No runs were scored until the bottom of the ninth inning when Mario Martinez lined a single to left field, scoring Jose Vinicio for a walk-off victory with the Salem Red Sox taking out the Wilmington Blue Rocks 1-0 on Saturday evening at LewisGale Field.
Vinicio led off the ninth with a single up the middle and was sacrificed to second by a Manuel Margot bunt. Tzu-Wei Lin followed with a single to center field, advancing Vinicio to third base. With runners on first and third, Wilmington opted to intentionally walk Sam Travis and load the bases for Martinez with one out. With an 0-2 count, Martinez poked a pitch through the hole into left field, scoring Vinicio for Salem’s second walk-off win of the year.
Ty Buttrey and Alec Mills spearheaded a pitcher’s duel with zeroes on the board for the first eight and a half innings. Buttrey struck out five through five scoreless innings with only five hits against him in his first start since June 2. He was aided by some stellar defense in the outfield which helped him through a sticky situation in the third. With runners on first and third and two outs, Mauricio Ramos lined a ball to the right-center field gap. Margot read it perfectly, as he sprinted for the gap and laid out to catch the ball at full extension. The catch ended the inning and robbed the Blue Rocks of their best chance to score.
Mills was dominant through shutout eight innings, as the Red Sox managed only four hits against him. He struck out four batters and issued no walks but, like Buttrey, did not factor in the decision.
German Taveras (3-0) picked up the win by retiring all six batters he faced over two perfect innings. He and Aaron Wilkerson both did not allow a baserunner in relief of Buttrey, as Wilkerson struck out a pair over two clean frames. Salem pitchers retired the final 13 Blue Rocks in the contest.
Kevin McCarthy (2-1) took the loss by allowing three hits and the lone run of the game in just 0.1 inning.
Vinicio was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and Lin went 2-for-4 to pace the Red Sox offensively. Martinez was 1-for-4, his only hit the walk-off single in the ninth.
Salem and Wilmington will conclude the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at LewisGale Field with a 4:05 p.m. scheduled first pitch. Trey Ball (5-5, 3.99) is scheduled to oppose Yender Caramo (3-4, 3.42) on Kids Take Over the Ballpark Day. The first 500 fans through the gate will also receive Tzu-Wei Lin and Ty Buttrey player posters, with Lin and Buttrey holding a postgame autograph session. Fans unable to attend 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
