Salem scored seven unanswered runs over the middle three innings to take a 7-1 lead and hold on for a 7-3 win over Lynchburg at Salem Memorial Ballpark Tuesday night.
Lynchburg plated the first run of the game in the third inning. Daniel Salters hit a leadoff single and advanced to third on consecutive groundouts. Sicnarf Loopstok drove him in with an infield single to give the Hillcats a 1-0 advantage.
The Red Sox tied the game in the fourth with a Jose Sermo sacrifice fly. Back-to-back two-out doubles by Tate Matheny sparked a two-run fifth-inning rally to take the lead. Salem broke it open with a four-run sixth that included a two-run single by Matheny.
Trailing 7-1 in the seventh, Salters drew a one-out walk. Sam Haggerty doubled, and Willi Castro notched his 20th RBI of the year on a sacrifice fly. The Hillcats final run came on the combination of a Martin Cervenka double and an RBI single by Jodd Carter. Lynchburg loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but Trevor Kelley ended the threat and pitched the ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Shane Bieber suffered his first loss as a Hillcat after allowing a career-high seven runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Bieber struck out seven to match his highest total in that category since joining Lynchburg. Dedgar Jimenez (7-1) went six innings for Salem, scattering eight hits while striking out seven. He moved into a tie for the league lead in wins with Lynchburg’s Shao-Ching Chiang.
Lynchburg plays Salem for the final time in the first half Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. Aaron Civale (1-0, 1.50) will start for Lynchburg against lefty Matt Kent (3-2, 4.21). Fans can listen to the game live at www.lynchburg-hillcats.com with pre-game coverage beginning at 7.
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Chris Graham
