Record
4-2
48-54 (overall)
17-19 (second half)

The week started with a bang, as the Dash opened the series against Greensboro (59-42) with an 11-run outburst to beat the Grasshoppers in an 11-10 thriller. Winston-Salem remained strong throughout the week, taking four of six games against the team with the best overall record and run differential (+154) in the South Atlantic League.

July 30: Winston-Salem Dash 11, Greensboro Grasshoppers 10
Dash starter Jake Bockenstedt, who started the season with Kannapolis, got promoted and made his Dash debut in this game, and it did not go as planned. When Bockenstedt left the game, the Grasshoppers had a 7-2 lead with two outs in the top of the third. The Dash did not go away, however, as they put three on the board in the third to trim the deficit to two. The Grasshoppers scored two more in the fifth, but the Dash scored six on five hits and two walks during a crazy sixth frame. That put the Dash ahead by a score of 11-9, and despite allowing one in the ninth, the slim lead withstood the test of time. Winston-Salem finished 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position, and the bullpen, which consisted of Yon Castro, Ben Beutel, and Max Roberts, combined for 11 strikeouts with only two walks.

GAME MVPs
Caden Connor (DH) 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI
Jordan Sprinkle (SS) 2-for-5, 2B, 4 RBI

July 31: Winston-Salem Dash 4, Greensboro Grasshoppers 0
How about Tommy Vail? The left-handed starting pitcher was good in Kannapolis (1.91 ERA, 2.06 FIP), and he has shown no signs of slowing down in Winston-Salem (0.45 ERA, 3.07 FIP). Vail delivered five more shutout innings in this game, collecting eight strikeouts and only allowing one measly single. The bullpen was also up to the challenge, combining for four shutout innings, only allowing one hit. At the plate, DJ Gladney hit a two-run single in the third to give the Dash a lead that did not relinquish. For good measure, Wes Kath drove in a pair with a two-out double in the eighth.

GAME MVPs
Tommy Vail (LHSP) 5 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 8 K
DJ Gladney (CF) 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI

August 1: Greensboro Grasshoppers 6, Winston-Salem Dash 2
The Dash got off to a strong start in this game, jumping out into a 2-0 lead in the third with RBI singles by William Bergolla and Gladney. Meanwhile, starter Shane Murphy had a great outing, allowing only one run in five innings. Even that run scored in a bizarre manner, as the Grasshoppers executed a double-steal to cut their deficit in half. Although the Dash had a 2-1 lead when Murphy left the game, the bullpen was not up to the tough task of protecting the slim lead. The bullpen combined to allow five runs (all earned) in four innings. In addition, the offense got cold down the stretch, and the Dash finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

GAME MVPs
Shane Murphy (LHSP) 5 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K
DJ Gladney (RF) 3-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, stolen base

August 3: Winston-Salem Dash 5, Greensboro Grasshoppers 3 (7 innings)
This was supposed to be the first game of a doubleheader, so only seven innings were played, but the Dash got the job done regardless. Singles by Jordan Sprinkle and Samuel Zavala brought home two of Winston-Salem’s four runs in the second inning, and the Dash also scored on a passed ball and a wild pitch. Even though Juan Carela (5 IP, 3 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 K) did not have his best day, he did well enough to protect the lead, and reliever Bryce Collins delivered two shutout innings to secure the victory.

GAME MVPs
Wes Kath (DH) 1-for-3, RBI
Jordan Sprinkle (3B) 1-for-3, RBI, stolen base
Samuel Zavala (LF) 1-for-3, RBI, stolen base
Bryce Collins (RHRP) 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 K

August 4: Greensboro Grasshoppers 6, Winston-Salem Dash 1 (7 innings)
This seven-inning game remained scoreless through four, as Dash starter Lucas Gordon had a fantastic outing across four frames. Gordon struck out six and did not allow any hits to give his team a great chance at winning. However, the bullpen allowed six runs (all earned) in three innings, and the offense did not have nearly enough gas in the tank. The Dash only had three hits, although one of them was a solo blast by Wes Kath.

GAME MVPs
Lucas Gordon (LHSP) 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 BB, 6 K
Wes Kath (3B) 1-for-3, HR

August 4: Winston-Salem Dash 3, Greensboro Grasshoppers 2 (7 innings)
The Dash finished strong to take the series against the Grasshoppers. Starter Jake Bockenstedt recovered from his rough Dash debut with a five-inning outing, only allowing two runs, and one of those was unearned. The Grasshoppers scored their first and last runs in the top of the first, but the pitching staff was phenomenal the rest of the way. In the second, Ryan Galanie singled home Kath to cut Winston-Salem’s deficit in half. William Bergolla hit into a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the third, and he gave the Dash a 3-2 lead with a single in the fifth.

GAME MVP
William Bergolla (SS) 1-for-2, 2 RBI

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Ryan Galanie photo: Winston-Salem Dash