A shutout would have been nice, but in the championship series, any victory is huge. Despite way too much ninth inning drama for Salem’s liking, Matty Ott struck out Michael Taylor with the bases loaded to finish off a 5-3 Red Sox victory, stranding the tying run at second base and the potential winning tally at first. Behind Heri Quevedo’s dominant outing, the Sox led 5-0 heading to the ninth, but Potomac’s offense finally came alive in the last at-bat. Five straight hitters reached with two outs, but Ott earned the save by fanning Taylor to bring Salem across the finish line.
Quevedo’s performance on the mound served as an incredible tone-setter for Salem’s championship bid. The 23-year-old righty dealt 59 of his 91 pitches for strikes in a career-high seven innings, permitting just five hits, all singles. He struck out four and induced 11 grounders, recording 13 outs via the ground ball thanks to a pair of double plays.
Potomac’s Matt Purke was just as strong through four innings, but the Red Sox finally broke through in the fifth. David Chester ripped a one-out double, Nick Natoli walked, and Matty Johnson drilled an RBI single to break the scoring seal and give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Sean Coyle, just activated from the disabled list before the game, launched a towering RBI double off the center-field fence to put Salem ahead 2-0. Henry Ramos then launched another deep shot to center, bringing home Johnson with his sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
While Quevedo continued to dominant, the Sox widened the lead with two outs in the seventh. Ramos reached on a single to bring up Keury De La Cruz. On a 3-0 pitch, De La Cruz tattooed Colin Bates delivery for a two-run homer down the right-field line, surging the Sox to a 5-0 advantage. De La Cruz’s jack became the first round-tripper of the Carolina League playoffs, and it would prove to be a pivotal piece of insurance.
Up 5-0, Nate Striz began the ninth inning by walking Adrian Nieto. But he retired the next two hitters, popping up Kevin Keyes and striking out Brandon Miller. One out away from clinching the shutout, Striz walked pinch-hitter Mike Gilmartin and served up a single to pinch-hitter Justin Miller, loading the bases. Ott took over with the bags packed, surrendering back-to-back one-run singles to Francisco Soriano and Cutter Dykstra. He induced a hard grounder from Adrian Sanchez right at Mookie Betts, but Salem’s second-baseman uncharacteristically misplayed it, allowing another run to score. With the fans at Pfitzner Stadium starting to believe, Ott punched out Taylor with a nasty slider on a 3-2 pitch to end it, as the Sox barely hung on for a game one win.
Salem has a chance to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the Mills Cup championship series if the Sox can win in Woodbridge again on Sunday. Mike Augliera will make the start for the Sox, while Brett Mooneyham gets the ball for the Nats. First pitch is scheduled for6:05, and the series shifts back to LewisGale Field in Salem on Tuesday night.
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