Dash vs. Wilmington: Game #80 Preview
Winston-Salem Dash (40–39) vs. Wilmington Blue Rocks (42–35)
Saturday, July 9–6:00 p.m.
Truist Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Game 79 Recap
The Winston-Salem Dash dropped a rain-shortened contest against the Wilmington Blue Rocks 4–1, in seven innings.
It was Wilmington who got on the board first, in the top of the third inning.
Darren Baker reached base with a one-out single, then took second base on a wild pitch. A Ricardo Mendez single pushed Baker to third base, and then Mendez swiped second. Jose Sanchez then plated Baker with an RBI fielder’s choice ground ball, and the Rocks pulled in front 1–0.
On to the top of the fourth inning, where the recently-activated Onix Vega singled and advanced 90 feet further on a wild pitch. After an out, Jordy Barley laced a double off the wall in center to push Vega across and give Wilmington a 2–0 edge. Barley got a good jump and stole third base, which set him up to score on a sacrifice fly by Darren Baker.
Colson Montgomery reached base on an error to lead off the home half of the fourth, then Oscar Colas punched a soft single into right field. A sac fly pushed Montgomery to third base, and he scored on a single by Luis Mieses**.**
Both pitching staffs posted scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth before Wilmington extended their advantage in the seventh inning. Baker reached base once again with a leadoff walk, and then a Jose Sanchez single put runners on the corners with one out. Later,
Israel Pineda singled to push Baker across, which gave Wilmington a 4–1 edge.
Unfortunately, the skies opened up over Truist Stadium shortly after that, and the game was called due to inclement weather. Lucas Knowles got the win for Wilmington, while Andrew Dalquist got the loss.
MONTGOMERY MAKING IT ON-BASE
Colson Montgomery has carried over his hot streak from Kannapolis to Winston-Salem. Through 11 games he has a .368 average and .468 on-base percentage, including two home runs and seven RBIs. In all of those games, he’s reached base safely, increasing his on-base streak to 43 games.
DUKE DIGGIN’
Duke Ellis has been consistent all year in showing off his contact and speed. On the basepaths, Ellis has been a terror, as he’s first place in the South Atlantic League in stolen bases with 34 and is second place in runs in the league with 56. Meanwhile, from the batter’s box, he’s got on base reliably as he’s in seventh place in batting average in the league with a .300 average.
WINSTON TOWER POWER
Luis Mieses and Bryan Ramos have been two of the most effective hitters in the South Atlantic League when playing at home. Mieses leads the league in RBIs with 31 while Ramos is tied for fifth with 27. Ramos has also hit the ball out of Truist Stadium six times this year, tied for the eleventh-best mark in the league.
HOME COOKING
In their last 22 games at home, the Dash have been dominant, going 14–8. Winston-Salem took five out of the six games against Greenville before narrowly winning their series, four games to two, against their I-40 rivals, the Greensboro Grasshoppers. The Dash split the series with Hudson Valley through four games but took the latter two to win the series four games to two. The Dash have taken one out of four games against Wilmington this week to give them a 63.63% winning percentage through the last 21 games.
First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m.
