Bases-loaded single in 9th sinks Hoppers

WINSTON-SALEM ― Oscar Colas hit a soft single to left field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth innings, driving in two runs and lifting the Winston-Salem Dash to a 4-3 victory over the Greensboro Grasshoppers at Truist Stadium on Wednesday night.

Losing pitcher Oliver Mateo (0-1) came out of the bullpen to start the ninth inning with the Hoppers leading 3-2. Mateo walked the first three hitters, throwing just three of 15 pitches for strikes and loading the bases.

The Hoppers went to right-hander Cameron Junker, and Colas hit the second pitch he saw for his game-winning single.

Colas finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, and Bryan Ramos went 2-for-4 with a two-run single in the eighth inning off reliever Eddy Yean that cut Greensboro’s lead to 3-2.

Hoppers starter Domingo Gonzalez deserved better. He struck out four in five scoreless innings, his best outing in 10 starts so far this season.

Right-handers Garrett Leonard and Ricky DeVito followed with scoreless innings of relief as the Hoppers shut out Winston-Salem for the first seven innings.

Hoppers first baseman Jacob Gonzalez went 2-for-4 and hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh, and right fielder Fabricio Macias hit a solo shot to give Greensboro a 3-0.

Greensboro’s Hudson Head went 1-for-4 with a double in his return to the lineup after missing three games, and Jack Herman went 1-for-3.

NOTES

• Greensboro is 8-9 in one-run games this season. The Hoppers have won seven of their last 11 one-run games.
• First baseman Jacob Gonzalez has been one of the South Atlantic League's best players since his promotion from Class-A Bradenton on May 10. He has hit safely in 18 of 23 games since then, with nine multi-hit games. Gonzalez is 30-for-87 (.345) with five home runs, three doubles and 13 RBIs.
• Leadoff hitter Yoyner Fajardo went 0-for-4 Wednesday, but he has hit safely in 20 of 26 games played, with 10 multi-hit games. Fajardo is 31-for-98 and his .316 batting average would rank fifth in the Sally League if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
• Center fielder Hudson Head, a 21-year-old rated by MLB Pipeline as the No. 20 prospect in Pittsburgh's farm system, played for the first time since getting hit by a pitch in the leg Friday and lifted from that game. Head has hits in 17 of his last 20 games. He has reached base in 27 of his last 30 games.