For his second straight start, Mike Augliera authored seven scintillating scoreless innings. Unlike last time, the Sox gave him enough support for the righthander to pick up the victory.
Augliera improved to 7-6, allowing just one hit in seven dynamite frames, while Madison Younginer took the Sox to the finish line of a 3-0 shutout of the Hillcats on Saturday night at City Stadium. Augliera and Lynchburg starter Greg Ross went head-to-head in a dazzling pitchers’ duel that saw the game remain scoreless into the seventh. But the Sox finally scratched Ross for a run in the top of the seventh and added a pair of insurance tallies in the top of the ninth to earn the series victory.
Keury De La Cruz and Blake Swihart each finished with two hits for the Sox, with both playing huge roles in Salem’s rallies. In the seventh, De La Cruz doubled off the wall in center and scored on Mookie Betts’ two-out RBI single to left. Up 1-0 into the ninth, De La Cruz singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Stefan Welch laced an RBI double into the right-field corner to double Salem’s lead, while Swihart smacked a single to drive in Welch and make it 3-zip.
Augliera tossed 85 pitches in another magnificent outing, tossing seven scoreless once again. While he yielded two hits in his last start eight days ago, Augliera surrendered just one second inning single on Saturday night. He retired 21 of the 23 men he faced, also issuing one walk along with collecting four strikeouts. In relief, Younginer worked around two hits and a walk over the final two innings to earn his first Carolina League save. The Hillcats loaded the bases against Younginer in the ninth, but Josh Elander grounded into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to complete the blanking.
Ross was perfect into the fifth, retiring the first 13 men he faced before Swihart singled to give the Sox their first baserunner. The Hillcats righty was the tough-luck loser, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings.
The Sox are off on Sunday and will return to LewisGale Field on Monday evening for a six-game homestand. Salem hosts Wilmington for three, starting at 7:05 on Monday night with Mickey Pena on the mound for the Sox.
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