Hankerd's Homer Propels Dash Over Red Sox

Winston-Salem, NC (June 27, 2012) - Cyle Hankerd's three-run blast in the last of the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and proved to be the difference in Winston's 5-3 victory over Salem on Wednesday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark. The blast came on a 3-2 pitch against Michael Gleason, and unlike Tuesday evening when the Sox overcame a deficit late to prevail, a comeback was not in the cards again in the series finale. Hankerd finished 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBI to lead the Dash, while Matty Johnson went 3-for-4 for the Red Sox in the setback.

The Dash scored single tallies in each of the first two innings, with Dan Black and Carlos Sanchez connecting on RBI singles to lift Winston to a 2-0 advantage. In the top of the third, the Sox countered with a game-tying pair, triggered by Johnson's RBI triple and Heiker Meneses' ensuing RBI single.

The score remained even at two until Hankerd's at-bat in the last of the seventh, in which he clubbed his sixth home run of the season for the Dash. The game-changing dinger made a winner of Jon Bachanov, who allowed one run in two innings out of the bullpen, while making a loser of Gleason, who permitted three runs, all on the homer, in three innings.

Both starters dealt admirably for their respective squads, with Keith Couch permitting two runs in five innings and Justin Collop allowing two runs in six frames. Neither factored into the decision, and Chris Bassitt emerged for his third save of the season by dealing a perfect ninth.

Salem went 0-for-4 in its quest to steal bases against Dash catcher Miguel Gonzalez, losing momentum repeatedly when a caught stealing followed a base hit. Travis Shaw, third among active players in batting average in the league, experienced his toughest day of the season, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

The Red Sox return back to the Roanoke Valley to face Potomac on Thursday night at LewisGale Field, a 7:05 first pitch featuring a couple pitchers named Matt. Top prospect Matt Barnes will be on the mound for the Sox, while lefthander Matt Grace will take the bump for the Nationals in the series opener.