Salem’s Offense Sputters in Series-Deciding Doubleheader Against Hickory
SALEM, Va. — The Salem Red Sox (29-44, 3-6) were swept in a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday afternoon, dropping the series four games to two in a six-game set against the Hickory Crawdads (40-34, 7-2). Salem lost the first game 3-0, followed by an 8-0 defeat at Carilion
SALEM, Va. — The Salem Red Sox (29-44, 3-6) were swept in a pair of seven-inning games on Sunday afternoon, dropping the series four games to two in a six-game set against the Hickory Crawdads (40-34, 7-2). Salem lost the first game 3-0, followed by an 8-0 defeat at Carilion Clinic Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark.
With the start time moved up an hour, the Red Sox got underway at 12:05 p.m. In the first contest, neither offense found early momentum, with Salem not recording its first hit until the sixth inning. It wasn’t much better for Hickory, which left five runners on base over the first two innings.
In the fifth, Hickory’s first two batters reached—one with a single, the other via a hit-by-pitch.
At that point, Red Sox starter Luis Cohen was pulled from the game. P.J. Labriola came out of the bullpen and allowed both inherited runners to score. They were charged to Cohen, giving Hickory a 2-0 lead heading into the sixth.
The Crawdads added one more in the sixth, when shortstop Wady Mendez led off with a single, stole second, and scored on a base hit by Erick Alvarez. Neither side scored from that point on, as Hickory systematically shut down the Salem offense. The Red Sox managed just four baserunners the entire game, falling 3-0 in game five of the series.
Following a 45-minute break, game two began at 2:50 p.m. Despite the pause, Salem’s offense remained dormant, failing to get a baserunner until the fifth inning, when Andruw Musett knocked a leadoff single.
Meanwhile, Hickory jumpstarted its offense in the second inning with a leadoff single from Yeremy Cabrera. The Crawdads scored two runs before Salem recorded an out, building a 4-0 lead. With two outs and the bases loaded, Cabrera returned to the plate and launched a grand slam over the right-center field wall, putting Hickory ahead 8-0.
Neither team scored again, with Salem reaching base just two more times in the contest.
The Red Sox offense never got going on Sunday afternoon, recording just three hits across 14 innings. Hickory closed out the series in dominant fashion, producing back-to-back shutouts.
With the two losses, Salem dropped the series 4-2. The Red Sox will take Monday off before heading on the road Tuesday to face the Lynchburg Hillcats at 6:30 p.m. Salem will play 12 consecutive road games before returning home on July 18.