Sox Skid Reaches Six in 6-5 Loss Friday
SALEM, VA (Friday, May 11) - The Salem Red Sox saw victory slip through their fingers yet again Friday night, blowing a ninth-inning lead and losing 6-5 in 10 innings to the Lynchburg Hillcats at Haley Toyota Field.Salem (17-18) dropped beneath .500 for the first time all season and falling
SALEM, VA (Friday, May 11) - The Salem Red Sox saw victory slip through their fingers yet again Friday night, blowing a ninth-inning lead and losing 6-5 in 10 innings to the Lynchburg Hillcats at Haley Toyota Field.
Salem (17-18) dropped beneath .500 for the first time all season and falling for the sixth straight night. The Hillcats (17-17) picked up their third straight win and found their way back to .500, moving past Salem into second place in the Northern Division. Salem's bullpen was again heavily taxed, as their starting pitcher failed to make it out of the first inning; the relief corps has pitched 15.2 of the last 18 innings for the team.
The Hillcats got their offense cooking in the top of the first against Salem starting pitcher
Salem got on the board in the bottom of the second inning against Lynchburg starter
The Hillcats earned that run back in the top of the third. Oliver walked Chu, and then fired a wild pitch that moved the runner to second. Oliver recovered to whiff Brooks and Persinger, but Tapia laced a single to right and Chu came in to score and make it 3-1.
Salem edged a run closer in the bottom of the third, as
Salem moved ahead for the first time in the series in the bottom of the fifth inning. Netzer and Chatham cracked consecutive one-out singles, and
The Sox maintained that lead until the top of the ninth, as new reliever
In the 10th, Pimentel fanned Tapia for the first out, and got Cerda to ground out to third, moving Persinger up to third base. Pantoja swung at the first pitch and sliced a single to right to score Persinger. In the bottom of the 10th, lefty
Hernandez's erratic start ended after only two outs recorded; he surrendered two runs on one hit and four walks. Oliver was terrific in a career-long 4.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while whiffing six.
The Sox will try to avoid dropping a seventh straight game Saturday night, with righty