium in the teams' first matchup since Potomac defeated the Dash in last year's Mills Cup Championship Series. The Nationals make their return to BB&T Ballpark, a place where Potomac has won two of the more momentous games ever played at the home of the Dash. The P-Nats won the first-ever game at BB&T Ballpark on April 13, 2010 with a 5-4 victory in 12 innings. They also won the final game of last season here, game two of the championship series. Potomac scored three times in the top of the eighth inning to come back and defeat the Dash 5-3 and even the series at 1-1. The Nats won the next two games in Woodbridge to win their fourth league title.

The Wilk Man Delivers: After a 2 for 13 mini-slide on the team's most recent road trip, Andy Wilkins has been re-energized by returning to his home ballpark. During this home stand, Wilkins is 7 for 15 (.467) at the plate with a home run, three RBI, and five runs scored. He also laid down his first sacrifice bunt of the season in the seventh inning on Sunday to put an eventual insurance run into scoring position.

Peanut Butter and Shelly: Kyle Shelton has officially ended his post-Southern League hangover. The utility man spent a week with AA Birmingham before being returned to the Dash on April 29. Shelton went 0 for his first 17 upon returning to the Carolina League, dropping his batting average over 100 points. Since picking up a hit in the sixth inning on Friday, however, "Shelly" is 6 for 12 with two doubles and three RBI double. Saturday and Sunday marked Shelton's first two multi-hit games of the season.

It's Serafin, Not Saffron: Dash starter Joe Serafin registered his first quality start of the season last night, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings. It was his first quality start since September 2 of last season when he pitched six scoreless innings against Lynchburg. The Winston-Salem pitching staff has settled into a good rhythm as of late. Aside from Serafin's outing on Wednesday, May 4 (3 IP, 5 R), the starters have posted a combined ERA of 2.50 (15 ER, 54 IP) and an opposing batting average of .258 (55 for 213) since April 30. The rotation has produced six quality starts in that span.

Easy as A-B-Ciolli: Nick Ciolli continued to show signs of emerging from his season-long funk on Sunday, going 3 for 3 with a single, a double, a solo home run, a walk, and two runs scored. Ciolli hit an RBI triple on Friday night and is 4 for 6 with three RBI in his last two games, raising his batting average from .204 to .250 in the process. Seven of his 15 hits this season have gone for extra bases, and his .467 slugging percentage is third in the Dash (behind only Ian Gac and Jose Martinez). In ten games with Winston-Salem near the end of last season, Ciolli hit .375 with seven of his 15 hits going for extra bases.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer: The Dash have played mostly close games this season. Twenty-six of the team's 31 games have been decided by three runs or fewer and the team has had a lead in 24 games this season. Winston has played 12 one-run games and ten two-run games. The Dash are 5-7 in one-run games and 5-5 in two run contests. At this rate, the Dash would play 99 one - or two-run games over the course of the season.

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Trevor Holder (1-3, 6.18) makes his sixth start of the season and his first against the Dash. He made one start and one relief appearance against Winston-Salem in the regular season last year, going 0-1 with a 2.00 ERA. Holder started game two of the Mills Cup Championship Series at BB&T Ballpark and got a no-decision, allowing two runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. The Nationals ended up winning the game 5-3 after scoring three times in the eighth inning to even the series at a win apiece. After spending most of the first half of last season with low-A Hagerstown, Holder was promoted to Potomac in mid-June. He was 3-3 with a 4.09 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) for the Nationals. He went 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 12 starts for the Suns. Holder displayed outstanding command in the South Atlantic League, striking out 50 and walking just seven in 65.2 innings. Those numbers weren't quite as strong in the Carolina League (52 K, 22 BB in 70.1 IP). Holder made his Advanced-A debut in 2009 against Winston-Salem and beat the Dash, allowing one run on one hit in five innings. The first pick in the third round of the 2009 draft, Holder played at three different levels in 2009. He made two starts with short-season Vermont (0-0, 5.06 ERA) before making three starts at Hagerstown (2-0, 3.55). He started six games for the P-Nats in 2009, going 2-3 with a 9.26 ERA. Overall, he made 11 starts and went 4-3 with a 6.97 ERA. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Holder played his college ball at the University of Georgia where he finished with 22 career wins, tied for fourth on the school's all-time list with former major league pitcher Cris Carpenter. He went 7-5 with a 4.48 ERA in his senior season as the team's top pitcher. Holder helped the Bulldogs reach the finals of the 2008 College World Series, but his team lost to underdog Fresno State. He suffered a shoulder injury prior to the 2008 draft that dropped his stock and he was selected by Florida in the tenth round but elected to return for his senior season.

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Carolina League Stories from May 10, 2011


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