CarL1 Winston-Salem Dash

Winston-Salem Warthogs: Game Notes (June 26 vs. Myrtle Beach)

Published on June 26, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Winston-Salem Dash News Release


Winston-Salem will once again sport its Warthogs jerseys as the club looks to take Wednesday's rubber match against Myrtle Beach. First pitch is set for 7 p.m..

_____________

WINSTON-SALEM WARTHOGS (2-4, 40-30) vs. Myrtle Beach Pelicans (1-5, 22-51)

LHP Konnor Pilkington (1-2, 5.28 ERA) vs. LHP Ryan Kellogg (1-5, 3.95 ERA)

7 p.m. - BB&T Ballpark (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Game #71 (Home Game #38)

WALKER HOMERS IN 4-3 LOSS

Dash outfielder Steele Walker crushed a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, but the Myrtle Beach Pelicans rallied back to defeat Winston-Salem 4-3 on Tuesday night at BB&T Ballpark. Myrtle Beach finally struck against Winston-Salem starter Kade McClure in the top of the fourth. Carlos Sepulveda started off the frame by lining a single into center field, marking the first hit of the ballgame against McClure. After a Miguel Amaya groundout, Luke Reynolds crushed a two-run homer to right field to cut the Dash lead to one run. The two-run homer ended a 20.2 inning scoreless streak for McClure. The Pelicans claimed the lead in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Reynolds smacked a double into left-center field. The next batter, Cam Balego, belted a two-run homer to make it 4-3 Pelicans.

HARDLY WORSE THAN SOME YEARS PAST

With a victory against Carolina on June 16, Winston-Salem clinched its third-best first-half winning percentage (.594) in the Dash era (2009-present). The Dash also won 20 of their final 26 games to end the first half in second place in the Southern Division. By posting a .594 winning percentage, the 2019 team trailed only the 2012 club (.637) and 2010 team (.614) in first-half finishes.

A LITTLE HOP TO HIS STEP

Selected by the White Sox in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft, Steele Walker is coming into his own in Winston-Salem. Rated the 10th-best prospect in Chicago's system per MLB Pipeline, Walker is now 18-for-46 (.391) over his last 1 contests. As a part of the recent hot stretch, Walker hit for the third cycle in Dash history against Carolina on June 14, marking the first cycle for Winston since April 27, 2016. Although Walker's two older brothers Sam and Trevor played college football at the University of Texas, Walker chose to play baseball at the University of Oklahoma. As a member of the Sooners baseball team, Walker patrolled the outfield alongside 2018 Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.

A CHANGE TO SHARE

The Dash will don commemorative Warthogs jerseys, with Winston sporting a black jersey with "HOGS" in red on the front, which was one of the Warthogs' home jerseys during that era. Before Winston-Salem became the Dash in 2009, the franchise enjoyed a successful 14-season run as the Warthogs from 1995-2008. During the Warthogs era, Winston-Salem posted a 944-1004 (.485) record and claimed the 2003 Mills Cup, the club's most recent Carolina League championship. The Warthogs also supplied many talented players like Aaron Rowand and Joe Crede for the Chicago White Sox successful run in the 2000s, which included a World Series title in 2005. Eight Warthogs ended up becoming All-Stars, including Aaron Boone, Gio Gonzalez and Carlos Lee.

A QUESTION WORTH ASKING

Left-hander Konnor Pilkington will make his seventh start for Winston-Salem on Wednesday against Myrtle Beach. Two starts ago on June 15, Pilkington carried a no-hit bid into the sixth against the Carolina Mudcats before having it broken up by a single from Ryan Aguilar. His no-hit bid (5.2IP) last Saturday was the longest for a Dash pitcher since Dane Dunning went 6.1 no-hit frames at Myrtle Beach on April 11, 2018, before giving up a hit. A former third-round pick out of Mississippi State, Pilkington has now allowed one run of fewer in seven out of 12 starts this year.

Check out the Winston-Salem Dash Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 26, 2019


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central