Four homers, Booker's squeeze gives Dash walk-off win

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (April 14, 2018) - For the second time in three nights, Winston-Salem won in walk-off fashion, coming from behind to defeat the Carolina Mudcats 6-5 in 10 innings to earn a series victory and a sixth straight win. Joel Booker provided the game-winning hit, a walk-off suicide squeeze bunt against Chase Williams (0-1) to bring home Yeyson Yrizarri.
The walk-off win was made possible by an explosive bottom of the eighth from the Dash (7-3) offense. With Winston-Salem trailing 5-0, Booker started the comeback with a solo blast to left field against Mudcats right-hander Miguel Sanchez. Then, after a Blake Rutherford double, Luis Basabe stepped up to the plate and delivered a two-run shot to the seats in right to make it a 5-3 contest.

Next up was Micker Adolfo, who drilled a solo homer over the Nature's Select Knoll in left to cut the deficit to one. Two batters later, it was Yermin Mercedes' turn. On a 0-1 pitch from Carolina left-hander Cody Beckman, Mercedes smacked the fourth homer of the inning, a solo blast to left to tie the game at five. Winston-Salem had entered the frame with three total home runs on the season. 
Basabe finished the game 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, extending his hitting streak to six games. Adolfo ended the evening 1-for-4 with a homer, running his hitting streak to seven games, the most by a Dash player this season.
Kyle Kubat (1-0) picked up the win in relief, tossing two scoreless frames. Meanwhile, Luis Martinez pitched four strong innings in relief, striking out six and allowing just one run to keep the Mudcats (5-5) offense at bay. 
Winston-Salem played from behind for most of the night. The Mudcats plated three runs in the second against Dash starter Ricardo Pinto thanks to a three-run home run from Carlos Belonis. Belonis struck again the fifth when he sent a solo shot down the left-field line for his second long ball of the night, giving Carolina a 4-0 lead. The Mudcats tacked on another run in the seventh, when Tucker Neuhaus doubled off the wall in right to bring around Dallas Carroll. 
Mudcats starter Cam Roegner kept the sizzling Dash offense in check throughout his start. The southpaw tossed seven shutout innings, striking out six and allowing just four hits. 
The Dash finished the ballgame with 11 hits, the sixth straight double-digit effort from the offense. 
Winston-Salem concludes its series with the Mudcats on Sunday at 2 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark. The Dash send right-hander Jimmy Lambert (1-0, 0.00 ERA) to the mound against Mudcats' right-hander Braden Webb (0-1, 10.80 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 1:45 p.m., and fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App. Fans can also tune into My48 for live television coverage of Sunday's contest. 
The Dash finish their opening homestand with a Lowes Foods Family Sunday, where children ages 12 and under will receive free bag of popcorn. Also, two Dash players will sign autographs on the concourse prior to the game, and kids can run the bases after the contest, presented by New Balance Winston-Salem. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.