Aaron Wilkerson tied a career high with nine strikeouts and the Red Sox never trailed as they strolled past the Lynchburg Hillcats 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Lynchburg City Stadium.
Wilkerson was dominant from the get-go, as he struck out the side in the first inning around a walk. He was nearly unhittable outside of a three-batter stretch in the third in which the Hillcats scored two runs on three consecutive doubles. Wilkerson (5-1) picked up the win with two runs allowed on four total hits in six innings paired with his nine strikeouts.
Offensively, Salem did its damage in two innings. The Red Sox used a two-out rally to take the lead in the second, beginning with a two-out walk from Mauricio Dubon, who then stole second base. Jordan Betts then smacked a single down the left-field line, allowing Dubon to score for a 1-0 Salem lead.
The big inning was the third, as Salem pulled ahead with four runs. With two runners already aboard, Kevin Heller worked a two-out walk to load the bases. Mario Martinez then clubbed a double to the left-center field gap, scoring Jose Vinicio, Derek Miller and Heller. Dubon followed with a double of his own but was thrown out trying to take an extra base on a bobbled ball in left field. Martinez scored on the play to give Salem a 5-0 advantage.
Lynchburg added a run in the bottom of the eighth when Paul Hendrix singled to left-center, driving home Clint Frazier. Hendrix represented the tying run but did not advance past first base as Kyle Kaminska struck out Eric Haase to end the inning and the threat.
In the ninth, Luigi Rodriguez reach on a two-out infield single, but Kaminska struck out Clint Frazier to end the ballgame.
Martinez was 1-for-3 with a run and three RBI and Dubon went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and a pair of walks. Luis Lugo (5-7) took the loss for Lynchburg after giving up five runs, one earned, over 4.2 innings pitched. Kaminska picked up his first save of the season with one run allowed and two strikeouts over three innings.
The Red Sox and Hillcats will finish the three-game series on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. Ty Buttrey (6-2, 3.13) will go for the Sox while the Hillcats trot out Mitch Brown (3-8, 5.83). Fans can listen to the game on 1240 AM ESPN Roanoke, online at salemsox.com or via the TuneIn Radio app.
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Chris Graham
