Dash Bolt Past BlueClaws in 11-5 Victory

LAKEWOOD, N.J. (May 23, 2021) — The Winston-Salem Dash defeated the Jersey Shore BlueClaws 11-5 on Sunday in the final game of a six-game series.

Both the Dash and the BlueClaws came ready to score early, as both teams plated a run in the first inning. In the top of the first, Yolbert Sanchez drew a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Alex Destino lined into left field to score Sanchez and give the Dash an early 1-0 lead.

The ‘Claws answered in the first, as the leadoff man Hunter Markwardt scorched a triple to right field. Markwardt scored on a groundout hit into by Bryson Stott.

The Dash hit the BlueClaws with an offensive barrage in the top of the fourth inning, beginning with singles by Luis Mieses and Duke Ellis and a walk drawn by Harvin Mendoza to fill the bags. Travis Moniot knocked a line drive single into right field and reached second on a throwing error, scoring Mieses, Ellis and Mendoza. The BlueClaws replaced starter Jonathan Hughes with reliever Riley Wilson.

Wilson struck out a batter, but then walked Johan Cruz. With Moniot and Cruz aboard, Alex Destino crushed a three-run bomb over the center field wall. The homer marked the third on the year for Destino and put the Dash up 7-1.

The Dash offense struck again in the sixth inning, as Lenyn Sosa and Alex Destino got aboard on base hits. Luis Curbelo joined the party and clubbed his sixth home run of the year, a three-run jack to left center field to extend the Winston-Salem lead to 10-1.

Dash reliever Edgar Navarro entered the ballgame in the sixth, replacing starter Johan Dominguez. Navarro began to struggle a bit when he hit Jhaylin Ortiz with a pitch. Ortiz took second base on a passed ball and advanced to third after back-to-back walks drawn by Vito Friscia and Jonathan Guzman juiced the bases. Keaton Greenwalt singled on a line drive to right field, scoring Oritz and Frisicia, and pushing Guzman to third. Guzman touched home on a Cole Stobbe base-knock grounder to left. At the end of the sixth, the ‘Claws had slightly closed the deficit and moved the score to 10-4.

Jersey Shore sprinkled another run on in the bottom of the seventh as Vito Friscia doubled to center field, scoring Bryson Stott.

In the ninth inning, the Dash put another on the board as well. Harvin Mendoza shot one into the right field seats for a solo homer, extending the Dash lead to a final score of 11-5.

Johan Dominguez (1-2, 3.50 ERA) collected the win for the Dash, while Jonathan Hughes (2-1, 3.75 ERA) took the loss for Jersey Shore.

The Dash lose the series against Jersey Shore four games to two, and the team’s record moves back even at 9-9 on the season.

The Dash will trek back to Truist Stadium to face the Hickory Crawdads in a six-game series beginning on Tuesday, May 25. Tickets are on sale now at https://www.milb.com/winston-salem/tickets.