Wilmington blasts Winston 10-1 in first-half finale

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (June 17, 2018) - In the Father's Day series finale and the final game of the first half of the season, the Dash fell to the Wilmington Blue Rocks 10-1 on Sunday afternoon at BB&T Ballpark.
Winston-Salem (41-29) finishes the first half of the season with the best record in the Carolina League, having clinched the first-half Southern Division title on Thursday to guarantee a spot in the playoffs.

Wilmington (31-39) got on the board first in Sunday's matchup. Nick Heath singled off right-hander Blake Hickman (0-1) to lead off the game. After advancing to second on a wild pitch and then moving to third on a flyout, Heath scored on Khalil Lee's groundout to make it a 1-0 contest.
In the top of the second, Hickman retired the first batter on a groundout, but the Blue Rocks added another run with back-to-back hits from Vance Vizcaino and Oliver Nunez. After Heath walked, D.J. Burt singled to score another run. Lee then walked to load the bases, and Gabriel Cancel doubled to left field to drive in two more. A groundout from Kort Peterson scored Lee to make it a 6-0 contest.
Wilmington then tacked on another run in the top of the fourth. After Heath, Burt and Cancel all walked to load the bases, Kyle Kubat replaced Hickman and limited the damage to one run on a fielder's choice grounder from Peterson that scored Heath.
In the top of the fifth, Kubat allowed a leadoff single to Chris DeVito. Kubat proceeded to retire the next two batters, but after Heath walked, Burt lined a double to right field to score another.
In five innings of work, Wilmington starter Daniel Tillo (2-1) limited the Dash offense to just two hits and no runs while striking out five.
Winston-Salem plated its lone run of the game in the bottom of the seventh against right-hander Jace Vines. After Mitch Roman reached on a fielder's choice, Yeyson Yrizarri doubled to make it an 8-1 contest.
The Blue Rocks continued to add on in the top of the eighth. Lee and Cancel drew back-to-back walks, and Chase Vallot was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Vizcaino then singled to score another, and Nunez was hit by a pitch to make it 10-1.
Monday marks the beginning of the three-day Carolina League All-Star break. Pitchers Bernardo Flores, Matt Foster and Dylan Cease, and outfielders Luis Basabe and Joel Booker will all represent the Dash at Tuesday's All-Star game at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C.
After the All-Star break, the Dash will resume play at BB&T Ballpark on Thursday for a four-game series against the Down East Wood Ducks from June 21-24. The promotions during this four-day stretch will include a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday, postgame fireworks on Friday, an "Energize the Ballpark" postgame concert featuring Passion Music on Saturday and a Latin American Jersey Day on Sunday. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.