Cease's gem leads Dash to series-opening win

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 1, 2018) - Dylan Cease dominated the Lynchburg Hillcats on Tuesday, firing seven shutout innings and striking out a career-high 12 batters to lead the Dash to a series-opening, 9-0 win at BB&T Ballpark. 
The right-hander, who is the fifth-best prospect in the White Sox organization according to MLB Pipeline, retired 19 Hillcats in a row after allowing a leadoff single to Mitch Longo to begin the game. Cease (3-1) retired 21 of the 23 batters he faced, allowing just two hits across his career-high seven frames.

The Winston-Salem (13-12) offense provided more than enough support. The Dash got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, when Mitch Roman scored on an RBI single from Blake Rutherford. 
The bats erupted in the fourth. After Micker Adolfo led off with a double against Lynchburg (12-12) starter Zach Plesac (1-2), Gavin Sheets delivered a run-scoring single through the right side to double the Dash's lead. Then, after a single from Zach Remillard put runners on the corners with one out, Nate Nolan crushed a three-run homer to left field to make it 5-0. 
Cease continued to cruise. He followed up the Dash's four-run frame by striking out the side in the fifth to bring his strikeout total to eight. The Milton, Ga., native showcased his high velocity throughout the night, hitting 100 m.p.h. on the stadium radar gun three times.  
In the bottom of the fifth, Winston-Salem tacked on three more runs. Rutherford singled with one out and came around to score on Adolfo's second double of the night. Then, Remillard hit a fly ball to right field that Jodd Carter couldn't track, resulting in an RBI double. Yeyson Yrizarri continued the hit parade with an RBI single, signaling the end of the night for Plesac. 
Alex Call continued the barrage in the sixth. He took the first pitch he saw from Anderson Polanco and drove it over the left field fence for his second home run of the season, making it a 9-0 contest. 
After finishing his night with back-to-back strikeouts in the seventh, Cease gave way to Blake Hickman and Danny Dopico, who combined for two scoreless frames and four strikeouts to complete the Dash's third shutout of the season. 
Winston-Salem's series with the Hillcats continues on Wednesday at 11 a.m. Right-hander Luis Martinez (0-1, 5.19 ERA) goes for the Dash against Hillcats southpaw Tanner Tully (1-1, 3.63 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 10:45 a.m., and fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App. 
The Dash's homestand continues with two more games against Lynchburg and a three-game series against the Buies Creek Astros. Promotions include a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday and a Star Wars Night on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Dash will wear "Winston-Salem Rayados" jerseys on May 6, as part of the team's participation in Minor League Baseball's "Copa de la Diversión," or "Fun Cup," initiative, a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with participating teams' local Hispanic/Latino communities. For more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.