The Greensboro Grasshoppers topped the West Virginia power 9-4 on Sunday to get their third straight win.
The Winston-Salem Dash though, are making history:
WILMINGTON, DE - The Dash walloped the Wilmington Blue Rocks 9-2 for their seventh-straight win and their second-consecutive sweep Sunday afternoon at Frawley Stadium.
Winston-Salem (14-8) has outscored its opposition 56-21 during this seven-game streak, which dates back to Monday's 4-1 win over Potomac at BB&T Ballpark. It is the longest winning streak in the Carolina League thus far this season, and it is Winston-Salem's best run since winning eight straight from August 26 to September 3 of 2010.
After Wilmington scored the game's first run in the first, Winston-Salem's offense went to work in the top of the second. Mike Blanke extended his hitting streak to a Dash-high 10 games with an RBI double. He later scored on a Nick Ciolli groundout.
Two innings later, Michael Earley clubbed a solo shot down the right field line. Later in the frame, Marcus Semien chased home Ciolli with a sacrifice fly.
Dan Black led off the fifth with his team-leading sixth homer of the season. Black also paces all Winston-Salem swingers with 15 RBI, and he trails only Lynchburg's Evan Gattis in the Carolina League in the home run chase.
The Dash's third and final multi-run inning came in the sixth when Carlos Sanchez, who started for the first time since Tuesday, drove home two more tallies with a double down the left field line.
Earley extended his multi-RBI streak to four games with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to cap Winston-Salem's scoring. In his last four games, Earley is 8-for-15 with three homers and nine RBI.
Winston-Salem starter Spencer Arroyo (1-1) posted his first quality start of the season. He recorded season highs in innings pitched with six and strikeouts with seven. The southpaw allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on six hits.
Arroyo retired the final seven Blue Rocks he faced before giving way to J.R. Ballinger, who blanked the Blue Rocks over two innings. Nick McCully followed suit with an easy ninth frame to nail down the victory.
The Dash continue their seven-game road trip Monday night with the first of four against the Potomac Nationals, a club Winston-Salem swept last week. Ryan Buch (1-1, 4.76 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Dash against fellow right-hander Kyle Winters (1-2, 5.24 ERA). First pitch is set for 7:05, and pre-game coverage on wsdash.com begins at 6:50.
The Dash return home Friday for a three-game series against the Salem Red Sox. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.
WS Dash/WFMY News 2 Sports