SALEM, VA (Friday, June 22) - The Salem Red Sox took home a win in a wild game Friday night, plating three runs in the bottom of the eighth to top the Frederick Keys 5-3 at Haley Toyota Field.Salem (1-1, 33-37) overcame a balk, a passed ball, two hit batters
SALEM, VA (Friday, June 22) - The Salem Red Sox took home a win in a wild game Friday night, plating three runs in the bottom of the eighth to top the Frederick Keys 5-3 at Haley Toyota Field.
Salem (1-1, 33-37) overcame a balk, a passed ball, two hit batters and three wild pitches to down the visitors and earn their first win in the second half of the season. Frederick (1-1, 36-35) was just as sloppy, committing a critical error, getting two runners thrown out on the bases, hitting a batter, and allowing the winning run to come home on a wild pitch.
Neither team was able to tally until the end of the third. Frederick starting pitcher Cristian Alvarado (ND) gave up a two-out single to Santiago Espinal, who swiped second to put himself in scoring position. Brett Netzer seized the opportunity, poking an RBI single to right to score Espinal and give the Sox a 1-0 lead.
Frederick answered immediately in the top of the fourth. Leadoff man Wilson Garcia hammered a double to right off Darwinzon Hernandez (ND) and moved to third on a single by Randolph Gassaway, who moved to second on Chris Madera's throw home. Jomar Reyes hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Garcia and tying the game at 1-1.
The Keys edged ahead in the top of the fifth. Hernandez hit Chris Clare to start the inning, and Daniel Fajardo singled to put runners at first and second. T.J. Nichting dropped a bunt to the left side that he beat out for a single to load the bases. Preston Palmeiro bounced into a double play, but Clare was able to come home to give the Keys a 2-1 advantage.
Salem drew level in the bottom of the fifth frame, as Ryan Scott led off the frame with a single. With Madera in the box, the Red Sox executed a flawless hit-and-run, with Scott making it to third on Madera's single. Alvarado fired a pickoff throw to first that went astray; Scott zipped home to tie the game at 2-2.
Frederick moved back in front in the top of the seventh against Sox reliever Jared Oliver, who gave up a leadoff single to Fajardo. A passed ball by Roldani Baldwin advanced Fajardo to second, and Oliver balked to move the runner to third. The Sox elected to intentionally walk Garcia after Oliver fell behind 2-0, and Gassaway slashed a double to left that scored Fajardo. Garcia was thrown out at the plate, but the Keys had slid ahead 3-2.
The Sox made their move in the bottom of the eighth against Keys reliever Tyler Erwin (L, 1-3; BS, 3). Netzer banged a triple off the wall in right to open the inning, and C.J. Chatham earned a walk to put runners at the corners. Baldwin hit a bouncer to first, and Collin Woody threw home to nab Netzer, with the runners going to first and second on the fielder's choice. Bobby Dalbec hit a cue shot that tap-danced up the first base line for an RBI double, scoring Chatham. Baldwin overran third, and dove back in safely, but he was injured on the play, and was replaced by pinch-runner Trenton Kemp. Jerry Downs fell behind 0-2 before Erwin uncorked a slider that ran inside and plunked the batter to load the bases. New reliever Zach Muckenhirn got to a 1-1 count on Tyler Hill before he fired a wild pitch of his own, plating Kemp and advancing Dalbec and Downs to second and third. Hill added some insurance with a sacrifice fly to score Dalbec, and the Sox took their final 5-3 lead. Jake Cosart (W, 3-0) set down the side in order in the ninth to secure the victory for Salem.
Hernandez took a no-decision, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks over six innings while whiffing six batters. Oliver surrendered a run on two hits and three walks in 1.2 frames, fanning three. Cosart gave up a walk and a wild pitch but nothing else in 1.1 shutout innings, striking out two.
The Sox will aim for a second straight win Saturday night, with righty Daniel Gonzalez toeing the slab for Salem against Frederick righty Michael Baumann. First pitch at Haley Toyota Field is scheduled for 6:05 p.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 5:45 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.
