Six-run Ninth Secures Game Two Win for Dash

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (May 25, 2022) — The Winston-Salem Dash exploded for six runs in the ninth inning to pull away from Hickory in a 9-2 win.

Winston-Salem drew first blood, when Terrell Tatum lined a triple in the top of the first then scored on an Oscar Colas ground out. Duke Ellis added another run in the third, with his solo home run to left field.

The Dash got a rally going in the fourth, when Bryan Ramos and Adam Hackenberg singled to put a pair aboard with two outs for Harvin Mendoza**.** The lefty Mendoza pulled the first pitch he saw into right field, scoring Ramos from second base. However, Hackenberg was thrown out at the plate to limit the Dash lead to 3-0.

Hickory finally broke through against Luis Moncada in the fifth inning. Tom Saggese clubbed a leadoff home run over the wall in left, but that would be the only run Moncada surrendered. All told, he gave Winston-Salem five innings of one run ball, scattering four base hits and walking just one batter.

After Moncada, Wilber Perez and Jesus Valles combined for three shutout innings to hold the Crawdads at just the lone run. The pair of right-handers struck out five Hickory batters as well.

On to the top of the ninth, where Luis Mieses and Adam Hackenberg started the inning with back to back singles, and Harvin Mendoza walked on four pitches to load the bases with no outs. After a mound visit, Alsander Womack jumped on the first pitch he saw and laced a two-run single into right, which plated both Hackenberg and Mieses. Then, Jason Matthews singled as well to bring Mendoza home. A pair of Crawdad errors allowed two more runs to score, and later in the inning Mieses came up again and he drove in Oscar Colas on an infield single.

With a 9-1 lead now, Vince Vanelle came on to lock down the bottom of the ninth. He did allow one run on a Christian Inoa double, but that was all Hickory could muster as the Dash grabbed a 9-2 victory. Moncada got the win, while Ricky Vanasco was handed the loss.