Salem's Streak Halted in 11-9 Slugfest

Salem, VA (April 18, 2012) - Clutch hits were the difference as Lynchburg went 7-for-13 with runners in scoring position, capitalizing at a better rate than Salem in Wednesday's 11-9 Hillcats victory at LewisGale Field. The Red Sox went just 4-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base, compared to the Hillcats, who only stranded five. A four-run top of the seventh transformed Salem's 9-7 lead into an 11-9 deficit, and after scoring at least one run in 14 of the first 22 innings in the series, the Sox' sticks went silent in the final three frames.

The squads combined for 20 runs on 25 hits, with five Hillcats and four Red Sox delivering multi-hit performances. The only three-hit game belonged to Lynchburg newcomer Matt Weaver, promoted from extended spring training earlier in the day. Weaver went 3-for-4 with a home from the ninth spot in the Hillcats batting order, while Evan Gattis crushed his league-leading fourth home run, a two-run grenade that evened the score at seven-all in the top of the fifth.

Salem's start could not have gone better, with major league rehabber Rich Hill striking out the side in the first and the Sox offense rallying for three runs off Ronan Pacheco in the bottom of the frame. While Hill tossed just one inning, Drake Britton did not allow a baserunner in the second or third after taking over, and the Sox led 3-0 heading to the fourth, when the game took a crazy turn.

Both teams scored four times in the fourth, with Lynchburg surging ahead 4-3 before Salem swiped the advantage right back, jumping to a 7-4 lead after four. Then, in the top of the fifth, the Hillcats crushed a pair of homers to tie the game at seven, only to have Carson Blair lead off the last of the fifth with a triple. He scored one batter later on Felix Sanchez' sac fly, lifting the Sox to an 8-7 advantage.

Christian Vazquez singled home Xander Bogaerts in the last of the sixth, widening the gap to 9-7, but the Hillcats used five hits in the seventh to bolt in front. Nick Ahmed, Kyle Rose, Edward Salcedo, and Chris Garcia all recorded RBI knocks off Sox reliever Scott Swinson, and Lynchburg led 11-9.

The Sox-bolstered by the entrance of Andrew Jones, who pitched the final two and a third innings without allowing a run-had numerous opportunities to battle back in their final three chances, but the timely hits were elusive. Lynchburg's Ryan Weber held the Sox without runs over the seventh and the eighth, while Juan Jaime earned his second save, pitching around two walks in a scoreless ninth.

Jackie Bradley, Jr., Sean Coyle, Travis Shaw, and Vazquez all finished with two hits apiece for the Sox, while Shaw and Vazquez each drove in a pair of runs.

The game started 18 minutes late because of rain in the Roanoke Valley, not ending until nearly 11 PM after three hours and 27 minutes of baseball. The victory lifted the Hillcats to a league-best 8-4 mark, while the Sox remain in a four-way tie for first (and last) in the Carolina League's Southern Division at 6-6.

Following a 4-2 homestand, the Sox are back on the road on Thursday for a four-game series with the Potomac Nationals. Miguel Celestino takes the ball in game one against P-Nats' lefty Bobby Hansen, with the first pitch slated for 7:05 from Pfitzner Stadium.