Burgers Get to .500 With Win Over Dash

Following Hub City’s offensive explosion in game three of the series, they kept the train chugging early on Friday night’s game.

Dalton Pence was scratched from his scheduled start, making for a bullpen game situation for the Burgers. Joey Danielson was the first out and worked a scoreless inning, striking out 2 and leaving a 2 out double from Colby Shelton stranded in scoring position.

In the home half of the frame, leadoff man Maxton Martin worked back from a 1-2 count to draw a walk. Arturo Disla was beaned on the first pitch he saw, and Malcolm Moore later singled to load the bases with nobody out. Paxton Kling grounded into a 4-6-3 double play that scored Martin, giving Hub City a 1-0 lead through an inning.

Josh Sanders started the 2nd in relief of Danielson, and worked a three up three down frame on consecutive ground balls. The offense rewarded that with some added run support in the ensuing half inning.

Hub City put up a 3-spot on a rally that started with a leadoff single from Gleider Figuereo. With 2 away, Luke Hanson picked up the first of three straight hits, doubling home Figuereo. Martin followed with an RBI single, taking 2nd on the throw home before scoring on a 2-bagger from Disla to extend the lead to 4-0 heading to the third.

The Dash cracked the scoreboard when Caleb Bonemer cranked a leadoff shot off the railing above the left field fence at the berm. That started the snowball rolling in fashion eerily similar to the disastrous 4th inning Luke Savage had on Wednesday night, where oddly enough, the Burgers came into the frame leading 4-0.

Shelton followed the homer with a walk and Anthony Depino kept the line moving with a base knock. George Wolkow popped up to third for the first out, but TJ McCants drew a walk to load the bases, prompting a call to the bullpen for Anthony Susac.

Susac surrendered an RBI single to Grant Magill and hit DH Kaleb Freeman with the bases juiced in the foot to plate another. But struck out 2nd baseman Bryce Eblin and got a comebacker to end the inning with the Burgers’ lead trimmed to one.

Hub City got 2 back in the bottom of the frame when Maxton Martin drove a 2 run shot out of right with 2 away. After a three up three down 5th for Susac, Quincy Scott II mashed the first pitch of his AB 411 feet for a 1 out solo shot to up the ante to 7-3 heading to the 6th.

Winston-Salem struck back with a couple of 2 out runs that were charged to Anthony Susac. Susac gave up a 2 out knock to Magill and walked Freeman, forcing Carlos Maldonado’s hand to make the call to the bullpen for Kai Wynyard, who surrendered an RBI single to Eblin and a run-scoring double to Ely Brown before getting Caleb Bonemer to fly to left to keep it a 7-5 game heading to the 7th inning.

After the Burgers were sat down in order for the first time all game, the Dash cut the lead down to just 1 run with a leadoff homer from Shelton. They threatened to tie it after a 2 out double from TJ McCants, but Magill whiffed to leave him on and preserve the 7-6 Hub City advantage.

Cole Stasio worked a clean inning, and the Burgers took advantage of three walks in the bottom of the 8th with a 2 out bases clearing double from Maxton Martin. Arturo Disla struck out swinging to leave him there, but heading to the 9th, the lead was stretched to 10-6.

The Dash got one run back with a 1 out solo shot from Shelton, who notably ended the night 3 for 3 with a double, 2 homers, 2 RBIs, a walk, and three runs scored. But, all that was for naught as Stasio worked around a walk to retire the last 2 and lock down the 10-7 series-evening victory for the Spartanburgers as well as earn him the win in relief.

Hub City (9-9) will look to take the lead tomorrow at 4:35 as Ismael Agreda (0-1, 7.36 ERA) will face a pitcher to be named ahead of gametime.