Winston bests Salem on walk-off balk in extra innings

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (Aug. 28, 2018) - Luis Robert scored on a balk from Salem right-hander Austin Glorius to give Winston-Salem a 9-8, walk-off win at BB&T Ballpark on Tuesday night.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Robert slashed a game-tying single off Glorius (1-1) to centerfield to bring home Zach Remillard, who began the frame at second base per Minor League Baseball's pace of play initiatives. Next, Luis González flared a broken-bat single to center, and Robert advanced to third. 

Then, on the 0-1 pitch to Nick Madrigal, Glorius lost his footing on the mound and balked, awarding Robert home plate to score the game-winning run. It is the ninth walk-off win of the season for Winston-Salem (39-23, 80-52).
Prior to extra innings, Dash started the game by taking an early lead against Denyi Reyes. Gonzalez notched the first hit of the game with a one-out single and moved to second on a walk from Madrigal. After a fielder's choice groundout put runners on first and third, Yermin Mercedes poked a single into shallow left field to plate Gonzalez as the game's first run.
The Red Sox (29-34, 61-70), however, plated two runs with just one hit in the second inning against Alec Hansen to take the lead. After walking the first two batters of the inning, Victor Acosta dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move runners to second and third. Then, Jagger Roscani lofted a two-run single into left to give Salem a 2-0 lead. 
Hansen allowed another run in the third inning, when he issued four walks to force in a run. Hansen finished the night allowing three runs on one hit while striking out two and walking a Dash season-high seven batters. 
Meanwhile, Salem extended its advantage in the fourth against Mike Morrison. Following a leadoff walk to Nick Sciotino, Morrison allowed a single to put runners on first and second. After a fielder's choice groundout from Brett Netzer moved runners to second and third, Josh Tobias hit a bloop single to left field to bring home two more runs and make it a 5-1 game.
The Dash broke through against Reyes in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Madrigal floated a single into center field and moved to third on a double to right-center by Blake Rutherford. Next, Mercedes hit a grounder to third base, but Tobias threw low to first base, allowing Mercedes to reach safely, Madrigal to score from third and the inning to continue as a result of the error. 
The next batter, Gavin Sheets, blasted a two-run double to right-center field - his team-leading 27th double of the season - to make it a one-run game. Next, Laz Rivera drove Reyes' seventh offering of the at-bat over the left-field fence for his sixth home run at the High-A level to put Winston-Salem ahead 6-5. 
Morrison tossed a career-high four innings in relief, but he did yield the tying run in the top of the seventh. With one out, Michael Osinski knotted the game at six with a solo home run to left. 
The Dash came right back in the bottom of the seventh against Yankory Pimentel with three consecutive singles to start the inning. After Mercedes singled through the left side, Sheets bounced a single through the right side to put runners on first and second. That brought up Rivera, who came through with a sharp single to right field to bring in Mercedes as the go-ahead run. 
Devan Watts tossed a scoreless eighth inning, but the Red Sox were able to tie the game against Tyler Johnson (4-0). With a Tobias on first and one out, Ryan Scott sliced a single to left field that moved Tobias to third while Scott advanced to second on the throw to third base. Next, with the Dash infield in, Victor Acosta hit a chopper to shortstop that allowed Tobias to score the tying run when Rivera's throw was too late. 
The Red Sox notched another run in the 10th inning off of Johnson. Nick Lovullo started the inning at second base per Minor League Baseball's pace of play initiatives, and came home to score on a one-out single from Tyler Hill, giving the Red Sox an 8-7 lead and setting the stage for the Dash's come-from-behind win in the bottom of the inning. 
With the win, Winston-Salem becomes the fifth team in Minor League Baseball to reach 80 wins.
The Dash's series with Salem continues on Wednesday when left-hander John Parke (5-3, 3.99 ERA) faces right-hander Kutter Crawford (1-3, 5.40 ERA). First pitch is at 7 p.m., and pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. Fans can catch all of the action on wsdash.com/broadcast, MiLB.tv and the TuneIn Radio App. 
Promotions for the rest of the final regular-season homestand include a Pups in the Park outing on Wednesday and Thursday (presented by North Davidson Animal Hospital and Camel City Goods) and a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday.
Following the end of the regular season, the Dash begin their chase for a Mills Cup Championship. Winston-Salem's playoff run, which is presented by Pepsi and NCDOT, begins with a matchup against the Buies Creek Astros in the Southern Division Championship Series. After the first two games of the series in Buies Creek, Winston-Salem returns to BB&T Ballpark for Game 3 on Friday, September 7, with first pitch at 7 p.m.
Prior to game three, a Food Truck Festival will take place at BB&T Ballpark starting at 5 p.m. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 of the Southern Division Championship Series will be hosted at the downtown facility. Game three will mark the first postseason contest at BB&T Ballpark since 2015. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.