Dash-ja Vu, Winston-Salem Falls Just Short 4-2

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Amidst the barks from the furry fans in attendance at the inaugural pups in the park night, Winston-Salem (2-4) fell just short of Greensboro (5-1) in a 4-2 affair.

On a night that was delayed 45 minutes due to rain, the 1,800 fans in Truist Stadium were treated to a debut like none other. For the first time this season, the Dash unveiled Murphy, the bat dog, for pups in the park night.

All game long, Murphy would run out of his spot next to the dugout and collect the loose lumber cast away by Dash batters as they trotted around the bases.

In the bottom of the 8th, with the bags full, Murphy wasn’t the only one anxious about the next bat he’d be called to fetch — the entire crowd was. It was a 3-2 game in favor of the Grasshoppers. The ballpark was still; even the chorus of canine barks from the other four-legged friends in attendance had faded away, as Drake Logan climbed into the box and looked to deliver.

Thwack.

There was no longer a stick for Murphy to collect.

A shattered-bat ground ball off the lumber of Drake Logan to the Greensboro shortstop Jesus Castillo put a stamp on the Dash threat.

The bat, serendipitous to the bases-loaded chance, exploded.

It was just one of those kinds of games for Winston-Salem. Every time they were on the fringe of success, a well-timed defensive play by Greensboro put any thought of advancement in the rearview mirror. In the end, the Dash stranded 12 runners on the basepaths.

While the outcome wasn’t what Winston-Salem had hoped for, it was one that continued to show promise. Righthander Tanner McDougal struck out six Grasshoppers in his stellar 5.0 inning, one-run performance. As a staff, the Dash struck out a new season-best 12 Greensboro bats, a mark they had pushed from the night prior when they recorded 10.

The only blemish for McDougal was a Javier Rivas home run that broke the scoreless tie in the second. The Dash were able to respond and scored a pair of runs in the fifth. They would take the 2-1 lead to the eighth.

The Grasshoppers peppered two singles to open the frame. After a pitching change by Winston-Salem that brought in Carson Jacobs, a third base knock of the inning, a two-RBI single from Jesus Castillo, gave Greensboro their first lead since 1-0 with just six outs left for the Dash.

In the final two frames, Winston-Salem had opportunities to climb back. The Dash loaded the bases in the eighth, and had two runners on in the ninth, but could not score.

While the win column might be in favor of the Grasshoppers three games to none, the Dash have only lost by a total of five runs at the halfway mark of the series. Winston-Salem has continued to show resilience against Greensboro and has given the team atop the South Atlantic Division a true test each night until the final out of every game.

The Dash will look to try and find an answer against the Grasshoppers on Friday, April 11th.