Littrell Shines in Sox Win
Zebulon, NC (July 6, 2014) - Corey Littrell was dominant, going seven innings for a second straight start, and the Salem Red Sox beat the Carolina Mudcats 8-2 at Five County Stadium Sunday afternoon. It's the Sox first road win on a Sunday since the first weekend of the year, after losing six straight. Littrell held the Mudcats to just three hits and a run in his seven innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.
Despite the lopsided final score, the Mudcats scored first for the third straight game. Yhoxian Medina led off the bottom of the first with a double followed by a single to Erik Gonzalez to set up first and third and no one out. Carolina would manage just one more hit off Littrell the rest of the way. Joe Sever bounced into a double play, which was enough to bring the run home and give Carolina a 1-0 lead.
The Sox went hitless in the first two frames, but the offense took life in the third off Mudcats starter Adam Plutko. Six consecutive hits would lead to six Salem runs. Matty Johnson started the frame with a single, followed by a double by Mike Miller to put runners on second and third. Then consecutive RBI singles by Reed Gragnani and Jantzen Witte gave the Sox a 2-1 lead. Kevin Heller doubled in a third run, and then Aneury Tavarez extended his hit streak to seven games with a two RBI single to give the Sox a 5-0 lead. A batter later, Mario Martinez would reach on a throwing error by Yhoxian Medina, scoring Tavarez and giving the Sox a 6-0 lead, all with no outs. Plutko was removed for Rob Nixon, who retired the next three to end the inning.
Plutko finished with two innings pitched, allowing six runs, five earned, on six hits. Nixon would retire the next nine Sox, throwing four hitless innings in relief.
The Sox struck again in the seventh off Benny Suarez. Jantzen Witte doubled to lead off the frame, follow by a single by Heller to make it first and third. Tavarez reached on a fielder's choice which scored Witte and made it 7-1. Tavarez added the cherry on top of his excellent afternoon with a solo home run in the ninth to give the Sox a 8-1 edge. Aneury finished 2-4, reached base four times, and drove in four.
The Mudcats scratched a run in the ninth off Matty Ott. LeVon Washington singled in Joe Sever to cut the deficit to six. But Ott shut the door from their, going two innings out of the 'pen, with two hits and a unearned allowed.
The Sox win gives Salem a winning road trip for the first time since April. Salem returns home to open a three game set with Frederick Keys. Joe Gunkel goes for the Sox with Mark Blackmar scheduled for the 7:05 first pitch.