Dash vs. Greensboro: Game #54 Preview
Winston-Salem Dash (28–25) vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (22–30)
Thursday, June 9–7 p.m.
Truist Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Game 53 Recap
Winston-Salem came from behind once again for a walk-off, 4–3 win over the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Game two this week began as a pitcher’s duel between Winston-Salem’s Matt Thompson and Greensboro’s Domingo Gonzalez. Each worked 1–2–3 first innings, but it was Thompson who began to carve up the Grasshoppers as the game progressed. After he racked up two punchouts in the first, Thompson sent Greensboro down in order in the second with a strikeout. He sent down two more victims in a flawless third and found two more strikeouts in the fourth. Thompson was perfect through the first four innings, with seven strikeouts along the way.
On the other side of things, Gonzalez was not quite as sharp but held Winston-Salem off the board as well. The right-hander struck out three Warthog hitters while allowing three base hits.
Thompson allowed the first two hitters to reach base in the fifth inning. A fielder’s choice ground out from Fabricio Macias pushed Jacob Gonzalez to third with Macias reaching first. Then, Dariel Lopez flew out to Terrell Tatum in shallow right field. Gonzalez decided to test Tatum’s arm and tag up from third, but the throw beat Gonzalez to the plate handily for a 9–2 double play to end the inning.
After the sixth inning went scoreless as well, Greensboro’s Hudson Head doubled off of Isaiah Carranza to open the seventh. Later, Jacob Gonzalez jumped on the first pitch of the at-bat, crushing it into the Appalachian Mountain Brew pen in left field for a two-run home run. After a ground out, Macias also went yard to put the Grasshoppers up 3–0.
Winston-Salem couldn’t put anything together in the seventh but found some answers to the ‘Hoppers pitching in the eighth.
Moises Castillo opened the inning with an infield single, and Oscar Colas singled behind him to put runners on first and second. A wild pitch let Colas and Castillo move to second and third base, respectively. With Bryan Ramos up now, he fell behind Eddy Yean 1–2, before lacing a two-run single to cut Greensboro’s lead to 3–2.
Vince Vannelle worked a flawless ninth inning, setting the scene for some more late-game Winston-Salem magic.
Oliver Mateo entered the ninth in a save situation for Greensboro but walked Shawn Goosenberg on four pitches. Next up, Duke Ellis worked the count full before drawing a walk himself. Then, Castillo walked on four pitches as well. The ‘Hoppers had seen enough, calling on Cameron Junker to try and wiggle his way out of a bases-loaded, nobody out jam. He had to face Colas with the winning run standing on second base, in Duke Ellis.
Colas took strike one, before inside-outing a ball into shallow left field. Goosenberg scored easily from third as the ball dropped in, and Duke Ellis flew home safely behind him as the Warthogs walked it off against Greensboro by a final score of 4–3. That was the third walk-off hit of the year for Oscar Colas. Vannelle got the win in relief, with Mateo taking the official loss.
In game three, the Dash are expected to throw Andrew Dalquist against Greensboro’s Jared Jones**.**
BATTLE OF I-40
The Dash and Greensboro will engage in the second Battle of I-40 this year when the Grasshoppers visit Winston-Salem for the second time this year. In the previous meeting between the two teams, the Dash had control of the series three games to one heading into game five, but Greensboro stole the last two games to split the series.
ONE-RUN BALL
In games one and two of this week’s series, Winston-Salem has nabbed two more one-run victories against the Grasshoppers. In the previous series between the I-40 foes, three of the six games were decided by one run, all wins by the Dash. The latter one-run game was a 10-inning walk-off in which the Dash scored a run in both the ninth and tenth innings to take the win and nab their third win of the series.
TATUM 0-FOR-0?
In Wednesday night’s win against Greensboro, Terrell Tatum went an impressive 0-for-0 in four plate appearances. Tatum did this by drawing walks in every single plate appearance, setting the season record for most walks in a game.
STARTER STARDOM
In games one and two of the series, the Dash starters have been outsmarting the Greensboro batters. In game one, Luis Moncada went four innings, allowing only three hits and one earned run while striking out three batters. Last night, Matthew Thompson went six innings, shutting down the Grasshoppers’ offense allowing only two hits and no runs, striking out a career-high eight batters.
DALQUIST DEALING ON THURSDAY
Andrew Dalquist will make the start for the Dash tonight. In his last start against Greenville, the California-born right-hander went six innings, shutting out the Drive while only five batters reached base as he allowed a walk and four hits.
First pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m.
