Mieses, Ramos each Homer, but Dash Drop Game Three 6-3

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (June 30, 2022) — The Winston-Salem Dash were stifled by strong Aberdeen pitching in a 6-3 Ironbirds win.

The Ironbirds struck in the bottom of the first inning, just like in each of the first two games in the series. In game three, leadoff man Collin Burns reached on a single. Darrell Hernaiz singled right behind him, with Burns taking third base. Hernaiz stole second base, then an infield single from John Rhodes loaded the bases. Aberdeen cleanup hitter TT Bowens plated Burns with a groundout to third base, and Aberdeen led 1-0. With the bases still loaded, Dash starter Chase Solesky induced a crucial double play to escape the inning with no further damage.

In the top of the second, Luis Mieses tied the game at 1-1 with a solo home run to right field, his seventh blast of the season.

Aberdeen answered back in the home half, as Ramon Rodriguez blooped a single into shallow right field to begin the inning. Ryan Higgins singled later with one out, and then with two outs Collin Burns singled to load the bases. Darrell Hernaiz, in an 0-2 count, lined a single off of Bryan Ramos at third base. Both Ramos and Higgins scored to put the Ironbirds ahead 3-1.

TT Bowens drew a leadoff walk for Aberdeen in the bottom of the third, which set the table for Billy Cook to drive a two-run home run over the left field wall. His sixth blast on the year pushed the score to 5-1 Aberdeen.

Winston-Salem called on Everett Hazelwood to relieve Solesky after three innings, and the right hander was sharp. He didn’t allow a hit or a run in the fourth and fifth innings, keeping the Dash deficit at just four runs.

Bryan Ramos cut into the deficit in the top of the sixth inning, with his two-out, full-count home run. That was the twelfth longball of the season for the Dash third baseman, which trimmed the Ironbirds lead to 5-2.

Unfortunately, Billy Cook got that run right back with his leadoff blast in the bottom of the sixth inning, his second of the night and seventh for the season.

After a scoreless seventh inning, Winston-Salem got the wheels turning again in the eighth.

Duke Ellis smacked a single into centerfield, but a misplay by Isaac Bellony allowed Ellis to move all the way to third base. Colson Montgomery worked the count to 2-2, before he lined a single to right, and Ellis trotted home to make it a 6-3 Ironbirds lead. That base knock extended Montgomery’s on-base streak to 38 games between Winston-Salem and Kannappolis.

The Dash got a double from Keegan Fish in the 9th inning, but couldn’t muster anything more, as Aberdeen won 6-3. Peter Van Loon took the win on his record, with Solesky suffering a loss.