Battenfield shines in 2-1 loss to Wilmington on Wednesday

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (April 17, 2019) - Winston-Salem starter Blake Battenfield shined in seven innings of work, but the Wilmington Blue Rocks pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Warthogs on Wednesday night at BB&T Ballpark.
With Winston-Salem (6-8) sporting its retro Warthogs jerseys, Battenfield (0-2) pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs (both unearned) on three hits while striking out five. Battenfield's seven-inning effort marked the longest outing by any Winston-Salem pitcher this season.

The Blue Rocks (10-4) benefitted from strong pitching of their own. In his High-A debut, Wilmington starter Marcelo Martinez (1-0) recorded five shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out two. In relief of Martinez, J.C. Cloney allowed just one earned run on two hits across three innings, but Tyler Zuber finished off the ballgame by earning the save with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth. 
Wilmington jumped out to a lead in the top of the third. Angelo Castellano began the inning by reaching second base on a throwing error by Warthogs third baseman Yeyson Yrizarri. After a Cristian Perez single moved Castellano to third, Ricky Aracena gave Wilmington a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to deep right. Brewer Hicklen added to the Blue Rocks advantage with a two-out, RBI single that brought home Perez.
The Warthogs scored their lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Tyler Frost belted his first home run of the season, a 404-foot, opposite-field shot to make it a 2-1 contest. The homer extended Frost's hitting streak to eight games, the longest for any Dash player this season. 
Winston-Salem will hit the road for a seven-game road trip beginning Thursday at Potomac. Left-hander Kyle Kubat (1-0, 2.45 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Dash against P-Nats left-hander Nick Raquet (1-1, 4.50 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., and fans can catch all the action on wsdash.com/broadcast and the TuneIn Radio App. Pregame coverage begins at 6:50 p.m.
Following the road trip, the Dash return home for a seven-game homestand beginning on Friday, April 26, against the Frederick Keys. After Friday's game, there will be a postgame fireworks display. Live music and a Chick-fil-A Four Pack Night are on deck for Saturday, followed by a Lowes Foods Family Sunday during the series finale.
The homestand will roll into the following week with a four-game series against Potomac from April 29-May 2, which features a Free Food Monday and a Taco Tuesday. The homestand finale will be a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday, a Pups in the Park Night, presented by Handy and Handy Orthodontics, and a Rayados Day. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com