In front of the first sellout crowd of the season, the Salem Red Sox walked off with a 4-3 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Saturday night at LewisGale Field. The first walk-off victory of 2015 snapped a season-long five-game losing streak.
The Red Sox and Dash entered the ninth inning deadlocked at three. Jordan Betts worked a leadoff walk and was pinch-run for by Deiner Lopez. In the next at-bat, Jose Vinicio laid a bunt down the first base line, attempting to sacrifice Lopez to second. Winston-Salem pitcher Jose Brito came off of the mound to field the bunt and threw wide past the first baseman Chris Jacobs into foul territory. Lopez kept moving for third as Keenyn Walker sprinted into foul territory to retrieve the ball. Lopez rounded third and beat Walker’s throw home for the decisive run, giving the Sox the 4-3 walk-off win.
Ty Buttrey went seven innings and earned a no decision in the start for Salem. He allowed three runs, all of which came in the first inning. With one out, Chris Jacobs singled and scored Jake Peter. Two batters later, Omar Narvaez doubled to drive in Trey Michalczewski. Walker then dropped down a bunt that Buttrey fielded and threw wild to first, allowing Narvaez to score. Buttrey would allow only three hits over the next six scoreless innings, retiring 17 of the final 20 he faced. He finished with one walk and six strikeouts.
Salem inched their way back beginning with a run in the second as Jordan Betts brought in a run with an RBI groundout against Winston-Salem starter Matt Heidenreich. The score remained 3-1 until the seventh when Heidenreich (6 IP, 6 H, R, ER, BB, 2 K) was pulled for Brian Clark.
The Red Sox took advantage of the Dash bullpen, placing runners at second and third with one out after two singles and an error. Cole Sturgeon then bounced a ball up the middle that shortstop Cleuluis Rondon made a diving stop on before throwing wildly to first, allowing both runs to score.
Austin Maddox (1-4) relived Buttrey in the eighth and fired two scoreless frames to earn the win, stranding the go-ahead run at third base in the top of the ninth inning. Brito (1-3) allowed the game-winning unearned run on a hit in one-plus inning.
The two teams tangle once again on Sunday afternoon at 4:05 p.m. Trey Ball (2-4, 5.45) is scheduled to start for the Sox against the Dash’s Andre Wheeler (1-2, 2.91). Kids will have the opportunity to run the bases after the game and the first 500 fans will receive a Sam Travis player poster. Also, bring your pup to the yard for Bark in the Park. Fans unable to attend can listen to the game on 1240 AM ESPN Roanoke, online onsalemsox.com or via the TuneIn Radio app.
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Chris Graham
