Lynchburg rallies in seventh, denies Dash a sweep

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 21, 2015) - A four-run seventh inning pushed the Lynchburg Hillcats to a 6-4 win over the Winston-Salem Dash on Tuesday at BB&T Ballpark.

Winston-Salem (15-10, 45-50) led 3-2 going into the seventh inning. However, Dash starter James Dykstra (3-9) yielded a leadoff triple to Ivan Castillo, the Lynchburg (11-15, 44-52) shortstop's second of the game. A Luigi Rodriguez double knotted the score at three, and, two batters later, Clint Frazier punched another two-bagger to give the Hillcats the lead and end Dykstra's evening.

Dykstra matched a career-high with 12 hits allowed. He took his ninth consecutive loss with five runs surrendered and just one strikeout against one walk.

Jake Cose entered the game for the Dash and retired Nellie Rodriguez for the second out of the inning before Mike Papi delivered an RBI single to extend Lynchburg's advantage to 5-3. After a base hit by Dorssys Paulino, Eric Haase did the same to drive in Papi and make the score 6-3.

Lynchburg reliever Justin Brantley (2-5), who came into the game with one out in the sixth, retired the first five men he faced before walking Omar Narvaez to begin the eighth. The Dash greeted new Hillcats reliever Grant Sides with singles by Nolan Earley and Cleuluis Rondon to load the bases with no one out. However, Sean O'Connell hit into a 4-6-3 double play, which did score a run to make it 6-4. Sides then retired Adam Engel on a groundout to end the frame.

Sides earned his first save of the season by getting the final six outs of the game, salvaging the three-game set for Lynchburg.

A night after their biggest first inning since April of 2014, the Dash were right back at it against Lynchburg starter Michael Peoples. Engel led off the bottom of the first with a double before stealing third base. Two batters later, Trey Michalczewski walked to put runners on the corners. An RBI single by Keon Barnum, his 12th RBI in the last 17 games, plated the first run. Nick Basto followed with an RBI double to give the Dash an early 2-0 advantage.

Hits and base running miscues highlighted the third. In the top of the frame, Castillo tripled to lead off before Luigi Rodriguez brought him in with an RBI single. However, after Paul Hendrix singled, Dykstra picked Rodriguez off second. Frazier was the fourth Hillcat in a row to knotch a hit, but Dykstra retired Nellie Rodriguez and Papi to end the threat.

Barnum drilled a solo shot to begin the third to extend Winston-Salem's lead to 3-1. Peoples walked Basto before yielding a base hit to Narvaez. After Basto was erased on a double play, Narvaez was thrown out at the plate by Papi in right field to end the inning following Rondon's single.

Claudio Bautista crushed a two-out double in the fourth and came into score on Castillo's RBI single to pull Lynchburg within 3-2.

Peoples exited after 5.1 innings, during which he gave up three runs. Peoples worked around 13 base runners, courtesy of nine hits and four walks. The trio of Lynchburg pitchers stranded nine runners, eight in scoring position.

Winston-Salem begins a three-game series Wednesday against the Carolina Mudcats. Jordan Guerrero (2-2, 2.52 ERA) goes for Winston-Salem against Carolina's Brandon Barker (4-2, 2.93 ERA). Pregame radio coverage is available at 6:45 p.m., with the first pitch at 7 p.m. on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn App.

The Dash begin a three-game set Wednesday with the Atlanta Braves' Carolina League affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats. For tickets, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.