CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes

Published on May 11, 2011 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


WINSTON-SALEM DASH (14-18) vs. POTOMAC NATIONALS (11-20)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011, 7:00 p.m. | BB&T Ballpark ⌂ Winston-Salem, NC

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

Game No. 33 | Home Game No. 18 ⌂ 2011 Home Record 9-8 | 2011 Road Record 5-10

RHP Andre Rienzo (1-0, 2.27) vs. RHP Paul Demny (0-2, 2.28)

Seventh Heaven: For the second straight night, Winston-Salem plated three runs in the seventh inning to take a lead and beat the Potomac Nationals by a final score of 5-3. The win extended the Dash's season-best winning streak to five games heading into tonight's series and home stand finale. Winston trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh when P-Nats starter Trevor Holder's effectiveness declined. With one out, Andy Wilkins singled and Kyle Shelton doubled to put two men in scoring position. Luis Sierra then drove in one run with a single before Nick Ciolli cleared the bases with a two-run triple to put the Dash into the lead. The team's five-game win streak is its first such streak of the season. The Dash had three win streaks of five games or longer last season, including two nine-gamers.

Honey Bunches of Hits: The Dash have picked it up offensively after a slow three-game stretch during which the team collected just 11 hits and compiled a .122 batting average. In their last five games, the Dash have 44 hits and are batting .273 (44 for 161).

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 18 (.389) at the plate with a home run, three RBI, and six 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.

Terry Terrific: Dash starter Terry Doyle did not get his first win last night, but for the first time this season, the Dash won a game that Doyle started. Winston had been 0-6 in games started by Doyle before Tuesday's win. Doyle pitched well enough for a win, allowing three runs on just two hits (both home runs) over six innings for his team-leading fourth quality start. The outing continued a good run for the starting rotation. Aside from Joe Serafin's outing on Wednesday, May 4 (3 IP, 5 R), the starters have posted a combined ERA of 2.66 (18 ER, 61 IP) and an opposing batting average of .244 (57 for 234) since April 30. The rotation has produced seven quality starts in that span and the team's collective ERA has dropped from 4.44 to 4.22.

Self-Dashtruction: Two Potomac regulars have struggled mightily against the Dash this season. 2B Jeff Kobernus is 0 for 20 against Winston-Salem this season while OF Eury Perez is 0 for 14. OF Destin Hood, conversely, has hit very well against the Dash, hitting .412 (7 for 17) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, and four RBI.

One-for-One: Potomac scored one run in the first inning, a common theme on this home stand. The Dash's opponent has scored a single run in the first inning in four of the last five games. The early deficits haven't seemed to bother Winston-Salem, as the team has won all five of those games. In fact, the Dash seems to play better from behind. The team is 9-8 when its opponent scores first and is only 5-10 when notching the first run of the ballgame.

Easy as A-B-Ciolli: Nick Ciolli continued to show signs of emerging from his season-long funk last night. He was 1 for 3 with a triple and three RBI. His two-run triple snapped a 3-3 tie and sent the Dash into the lead for good. Ciolli and is 5 for 9 with a home run, a double, two triples, and six RBI in his last three games, raising his batting average from .204 to .254 in the process. Eight of his 16 hits this season have gone for extra bases, and his .492 slugging percentage is second on the Dash (behind only Ian Gac). 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.

Home Wreckers: The Dash finish up their seven-game home stand tonight with the series finale 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.

Back in Gac: Ian Gac's two-run home run in the seventh inning Monday 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. Gac is tied for the Carolina League lead with nine home runs (Lynchburg's Joey Terdoslavich also has nine), is tied for second in the CL in RBI (23), fifth in slugging percentage (.568), third in extra-base hits (17), fourth in runs scored (23), and tied for first in total bases (67).

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer: The Dash have played mostly close games this season. Twenty-seven of the team's 32 games have been decided by three runs or fewer and the team has had a lead in 25 games this season. Winston has played 12 one-run games and 11 two-run games. The Dash are 5-7 in one-run games and 6-5 in two run contests. At this rate, the Dash would play 101 one - or two-run games over the course of the season.

Today's Opposing Starter: RHP Paul Demny (0-2, 2.28) makes his sixth start of the season tonight and his second against the Dash. Demny made his Advanced-A debut against Winston-Salem on April 13 and got a no-decision, allowing just one run on three hits over 5.2 innings. He ranks tenth in the Carolina League in ERA and recently had a consecutive scoreless innings streak hit 14 before Kinston snapped that streak in Demny's last start. The East Bernard, Texas native has spent the last two seasons with low-A Hagerstown, going 6-10 with a 4.23 ERA in 27 starts last year and 3-11 with a 5.14 ERA in 23 starts in 2009. He suffered from bouts of inconsistency in both of his seasons with the Suns. While he had 15 starts in which he allowed one run or fewer, he also had 12 during which he yielded five or more runs. According to scouting reports, Demny's inconsistency stems from inconsistent mechanics that have led to shaky control, leaving him effectively wild at times and uncomfortable for hitters to face. At 21 years old, he is the youngest pitcher on the P-Nats and the fourth youngest on the entire roster. He throws his four-seam fastball in the low-90s and his two-seamer in the high-80s. His repertoire also includes a curveball and changeup. Demny was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 draft after two years at Blinn College (Brenham, TX), where he mainly pitched in relief. He was originally selected by Atlanta in the 12th round in 2006 but did not sign. In high school, Demny was an All-State player and the Houston Chronicle Athlete of the Year. He was an accomplished hitter in high school, leading East Bernard HS in on-base percentage, slugging, doubles, and total bases.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

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Carolina League Stories from May 11, 2011


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