The Salem Red Sox handed one away on Monday night, giving Wilmington three unearned runs in the top of the 11th inning that broke a 7-7 draw and propelled the Blue Rocks to a 10-7 victory.
With two on and two gone, Lane Adams’ pop-up should have ended the inning, but neither David Renfroe nor Jose Garcia could not make the catch on the edge of the outfield grass. One run scored via Renfroe’s fielding error, while two more runs came home when, one batter later, Jorge Bonifacio tripled down the right field line for his fourth hit of the game. Up 7-2 through three innings, the Red Sox put runners on base in every single inning the rest of the way, but never capitalized, watching the Blue Rocks battle back to steal the series opener in extras.
Salem led 7-6 in the top of the ninth, but Jack Lopez lofted a flare into shallow right over the brought-in infield to score Parker Morin from third and tie the game. This culminated a five-run rally, with the Blue Rocks scoring twice in the fifth and twice in the seventh to inch closer. Wilmington finished the game outhitting Salem 14-10.
But while Salem mustered four fewer hits, the Red Sox drew nine walks. And Salem’s pitchers did not walk any in 11 innings! But none of the final five men who walked scored, and Salem stranded a season-high 11 men on base. The Red Sox also lost three runners on caught stealings and pickoffs, costly baserunning blunders that proved vitally important in the end.
When Wilmington completed its comeback in the ninth, it took Blue Rock starter Sam Selman off the hook. The Sox rocked Selman for seven runs in two and a third innings, scoring three times in the second and four more in the third. But a trio of Wilmington relievers combined to deal eight and two-thirds scoreless innings, navigating around five hits and five walks during that period. Kellen Moen tossed four scoreless, preceding Cody Fassold who dealt two and two-thirds. Andrew Triggs allowed just one hit in two frames, striking out three to earn the victory for the Blue Rocks.
Salem’s Mike McCarthy pitched well enough to win (5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 0 BB), but the bullpen could not hold the lead. Matt Price yielded a two-run homer to Lane Adams, Nefi Ogando surrendered the game-tying flare to Lopez, and Robby Scott was the outta-luck loser, suffering the setback despite not even one earned run against him. The three unearned runs did him in.
Felix Sanchez, Keury De La Cruz, and Nick Natoli all delivered multiple hits for the Red Sox, while Bonifacio led Wilmington with four hits and five RBI. Geuline Beltre went 3-for-4 and scored a pair of runs from the bottom of the lineup, while Lopez and Adams each went 2-for-6.
With Salem’s three-game winning streak nothing more than a memory, the Sox will look to bounce back on Tuesday night with Henry Owens on the mound. Aaron Brooks makes the start for Wilmington, with the first pitch slated for 7:05.
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