Dash's Montilla hits for elusive cycle

Gerson Montilla knew he was just a single away from hitting for the cycle. Even if he didn't, his teammates would not let him forget.

Already enjoying a career night at the plate, the White Sox farmhand singled off the right field wall in his final at-bat in the ninth inning to complete the first cycle of his career and put the finishing touch on Class A Advanced Winston-Salem's 13-8 win at Salem.

It was the first cycle for a Winston-Salem player since Brandon Allen on May 14, 2008.

The four hits and four runs scored tie career highs for Montilla, who fell one RBI short of the personal best he set on July 2, 2012 with Class A Advanced Visalia in the Diamondbacks organization.

"I had never hit for the cycle before," he said. "I came close a couple of years ago when I needed a double, but I fell short, so I'm very, very excited to do it. All the guys in the dugout kept telling me I only needed a single, so I knew what was going on."

Montilla helped Winston-Salem get off to a quick start, smashing a three-run homer to right field in a five-run first inning. It was his first homer as a member of the White Sox organization after he spent seven years with the D-backs.

His double to center in second produced another run, leaving him halfway to the cycle just two innings into the game. After grounding into a double play in the third, the 26-year-old infielder legged out his 15th triple in more than 2,700 Minor League at-bats to drive in another run in the fifth as the Dash opened a 11-2 lead.

Salem clawed back with two runs in the second, one in the fourth and three more in the fifth on two groundouts and an RBI single by Mike Meyers, his second of the game. They added a run in the seventh to get within 11-7.

Needing a single for the cycle, Montilla flied to right in the seventh. But with two outs in the ninth, the veteran of 766 Minor League games came through. Working the count to 3-0 against right-hander Austin Maddox, the Venezuela native ripped a ball off the right field wall that was quickly relayed back to the infield, holding him to a single but enabling him to complete the cycle.

"It was a 3-0 count and I really didn't want to take the walk," Montilla said. "I wanted to hit the ball hard somewhere and I did, right off the wall. I didn't even have a chance to try for second base. If I tried to make it, I would have been out, for sure."

Nick Basto also had four hits for Winston-Salem, who got three RBIs from Marcus Davis and two apiece from Brett Austin and Louie Lechich.

Red Sox top prospect Yoan Moncada doubled, singled and scored a run for Salem. He's hit safely in all but one of 14 games this season and is batting .353.