Salem scored in six of the first eight innings, pounded 17 hits, and capitalized on five Carolina errors in an dominant 16-2 triumph on Friday night at Five County Stadium. Up 2-0 after four innings, the Red Sox scored five times in the fifth, once in the sixth, six more in the seventh, and twice more in the eighth, piling up more than enough offense against a trio of Mudcat hurlers. Every Salem starter recorded at least one hit and scored a run, while seven Red Sox scored twice and seven different players picked up an RBI.
On the mound, Manny Rivera dealt five scoreless innings despite walking the leadoff batter four times. But aside from the four walks, Rivera permitted just three hits, all singles, during his time on the mound, earning the victory to improve to 4-4. The Mudcats broke up the shutout against Andrew Jones in the sixth, scoring one in the sixth and one more in the seventh before Jones tossed a scoreless eighth and Tyler Lockwood closed it out in the ninth.
Heiker Meneses and Xander Bogaerts led the Red Sox with three hits apiece, while Travis Shaw went 2-for-5 and drove in three runs, giving him 63 RBI on the year. Matty Johnson added two doubles, while Brandon Jacobs contributed two hits including a mammoth two-run bomb off the top of the left-field scoreboard. The seventh-inning shot was Jacobs’ seventh homer of the season. Christian Vazquez joined the multi-hit parade by going 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two walks.
Francisco Jimenez suffered the loss for Carolina, surrendering seven runs (six earned) in four and two-thirds innings. In relief, Kyle Blair was stung for seven more runs in two innings, while the Sox scored twice against Dale Dickerson in the eighth.
Salem went 9-for-22 with runners in scoring position, while Carolina went 1-for-9. The game started 41 minutes late as a result of a late afternoon thunderstorm that left the field very wet. The Mudcats probably wished the field had been rendered unplayable.
The 14-run margin was Salem’s biggest win of the season. Likewise, it doubled as Carolina’s worst loss.
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Chris Graham
