WOODBRIDGE, VA (Sunday, July 8) - The Salem Red Sox lost a no-hitter in the seventh inning and their shutout in the ninth, but still held on Sunday afternoon as they rode a no-hit effort from starter Darwinzon Hernandez to a 7-4 win over the Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium.The
WOODBRIDGE, VA (Sunday, July 8) - The Salem Red Sox lost a no-hitter in the seventh inning and their shutout in the ninth, but still held on Sunday afternoon as they rode a no-hit effort from starter Darwinzon Hernandez to a 7-4 win over the Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium.
The Red Sox (10-7, 41-43) notched their fourth consecutive victory and took four out of five games in the weekend series. Potomac (4-13, 41-43) didn't score until they had one out in the ninth inning, and trailed for the last 22 innings of the series. Hernandez (W, 5-5) notched the first 10-strikeout game of his career, and Salem pitchers set a new season-high with 15 strikeouts combined.
Salem took an early lead in the top of the first against Potomac starter Ben Braymer (L, 3-3). With one out and C.J. Chatham on first, Bobby Dalbec singled into left, and Braymer plunked Michael Osinski to load the bases up. Ryan Scott hit a simple pop fly into shallow left, but shortstop Luis Garcia lost it in the sun, and it dropped in for a single, with Chatham and Dalbec scoring on the play to give Salem a 2-0 edge.
The Sox offense broke the game wide open in the top of the fourth frame. Carlos Tovar led off the inning with a hard single to the left side of the infield, and Trenton Kemp smoked a fastball over the right-field wall for a two-run dinger. Brett Netzer then slashed a double to left before Chatham singled to right to score him. Dalbec kept the good times rolling with a single to right on a fly that Nick Banks lost in the sun, advancing Chatham to third. Osinski brought Chatham home on a sacrifice fly to center before Scott popped out in foul ground to first baseman Aldrem Corredor for the second out. Deiner Lopez hit a twisting fly up the right field line, and Banks dove for it unsuccessfully. The ball rolled all the way to the fence, and Dalbec raced around to score on Lopez's RBI triple to run the lead to 7-0.
Potomac threatened in the bottom of the fifth, as Hernandez walked three straight batters with one out to load the bases. However, the southpaw recovered to fan Jack Sundberg and Bryan Mejia to end the frame without any damage done. Hernandez whiffed Luis Garcia and Ian Sagdal to open the sixth before walking Tres Barrera, and Jared Oliver entered to strike out Corredor and end the inning. Oliver walked two in the seventh and Jack Sundberg dispelled the no-no with a bunt single to load the bases with one away, but Oliver got Mejia to pop out for an infield fly before Garcia flew out to center to end the frame in scoreless fashion.
The P-Nats broke up the shutout in the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Yankory Pimentel entered, and allowed a leadoff double to David Masters before walking Sundberg to put runners at first and second. Pimentel recovered to get Edwin Lora to fly out to right, but gave up a single to Garcia before Sagdal walloped a towering grand slam out to right field to cut the margin to 7-4. Algenis Martinez entered to quell the rally, striking out Nick Basto and Corredor to end the game.
Hernandez dazzled the P-Nats over 5.2 no-hit frames, walking five against his career-best 10 strikeouts. Oliver tossed 2.1 scoreless frames, allowing three walks and two hits while offsetting them with three punchouts. Pimentel was rocked for four runs on three hits and a walk, recording just one out. Martinez slammed the door with strikeouts against both batters he faced.
The Sox return home Monday to kick off a four-game series against the Winston-Salem Dash, with righty Daniel Gonzalez toeing the slab for Salem against Dash right-hander Blake Hickman. First pitch at Haley Toyota Field is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and the pregame show with Ben Gellman and Suzie Cool begins at 6:45 p.m. on the Red Sox broadcast network.
