Winston-Salem Rides Danish & Rodon to Series Sweep

By Staff

Tyler Danish threw six shutout innings and Carlos Rodon tossed two scoreless frames out of the bullpen in Winston-Salem’s 5-1 win over the Lynchburg Hillcats at BB&T Ballpark on Sunday evening to complete a three-game sweep.

Danish (5-2) tied a career-high with eight strikeouts while limiting Lynchburg (21-22, 55-58) to two hits and two walks over six innings. During his last seven starts, the 19-year-old has posted a 4-1 record and 0.93 ERA.

Rodon, the White Sox 2014 first round draft pick, entered in relief of Danish in the seventh. The left-hander pitched a perfect seventh inning before allowing a hit and a walk in the eighth. The former NC State star finished his outing with two strikeouts over a 30-pitch outing.

Winston-Salem (24-20, 54-59) broke through against Lynchburg starter Daniel Watts (2-4) in the third inning. Michael Marjama led off the frame with a single and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Marjama later scored on Keenyn Walker’s base hit to left field. Walker moved up to second on Cleuluis Rondon’s sacrifice bunt and came home on Courtney Hawkins’ single to left, pushing the Dash lead to 2-0.

The home team added to its margin in the fourth inning. Joey DeMichele singled and later scored on Marjama’s sacrifice fly to center field, giving Winston-Salem a 3-0 lead.

Winston-Salem kept the momentum rolling in the fifth. Walker singled before Rondon tripled down the right field line to plate Walker. Hawkins delivered a double down the left field line, chasing Rondon home for a 5-0 edge.

Lynchburg’s only offense came in the ninth inning against Dash reliever Jose Bautista. Will Skinner hit a solo homer that just cleared the left field fence to spoil Winston-Salem’s shutout bid. Skinner’s 11th of the season made it a 5-1 game.

The Dash went 5-1 on the homestand and have won seven of their last eight games, maintaining their hold on first place in the Southern Division. Winston leads Carolina by two and a half games in the race for a playoff spot in the second half.

After an off day on Monday, Winston-Salem hits the road for six games, beginning with a three-game set at Potomac. The Dash will send right-hander J.B. Wendelken (6-8, 4.79 ERA) to the mound in Tuesday’s series opener, while the P-Nats counter with righty Brian Rauh (1-1, 5.18 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Va.