The Salem Red Sox used a seven-run sixth to transform a 4-2 deficit into a 9-4 lead en route to a 10-4 triumph over Winston-Salem on Friday night, Salem’s seventh win in its last nine games. Five Red Sox registered multi-hit nights and the Sox overcame an early 4-0 gap to score the final 10 runs and win their third straight. Salem will seek their first series sweep at LewisGale Field in 2013 on Saturday night.
The pivotal sixth inning began with each of Salem’s seven-eight-nine hitters recording a hit. Matt Gedman began with a double, moving to third on Cody Koback’s single, and scoring on Carson Blair’s single. Henry Ramos reached on an error to load the bases, and Deven Marrero took ball four on a 3-2 count to force in the game’s tying run. Still with nobody out, Keury De La Cruz made the first out of the frame on a bullet line drive right at the first baseman, but Stefan Welch drove in a pair with his double down the left field line to giv ethe Sox their first lead at 6-4. Blake Swihart’s sac fly plated Marrero to make it 7-4, and Mookie Betts capped the inning with a powerful two-run homer to give the Sox a five-run lead.
Salem’s sixth inning touchdown made a winner of Mike Augliera, who yielded four runs on eight hits in six frames but clearly kept the Sox within striking distance. Augliera improved to 8-6 on the year, with Robby Scott dealing the final three frames to earn his second save. Scott did not allow a hit, working around a pair of walks to toss three scoreless and take the Sox to the finish line.
Ramos, Marrero, Welch, Gedman, and Blair all finished with two hits apiece, while Welch, Betts, and Blair each knocked in two runs. The Red Sox scored in double figures for the second straight day, the first time all year the Sox have plated 10-plus in back-to-back games.
Winston-Salem suffered its fourth consecutive loss, the first four-game losing streak in nearly two years for the Dash. Winston last dropped four straight from August 16-20, 2011.
The Sox kept pace with first-place Carolina, who trounced Frederick 12-1 on Friday night. The Mudcats lead the Red Sox by a game and a half in the race for the final playoff spot, with 24 games remaining in the regular season.
Already assured of a series win, the Salem Sox will go for a three-game sweep of the Dash on Saturday evening, with Mickey Pena taking the mound opposite Jake Cose. First pitch is slated for 6:05.
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