Grasshoppers Pull Away After Early Rally to Take Opener
The Greensboro Grasshoppers (57-34) erased an early deficit and gradually pulled away from the Winston-Salem Dash (50-41), earning a 6-1 victory in the opener of the six-game series Tuesday night at Truist Stadium. The Dash struck first in the second inning after James Taussig singled and advanced to third on
The Greensboro Grasshoppers (57-34) erased an early deficit and gradually pulled away from the Winston-Salem Dash (50-41), earning a 6-1 victory in the opener of the six-game series Tuesday night at Truist Stadium.
The Dash struck first in the second inning after James Taussig singled and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches before Ely Brown lined an RBI triple to center, giving Winston-Salem a 1-0 lead.
Greensboro answered immediately in the third. Easton Carmichael tied the game with an RBI single before Jared Jones followed with a run-scoring double to put the Grasshoppers in front, 2-1. The visitors never surrendered the lead.
The Grasshoppers added insurance in the seventh when Carmichael delivered his second RBI single of the night, extending the advantage to 3-1. Greensboro broke the game open in the eighth as Sammy Stafura lifted a two-run ground-rule double into right field after a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, pushing the lead to four.
Greensboro tacked on one final run in the ninth when Axiel Plaz singled home Jones to cap the scoring.
Carmichael finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Jones collected two doubles and scored. Stafura reached base three times, stole two bases, and drove in two runs as the Grasshoppers totaled 13 hits.
Brown recorded the Dash's lone RBI with his second-inning triple, while Taussig and Brown each finished with two hits. Winston-Salem managed just three hits over the final six innings as Greensboro's pitching staff retired 19 of the final 22 batters they faced.