With two outs in the bottom of the 11th and the tying run at second base, Salem lefty Robby Scott was halted in his pursuit of victory. Deep in the outfield, a skunk sneaked on to the field and strolled on the warning track. After a brief pause (the skunk was shooed off the field by the bold Hillcats groundskeeper), Scott induced a game-ending ground out to give the Red Sox a surprisingly sweet 5-4 triumph in 11 innings.
In a game characterized by missed opportunities from both sides, the Sox took their first lead in the top of the ninth, but couldn’t put the game away in the bottom of the inning. Stefan Welch’s homer tied it at three, and Blake Swihart scored the go-ahead run when Matt Lipka’s throw from center sailed over the head of the catcher after Matt Gedman’s single moved Swihart to third. Up 4-3, Matt Price could not remain perfect in preservations, yielding a run on Levi Hyams’ RBI ground out that evened the score at four.
Both teams had great chances to score in the tenth, but neither capitalized. Salem had runners at second and third with nobody out and the bases loaded with one away, but failed to score. Similarly, Lynchburg put runners on first and second with two gone, but Josh Elander lined out to Mookie Betts at second base to end the threat.
In the 11th, back-to-back hits from Gedman and Cody Koback started the frame, and a walk to Carson Blair loaded the bases with nobody out. Henry Ramos struck out and Deven Marrero lined out to second, leaving the bases still packed with two gone for Keury De La Cruz. On a 3-2 pitch, the normally aggressive slugger took a borderline 3-2 pitch that was ruled ball four, forcing in what turned out to be the game’s winning run. Nick Natoli, who pinch-ran for Gedman, trotted in from third to put the Sox ahead 5-4. Salem could have widened the gap, but left the bases loaded for the second straight frame.
In reality, the Sox left an epic eight men on base in the final three innings alone, including a maximum six in scoring position in that span. But the combination of breaks and strong work from the bullpen helped the Sox discover their second straight extra-innings triumph. The Sox had gone 2-8 in extra inning games this season prior to Tuesday’s 10-inning win over Potomac.
Gedman led the Red Sox with an impressive four-hit performance, smashing a solo homer to accompany his three singles. Welch and Swihart also added multiple hits to Salem’s offensive effort. While the top three hitters (Ramos, Marrero, and De La Cruz) combined to go 1-for-16, the bottom six hitters in Salem’s lineup went an amazing 12-for-26.
In relief, Scott earned the win, improving to 3-4 on the year, with an inning and a third of scoreless ball. Robert Fish fell to 0-2, suffering the loss for Lynchburg.
After some time on the disabled list, Kyle Stroup returned to the mound for the Sox for the first time in a month, dealing two innings and allowing one run on three hits. Mike McCarthy pitched for Salem in relief, tossing five frames and permitting two runs with four strikeouts.
The Sox and Cats will hopefully avoid skunks in their series finale on Saturday evening, scheduled for 6:05 at City Stadium, which nearly became Stinky Stadium in the 11 inning on Friday. Mike Augliera, two-time Carolina League Pitcher of the Week in July, makes his first start in August opposite Hillcats righty Greg Ross.
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