The Salem Sox followed their two-day hiatus by erupting for a season-high 19 hits in a 16-10 victory over Winston-Salem on Wednesday evening to begin the final road trip of 2011 with a bang. At one point, the Red Sox rolled off 14 consecutive runs, erasing a 7-1 second-inning deficit with a five-run third, a three-run fifth, and a four-run sixth. Salem added two more runs in the seventh and one more in the eighth to match their season high in runs scored. Four different Red Sox registered three-hit nights, led by the #9 hitter Zach Gentile, who went 3-4 with a season-high five RBI from the bottom of the lineup. Matt Spring, just back with Salem after spending time with Triple-A Pawtucket, delivered two doubles and a solo homer, driving in three runs in the ballgame.
A 1-1 draw after one inning was abruptly broken by Winston’s six-run bottom of the second. Both Mike Blanke and Ian Gac belted homers against Salem starter Stolmy Pimentel, and the Dash appeared en route to the rout. But Pimentel settled down and retired 11 of the next 12 he faced to give the Sox sticks a chance to respond. His shutdown performance in the middle innings was the unsung hero for Salem’s offensive onslaught.
In the top of the third, six of the first seven batters mustered base hits against Winston starter Jake Petricka, who was chased from the contest with two outs in the third. Four different Red Sox drove in runs in the five-run frame that inched Salem back within a run at 7-6.
With the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, Gentile slammed a hard ground ball inside the first base bag and into the left field corner, clearing the bases to surge Salem into the lead at 9-7. In the sixth, Spring and Miles Head each launched solo homers off Dash reliever Santos Rodriguez to make it 11-7. Later in the inning, two walks and a hit-batter loaded the bases, and Heiker Meneses singled home two more to give Salem a 13-7 edge. Peter Hissey contributed an RBI single in the eighth, and Gentile drove in his fifth run two batters later, surging Salem to its largest lead of 15-7.
Blanke belted his second homer of the night for the Dash in the ninth, a two-run bomb off reliever Manny Rivera, but Salem’s 16-10 advantage stood when the final out was recorded two batters later. Rivera dealt the final three and a third innings to earn his second save, while Pimentel picked up the victory, improving to 5-4 with five and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on ten hits.
Offensively, Gentile, Spring, Padron, and Head each connected for three hits, while Meneses, Hissey and Bryce Brentz added two apiece. Salem finished 9-for-20 with runners in scoring position, while Winston went 3-for-11.
Salem hopes to build upon their scintillating offensive performance as the series continues on Thursday night. Ryan Pressly will square off again Ryan Buch, with the first pitch slated for 7 PM.
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Chris Graham
