Salem, Va. - The Wood Ducks stormed past the Red Sox, 6-1, Friday, to take the rubber game of the three game series.
Salem, Va. - The Wood Ducks stormed past the Red Sox, 6-1, Friday, to take the rubber game of the three game series.
Down East (18-11, 68-31) concludes the season series, going 12-5 against the Red Sox (18-10, 43-52), including a mark of 7-2 at Haley Toyota Field.
Salem struck first in the ballgame stringing together three straight one-out singles in the first inning against Reid Anderson (win, 5-5), with Pedro Castellanos driving home Ryan Fitzgerald to make it 1-0. Anderson loaded the bases in the inning, but escaped without any further damage.
He settled down there after, working six innings, allowing just the one run on six hits, he walked two, and struck out six. He recorded his fifth quality start of the season, and now has won his last two starts.
The Woodies came storming back at the plate. In the second Sherten Apostel lined his first Carolina League hit, a single up the middle to begin the inning, and then Julio Pablo Martinez followed with a double down the left field line to put a pair in scoring position. Yohel Pozo followed with a sac fly to center to tie the score at 1-1. Martinez then stole third, and on the play, the ball bounced off the glove of Nick Sciortino , allowing Martinez to make it all the way around to score, putting the Wood Ducks in front, 2-1.
Down East would increase their lead in the third. Diosbel Arias reached on a two out error, and two batters later, Apostel lined a single to left-center to score him and make it a 3-1 lead.
Andrew Politi (loss, 4-2) made the spot start for Salem, going four innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits, he walked three, and struck out two.
The Woodies continued their success against Rio Gomez in relief. Sam Huff greeted the lefty with a mammoth home run to left field in the fifth, a solo shot, his tenth of the year for the Woodies, and 25th overall to make it 4-1. Arias then singled to follow, and after an error advanced him to third base, Martinez came through with a sac fly to make it 5-1 Down East.
The Woodies would add on one final time in the eighth. Pozo led off with a double, and after a sac bunt moved him to third, Bubba Thompson lifted the Wood Ducks third sacrifice fly of the game to score him and increase the advantage to 6-1.
The Down East bullpen was stellar in relief. Josh Advocate fired two scoreless innings allowing one hit, while striking out two. Jairo Beras then worked a scoreless ninth, finishing the game with a strikeout, to strand a one-out double at second. Down East allowed just four baserunners after the second inning.
The Wood Ducks continue their road trip Saturday in Winston-Salem when Down East sends righty Alex Eubanks (8-2, 2.34) to the mound to face off with Dash right-hander Jonathan Stiever (2-3, 2.53). First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m., and the broadcast will begin at 5:50 p.m. on 960AM The Bull, and online at 960thebull.com as well as on the MiLB First Pitch and TuneIn Radio Apps.
