Three early runs proved to be enough for a trio of Sox hurlers, who held the visitors from Winston to one hit in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position in Salem’s 3-2 Tuesday triumph at LewisGale Field. Heiker Meneses accumulated half of Salem’s six hits all by himself, while Anthony Ranaudo, T.J. Hose, and Will Latimer combined to hold the explosive Dash offense to just two runs.
The Sox struck in the first inning against Winston starter Cameron Bayne, with Meneses drilling a one-out single and Kolbrin Vitek drawing a walk to set the table for Bryce Brentz. Salem’s cleanup hitter smashed a hard liner into left-center for an RBI single that moved Vitek to third, and Jorge Padron’s chopper to short plated Vitek, giving Salem the 2-0 lead.
Salem starter Anthony Ranaudo escaped a bases-loaded, two-out threat in the top of the second, and the Sox manufactured a two-out tally in the bottom of the frame. Josue Peley worked a walk, stole second with Derrik Gibson in an 0-2 hole, and came around to score as Gibson completed his gritty at-bat with a line-drive single to center. Up 3-0, the Sox had an advantage that would not be relinquished.
Winston chipped away at the Salem lead with one run off Ranaudo in the top of the third. Tyler Saladino led off with a double and scored two batters later on Juan Silverio’s single. Ranaudo held the Dash down during the remainder of his four-inning stint, allowing one run on three hits and four walks while striking out six.
Reliever T.J. Hose earned the victory, allowing just a two-out, solo homer to Nick Ciolli in his three-inning stint. Will Latimer earned the save, retiring six of the seven men he faced in the eighth and ninth innings to preserve the triumph. Hose improved to 1-1, picking up his first Carolina League win, while Latimer grabbed his eighth save.
The win kept Salem within five and a half games of first-place Kinston, who beat Frederick 3-1 in Maryland on Tuesday night. The victory was also Salem’s eighth straight triumph over Winston-Salem, as the Dash have not beaten the Sox since July 2 in North Carolina.
The four-game set continues with the penultimate contest on Wednesday, as Manny Rivera makes his second Carolina League start for the Sox. Southpaw Joe Serafin will deal opposite Rivera, with the first pitch slated for 7:05.
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Chris Graham
