Katie Larrington
On what started as a picture-perfect night at the ballpark ended as an unforgettable night for everyone in attendance. A pregame concert from The Worx set the tone for fans but Mother Nature did her best to put a damper on the atmosphere, but the Salem Red Sox just weren’t having any of that, winning 7-5 on a walk off homerun from Brandon Jacobs.
Just like Friday night, the Sox and Mudcats relied heavily on their defense to keep the game close but it ended the same way as Friday, in walk-off fashion.
Put it simple, Brandon Jacobs was the answer!
Jacobs gave Salem an early lead in the third inning with a RBI scoring De La Cruz but it wasn’t again until the seventh inning when Salem put more runs on the board.
With a three-run, sixth inning for Carolina, making the score 4-2, Salem found themselves battling from behind yet again, just like Friday night…are you not seeing the trend here?
In the seventh, De La Cruz got the bats rolling by roping one down the first baseline scoring Ramos and moving Marrero over to third base, with no outs. And after a wild pitch from Carolina pitcher, Grant Sides, Marrero was able to steal home, recharging not just the Sox players but the fans too!
Shortly after Marrero stole home, Blake Swihart crushed a sac fly deep enough into left field to score Jacobs after tagging up and tying the game at 5-5…giving the crowd hope one more time.
Mother Nature had other plans, though, as the rain started to pour down forcing fans to head for cover but it didn’t seem to phase the Sox one bit.
Pitcher Matt Price came in during the rain/ninth inning and was surprisingly able to escape a bases-loaded jam that Carolina would in all likelihood really like to have back, failing to capitalize on their last chance at a win.
With Salem’s last chance to win it in the ninth, Brandon Jacobs stepped in the batters box with two outs and one plan…and that was to end the game. He did just that as he absolutely crushed one well over the left field fence sending the Sox home victorious yet again.
Looking to sweep the weekend series on Sunday afternoon, the Sox have all the momentum to do so but they know it won’t come easy.