FredNats drop close game to Salem: Still alive for first half championship

Jeremy De La Rosa homered and the FredNat bullpen pitched four shutout innings, but the Salem Red Sox held on for a 5-4 win over the FredNats on Wednesday night in Salem. However, due to Carolina’s loss to Down East, the FredNats are still alive for a first half championship.

The Red Sox scored first in the 2nd inning on a two-run home run from Tyler Miller and an RBI double from Brainer Bonaci. The FredNats answered right back in the top of the 3rd on a two-run home run from De La Rosa off the top of the wall in left field. It was De La Rosa’s 7th of the year, and the lead was cut to 3-2.

Salem’s Niko Kavadas took the Carolina League lead in home runs in the bottom of the 3rd with a two-run blast, his 13th of the year. Salem would not score after that.

Viandel Pena drove in Jacob Young with an RBI single in the 5th, and then Pena was brought in by Sammy Infante on an RBI groundout. Today is Infante’s 21st birthday.

Jackson Rutledge got the start for the FredNats and battled, going four innings and allowing all five runs. He struck out three. Marlon Perez and Tyler Schoff each pitched two scoreless innings out of the FredNat bullpen.
On offense, the FredNats left seven men on base and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

In order to clinch the first half championship, the FredNats need a win tomorrow and losses by Carolina and Lynchburg. The Mudcats play at Down East, and the Hillcats are playing a doubleheader at Delmarva. The FredNats own the tiebreakers over both those teams, and Lynchburg only needs to lose one of the doubleheader games for the FredNats to draw even.

Dustin Saenz will start the final game of the first half for the FredNats. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.