Salem Sox Insider: Awfully Good Night In Salem
Winning three of their last four games, the Salem Red Sox have put themselves in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Southern Division and with the Potomac Nationals in town for four straight games, Salem was looking to gain even more ground as they won 4-3.
Potomac made themselves at home from the start – three batters and three runs in the first three minutes of the game – forced Salem to fight from behind per usual.
And if that wasn’t enough 3’s for you, Salem responded in the second by scoring three of their own. Tim Roberson crushed one well out of LewisGale field for a three-run home run, tying the game at three a piece.
You want more 3’s?…
Through three innings played, there was a total of three home runs hit and Salem’s DH, Tim Roberson, had three RBI, which matched his outing from Thursday night in which he recorded three RBI.
But besides a very spontaneous series of three’s, Stephan Welch stepped into the box and blasted a solo home run in the fourth inning to give Salem a 4-3 lead over Potomac.
Once the Sox got ahead of the Nationals, a group of highly motivated kids did their best to start stadium-wide chants in favor of Salem, rather relentlessly.
Since their group was up in the sky box beside the press box, there voices echoed giving them a distinct, memorable voice throughout the game. (It made the night very interesting though I was a bit surprised those kids weren’t in the parking lot enjoying Salem Fair festivities)
But, to mention some of the “Awful” marketing stunts…sumo wrestling, unorganized musical chairs, Kidz Bop tunes, randomly awful videos from YouTube and a surprise pie in the face for one contestant kept things more than unpredictable inside Salem Memorial Ballpark.
Speaking of unpredictable, a ninth inning scare from Potomac had Sox fans to the edges of their seats as pitcher Matt Price came in to close out the win for Salem.
He was able to do just that, closing out the win by only facing four batters total, sending Sox fans home with something to cheer about.
Thanks to the outstanding pitching from starter Kyle Kraus, despite the whole three in three minutes situation, he was the one to set the tone for his teammates and came away with the win for the Sox in game one of four against Potomac.
Following the game was yet another fireworks show but this time; it was through a video on the huge video board in right center field. Unpredictable would be an understatement. Awful huh?
Salem Sox Insider: Tis The Season…For Rain, Sox Win 3-1
It was Christmas in July at the ballpark Saturday night as the Salem Sox played host to the Potomac Nationals in game two of four. A back-and-forth battle from the beginning, an hour and sixteen-minute rain delay, another rain delay and unpredictable field conditions didn’t phase the Sox as they came away with the win, 3-1.
Mr. & Mrs. Kringle showed up a few months early giving fans a chance to make some of those early Christmas wishes and to remind them that Santa is ALWAYS watching.
But it was Mother Nature (or the Grinch in this case) who stole the night with a series of spontaneous storms forcing two separate rain delays and eventually led to the officials calling the game final due to the amount of rain that had developed through the night.
During the lengthy delay, seasonal tunes such as Frosty the Snowman, Holly Jolly Christmas, Marry Christmas Happy Holidays and Jingle Bell Rock set the mood…for those fans that decided to stay (there weren’t many of them).
With so much time on my hands, I began to think…temperature permitting; the rain that fell could have well been snow and gave LewisGale Field an entire blanket of white stuff, which would have really gave fans a Christmas in July.
Regardless, since the game had reached the fifth inning before the two rain delays, the game was eligible to be deemed “official” by the umpires. And this turned out to be the case. The forecast showed clouds with no plans of letting up, giving the umpires no choice but to end the game due to the conditions.
Here’s what happened before the sixth:
In the bottom of the third, Keury De La Druz ripped a bases loaded single and scored Marrero and Johnson to put Salem up by one run, Potomac scored a run in the first.
And it wasn’t again until the bottom of the fifth that De La Cruz recorded his third RBI of the night with a single, scoring Marrero and gave Salem the 3-1 lead which would turn out to be the final.
It was funny because between the third and fifth innings when Salem put their three runs on the board, there was a good amount of sunlight. In my opinion, just enough sunlight to heat up the Sox offense but less than 15 minutes after the sun came the down pours that ended our night.
Salem will look to take game three away from Potomac on Sunday for “Bark In The Park”. And with little rain in the forecast, we can only hope that we will get to see some sunlight over Salem Memorial Ballpark.
Salem Sox Insider: Sunday Funday, Salem Waxes Potomac, 5-1
It’s a Sunday in Salem…
…meaning there would be dogs barking in the park and the Salem Sox would be sporting their red tops; similar to Tiger Woods on a Sunday at the links.
Unlike Tiger, though, the Sox have recently been playing lights out ball and with a beautiful, sunny day on hand at LewisGale Field (something the Sox fans haven’t seen in about 6 straight days) the Sox took full advantage of the afternoon, winning by a final score of 5-1.
Despite a dreadful parking situation all week – thanks to the Salem Fair – I can already predict how relived I will be when everything is back to normal (breathing in the aroma of the fair all week has begun to make me sick).
Regardless, thanks to the cooperation of Mother Nature, fans were finally able to enjoy what most would consider an “ideal” day at the ballpark. Sundays crowd was by far the biggest of the weekend and the Sox surly didn’t upset them.
Pitching? Check! – Batting? Check! – Fielding Check!
Salem had it all in line and laid it all out Sunday afternoon.
Scoring an early run in the first, two more runs in the third and then two more runs in the fourth, the Sox jumped out to an early lead which actually contradicts how ballgames have unfolded for Salem recently.
Keury De La Cruz, the Carolina League Player of the Month in June, continued his hot home hitting streak (say that three times fast) as he was responsible for three of the first five RBI for Salem.
Mookie Betts, Stephan Welch and Matt Gedman also came up big on offense for the Sox proving that to win big, the Sox would need contributions from more than just a couple players.
Surprisingly, it was the defense that kept game momentum on the Salem side. They had a few 1,2,3, innings thanks to outstanding pitching along with a couple flawless plays from Marrero and Betts, the double-play combo.
Last but certainly not least was Sox pitcher Heri Quevedo. He threw six straight scoreless innings only giving up two hits to Potomac while he was on the bump. Must I also mention that this was only his third career start…very impressive and very promising for Salem as they continue to fight for the final playoff spot in the Southern Division.
It was an afternoon to die for and the Sox got back to .500 on the season making the day more than enjoyable for everyone in attendance yet, as I was on my way out of the stadium I got to see something I’ve never seen before in my life…
It was a dog leisurely taking a squat inside the ballpark (this is probably why you have to pay $5 per pet). On top of how uncommon this site really was, I couldn’t help myself but to watch and laugh hysterically as the dog looked so innocent.
(I almost whipped out my iPhone to get a picture or video but I thought that might have been a little bit rude.)
Anyways, Salem will look to sweep Potomac on Monday evening and continue adding to their current winning streak of four. Prior to the game we will have words from team manager, Billy McMillion, about the current hot streak, the playoff picture, the bullpen and more.
