Salem Clinches Opening Weekend Series with a 4-2 Victory Over Delmarva

SALEM, Va. – The Salem Red Sox secured the opening weekend series victory against the Delmarva Shorebirds with a 4-2 win on Saturday night at Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark.

Salem struck first in the bottom of the fifth inning. Andruw Musett led off with a single, and Yosander Asencio followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Musett to score and moved Asencio to third. Franklin Arias, fresh off a 3-for-5 performance Friday night, picked up where he left off with a two-out RBI single to score Asencio, putting the Sox up 2-0.

Brady Tygart started for Salem and tossed 2.2 innings of one-hit, no-run ball before leaving the game suddenly mid-batter in the third inning. The bullpen took over with Austin Ehrlicher, who picked up the win after pitching 2.1 innings and striking out four of the eight batters he faced.

Delmarva responded with a run in the top of the sixth, but Salem's offense delivered again in the seventh inning, just as they did Friday night. Asencio led off with a single, and with the help of a stolen base, a hit-and-run, and an obstruction call, he scored on a Kelvin Diaz single to extend the lead to 3-1. The very next batter, Arias, added another RBI single to score Diaz, giving the Sox a 4-1 lead.

Southpaw Michael Sansone entered a jam in the sixth inning but worked out of it unscathed. He went on to pitch 3.1 innings for the save, allowing one run while striking out one.

Delmarva brought the tying and go-ahead runs to the plate in the top of the ninth, but a clutch 4-6-3 double play off the bat of Miguel Rodriguez sealed the win and the series for Salem, sending the crowd home happy.

This victory marked the first time since 2022 that Salem has won its opening weekend series, snapping a two-year drought.

The Red Sox will look to complete the sweep of Delmarva Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Luis Cohen will take the mound for the 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch.