Winston suffers second straight shutout loss

Wilmington, Del. (April 12, 2014) - Winston-Salem could not score once again Saturday night thanks to great pitching from the Wilmington Blue Rocks, who cruise to a 4-0 victory on Saturday night at Frawley Stadium.

The Dash (3-6) have not scored since the sixth inning of their 9-8 loss at Salem on Thursday night. This 21-inning scoreless streak is the longest in the Dash era (2009-present), while Winston has dropped back-to-back shutouts for the first time since August 23 and 24 of 2009.

Winston-Salem only sent one more than the minimum to the plate and mustered just three hits in the contest, the Dash's fourth loss in their last five at Frawley Stadium. Before this period, Winston had claimed 18 of its previous 23 tilts in Delaware.

Both starting pitchers sizzled through the first four innings. Dash starter Braulio Ortiz (0-1) only permitted one walk in those first four frames, while Wilmington's Christian Binford (1-0) did not allow a base runner.

In the fifth inning, Jason Coats ended the perfect game bid for Binford with a double off the wall in left field, but the Dash could not push across the game's first run.

Wilmington (4-5) also notched its first hit in the fifth frame, but the Blue Rocks did not spoil their scoring chance. Daniel Rockett put down a perfect bunt with one down in the inning, and he scored on Cam Gallagher's sharp double down the left field line. Wilmington would follow with a pair of unearned runs with two down in the inning to claim a 3-0 lead.

That was all the support Binford needed. The right-hander whiffed 10 in seven shutout innings en route to the victory. Zeb Sneed finished the three-hitter with two strong innings out of the bullpen.

Afternoon baseball is on the horizon for the Dash and the Blue Rocks on Sunday at 1:35 p.m. The Dash will send right-hander Mike Recchia (0-1, 20.25 ERA) to the mound against southpaw Daniel Stumpf (0-1, 9.00 ERA). The Pregame Dash begins at 1:20 p.m. on wsdash.com/broadcast.

The Dash return home Tuesday for a seven-game homestand that begins with All-You-Can-Eat Night. All fans received all-you-can-eat hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers through the seventh inning, and normal ticket prices apply. For tickets, log on to wsdash.com.