Valdez Brings RBI Total to 51 in Tourists 9-3 Win

ASHEVILLE- Enmanuel Valdez became the first player in Minor League Baseball to surpass the 50 RBI plateau in 2021. Valdez plated four in the Asheville Tourists 9-3 victory over the Winston-Salem Dash to bring his season RBI total to 51. Valdez had help from his offensive teammates and especially from the Tourists starting pitcher, Danny Cody, who fired five shutout innings.

Asheville took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Freudis Nova stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and lined a two-run single into centerfield. The score remained 2-0 thanks to Cody’s dominance on the mound. The Tourists right-hander worked out of his only jam in the top of the fourth and induced an inning-ending double play in the fifth.

The Tourists padded their lead in the bottom of the fifth when Valdez drove in a pair of runs with a double to deep left. Carlos Machado scored Valdez with a single and Asheville led 5-0 after five.

The Dash scored the game’s next three runs with two in the sixth and one in the seventh. Asheville’s relief pitcher, Matt Ruppenthal, settled in and made sure Winston-Salem would not have any more scoring opportunities.

Offensively, the Tourists still had fuel in the tank. Valdez blasted a two-run Home Run in the bottom of the seventh. In the eighth, Cesar Salazar and Joe Perez delivered back-to-back RBI base hits to extend the lead. Perez finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk.

Asheville now has home series wins over Winston-Salem, Bowling Green, Greenville, and Brooklyn. The Tourists hit the road on Tuesday to begin a twelve-game road trip. First up is a six-game series with the Hickory Crawdads. Tuesday’s game in Hickory is scheduled for 7:00pm.