Dash earn 14-5 win in front of record-setting crowd of 9,011

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (July 4, 2018) - In front of a BB&T Ballpark record of 9,011 fans, the Dash exploded for 14 runs across their final four innings to defeat Down East 14-5 on Independence Day at BB&T Ballpark. 
This year's Independence Day crowd eclipsed the ballpark's previous record of 9,007 fans, which occurred last year on July 4. The downtown facility has welcomed more than 8,000 fans in each of the last five Fourth of July games.

Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the Winston-Salem (9-4, 50-33) bats came to life. After Daniel Gonzalez walked and Zach Remillard singled to put runners on first and second, Laz Rivera lined a double into left field to plate the first two Dash runs of the night to make it 5-2 contest.
The Dash took the lead over Down East (6-8, 41-43) for good in the sixth. First, Micker Adolfo led off the frame with his team-leading 11th home run of the year, a solo shot to shave the Wood Ducks lead to 5-3. Then, following a pitching change, the Dash loaded the bases against Jairo Beras (2-1) with two outs. Luis González drilled Beras' 2-2 pitch into deep right-center field, clearing the bases and putting Winston-Salem in front 6-5. 
But, the Dash offense was far from finished. Winston-Salem exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Ti'Quan Forbes. After Adolfo was hit by a pitch and Gavin Sheets walked, Forbes came to the plate and bashed a 2-0 pitch from Beras over the right-field fence to extend the Dash lead to 9-5.
Next, Yeyson Yrizarri singled, stole second base, moved to third on a throwing error and scored on an RBI double from Yermin Mercedes. Later in the inning, Luis Gonzalez's second double of the night plated Mercedes to put the Dash ahead 11-5. Rivera capped the onslaught with a two-run homer over the left-field fence, good for his third homer in 12 games with the Dash.
The Wood Ducks built their early lead with one run in the second inning, one run in the third inning and three runs in the top of the fifth inning.
In the top of the second inning, Andretty Cordero hit an inside-the-park home run to give the Wood Ducks a 1-0 lead. He lined the 3-2 pitch from Blake Hickman into the right-field corner, and Blake Rutherford flipped over the right-field fence in an attempt to make the catch. Rutherford was injured on the play and was forced to leave the game. 
In the third, following back-to-back walks to Frankin Rollin and Anderson Tejeda, Cordero laced a double into left-center field. Rollin tried to score, but Yrizarri and Rivera combined to throw him out at the plate. The next batter, Chuck Leblanc, singled to right to bring in Tejeda, but Cordero was thrown out at the plate by Zach Remillard to end the inning. 
The Woodies padded their lead in the fifth against Drew Hasler (2-1). After Josh Altmann led off the inning with a solo home run, Rollin walked, stole second base, moved to third on a single from Tejeda and scored on a sacrifice fly. Tejeda scored later in the inning on an RBI single from Brendon Davis, marking the last Wood Duck run of the night.
Winston-Salem continues its five-game series with Down East on Thursday when Dash right-hander Blake Battenfield (1-0, 1.93 ERA) toes the rubber against Wood Ducks left-hander Yohander Mendez (0-0, 1.46 ERA). Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m., and fans can catch all of the action on WSJS Sports (600 AM and 105.5 FM) and wsjssports.com. Fans cans also watch live on MiLB.tv and listen on the TuneIn Radio App.
Thursday's game with Down East is a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday, featuring select beers available for $1 through the seventh inning. Promotions for the rest of the homestand include a Fireworks Friday powered by PTI Fly Easy, a Chick-fil-A Four Pack Night on Saturday and a Latin American Jersey Day on Sunday. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.