Dash Win Shortened Game One Over Aberdeen, 8-7

May 16, 2023 – South Atlantic League (SAL) – Winston-Salem Dash News Release

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – The skies had darkened, the weather was imminent, and the Winston-Salem Dash needed a quick punch trailing by three in the bottom of the fifth if they wanted to pull out a game one win against the Aberdeen IronBirds. In the fifth, they had the right guys at the plate, as the Dash put up four runs taking an 8-7 lead and eventually a win, as the game was called following a 38-minute delay at Truist Stadium Tuesday night in front of 2,274 fans.

Aberdeen (13-19) came out of the gates hot, plating the game’s first five runs. MLB Pipeline’s number three prospect, Jackson Holliday, opened the scoring with a two-run homer to right in the top of the first. In the third, he plated another two runs on a double to left center making it 4-0 in favor of the visitors. The IronBirds added another run on an RBI single by Jud Fabian and were in control up 5-0.

With a five-run deficit in the third, Winston-Salem (23-9) decided to wake up. The bottom third of the Dash lineup all reached setting the table for leadoff man Terrell Tatum. In a 1-1 count, Tatum got a fastball over the heart of the plate and drove it over the wall to left center, cutting the lead to one, 5-4.

The IronBirds wasted no time looking for insurance. Holliday picked up RBI’s five and six on the night with a triple down the right field line, making it 7-4 in the top of the fourth. The Dash went down quietly in the fourth, and going to the fifth, Winston-Salem trailed, and the weather looked like it was going to take a turn.

Dark clouds rolled in over left field at Truist Stadium and Winston-Salem moved quickly. Reliever Haylen Green fought through a quick inning, getting the Dash bats back in the dugout. In the bottom of the fifth, Winston-Salem needed runs quickly with the possibility of the game going final after five.

They needed a rally. Nine-hitter Taishi Nakawake got it started with a single to center, followed by a Tatum walk to put two on. That brought the tying run to the plate, and Loidel Chapelli was ready for the moment. The Cuba native laced a ball to deep left landing on the berm tying the game up at seven with no outs in the inning.

DJ Gladney found green grass down the line and trucked his way to third for a triple, putting the go-ahead run 90 feet away. Gladney was brought home on a sacrifice fly from Wilfred Veras and Winston-Salem had come back from five runs down to take an 8-7 lead. With…