RidgeYaks Hold Off Pelicans 5-4, Behind Finley's 10 Strikeouts

SALEM, Va. – A pair of early home runs and a dominant outing from Leighton Finley were enough to carry the Salem RidgeYaks (27-43, 2-3) to a 5-4 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (29-40, 2-3) on Wednesday night at Carilion Clinic Field.

Salem jumped out to an early five-run advantage with a pair of home runs and never relinquished the lead, despite Myrtle Beach scoring the game's final two runs to make things interesting late.

The RidgeYaks wasted little time getting on the board in the opening inning. After Kleyver Salazar walked with two outs, Adonys Guzman launched a two-run homer over the left-field wall, his first home run of the season with Single-A Salem, giving the Yaks a 2-0 lead.

One inning later, Andruw Musett extended the advantage when he belted his own solo shot to left, making it 3-0 with his first long ball of the year.

Myrtle Beach answered in the top of the third as Eli Lovich lined a two-run triple into right field to score Geuri Lubo and Alexis Hernandez, trimming the deficit to one.

The RidgeYaks responded immediately.

Skylar King and Andrews Opata opened the bottom of the third with back-to-back base hits before Salazar ripped a two-run double to left, plating both runners to restore a three-run cushion. Lubo fired the relay home, and Salazar was eventually tagged out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, but not before Salem had pushed its lead to 5-2.

That was all the offense Finley would need.

The right-hander turned in one of his best starts of the season, striking out a career-high 10 batters across five innings while allowing just four hits and two earned runs. Finley walked two and earned his fourth win of the year, lowering his ERA to 3.44.

Myrtle Beach slowly chipped away in the later innings. Derniche Valdez drove home Logan Poteet with an RBI double in the sixth before the Pelicans manufactured another run in the seventh. Geuri Lubo stole third base while Alexey Lumpuy swiped second, and a throwing error from Guzman allowed Lubo to score, cutting Salem's lead to 5-4.

The RidgeYaks bullpen made the slim advantage stand. Griffin Kilander bridged the gap with 1.2 innings of relief, allowing two hits and one unearned run while striking out one. Wuilliams Rodriguez closed out the final 2.1 innings, retiring the Pelicans without allowing a run while striking out two to earn his third save of the season.

Salazar finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a walk, while Guzman went 2-for-3 with his two-run homer and two RBIs. King collected two hits and scored once, and Musett added his solo homer as Salem totaled eight hits.

With the series tied at one, the RidgeYaks and Pelicans continue their six-game series on Thursday night at Carilion Clinic Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Cole Tolbert will make the start on a Thirsty Thursday in Salem.

Game Notes:

• Salem won their first home game since May 31 (1-0 over Hickory)
• The RidgeYaks move to 6-15 in one-run games this season and have now won two straight one-run games
• Leighton Finley’s 10-strikeouts ties the most by any Salem pitcher this season (Jason Gilman, June 3 @ Wilson)
• Finley’s 10 punchouts marked the first time since September 5, 2024 (Matt Duffy vs. Kannapolis) that a Salem pitcher fanned double digits at home
• Adonys Guzman and Andruw Musett both belted their first home runs with Single-A Salem this season
• Musett hit his home run 418-feet to left field tying Luke Heyman (May 10 vs Delmarva) for the second longest home run at home this season
• Musett blasted his first home run since August 29, 2025 at Bowling Green with Greenville
• Musett has now reached base safely in 17 of his 18 games this season with Salem
• Musett has an active 14-game on-base streak dating back to May 24
• Over the 19 games in June, Salem pitchers have struck out 217 hitters, averaging 1.31 strikeouts per inning. Since June 1, that total leads all of Minor League Baseball (Full Season)
• Salem moves to 4-15 in June games
• Skylar King went 2-for-4 with his eight multi-hit game of the season
• Kleyver Salazar also recorded his 12^th multi-hit game this season with a 2-for-3 night

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