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As she watched the players leave the field and move the celebration indoors, where bottles of champagne were waiting, Susan Schlossberg stood in the box seats of Salem Memorial Ballpark on Tuesday night and pulled out a photograph. “They were great guys, very classy and sweet,” Schlossberg said, looking down at her picture. “Some years, they are really great.
The big crowd showed up, expecting the best. And the Salem Red Sox gave it to them. In front of a festive throng of 4,350, the Sox beat Potomac 6-4 on Tuesday to complete a three-game sweep in the Mills Cup Championship Series and give the city its first Carolina League title since 2001. Former Virginia Tech ace Matt Price coaxed a ground out to third to end it, setting off a wild celebration near the mound and in the stands. "Man, my original plan was to go over the fence, but I'm pretty injury prone," joked DH Sean Coyle, who came off the disabled list on the day this series started and wound up taking MVP honors.
Two eventful seasons in Salem — full of streaks, slumps, diving stops and stunningly majestic home runs — could culminate in a magical way tonight for Red Sox prospect Sean Coyle. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound powerhouse has a full to-do list he wants to attack this offseason. Some yoga for flexibility. Some preventative exercises to avoid a repeat of this injury-marred year. Some tweaks to his plate approach that could lead
WOODBRIDGE, Va. — The Salem Red Sox have been scorching hot at the perfect time. Because of that, they’re coming home with a great chance to give the Roanoke Valley its first Carolina League title in a dozen years. Salem won its 10th consecutive game on Sunday night, getting a combined six-hitter from Mike Augliera and Madison Younginer to defeat Potomac 4-0 in Game 2 of the Mills Cup Championship
WOODBRIDGE - Salem's quest for its first Carolina League championship in a dozen years is off to a promising start. Heri Quevedo tossed seven scoreless innings, leading the visiting Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over Potomac on Saturday in Game 1 of the Mills Cup Championship Series at Pfitzner Stadium. Game 2 of the best-of-five set will be in Potomac tonight, with right-hander Mike Augliera (9-6, 4.23 ERA) scheduled
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. —When Myrtle Beach put the first two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning Thursday, needing just one run to force a winner-take-all third game in the Southern Division Championship Series, the Salem Red Sox faced something they haven’t faced often lately: a hint of doubt. “I was worried. I can’t lie,” Sox second baseman Mookie Betts said. “But you can’t do anything but
PULASKI – Garbrial Franca singled in Luke Guarnaccia with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Pulaski Mariners beat the Greeneville Astros 6-5 to claim the Appalachian League championship Thursday night at Calfee Park. The Mariners won the best-of-three series 2-0 by overcoming a five-run deficit that Greeneville built in the first three innings. It is Pulaski’s first league championship since 1991. In the bottom of
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. —High drama has a way of bringing the best out of the Salem Red Sox. Pressed to extra innings for the second straight night, the Sox responded brilliantly again. Matt Gedman drove home Mookie Betts with the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th inning, sending Salem to a 4-3 victory over Myrtle Beach on Thursday to clinch the best-of-three Southern Division Championship Series. “It’s definitely
Matty’s gonna score. That was Cody Koback’s first thought when he saw the throw soar over the first baseman’s head. Matty Johnson was on second, Koback thought. Matty is fast. Matty’s gonna score. Koback’s second thought? Teammates soon would be rushing him. Time for some self-preservation. “Just try to stay on your feet,” Koback said with a smile, “so you don’t get cleated in the face or anything like that.”
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. — One down. One to go? We’ll see about that when the Pulaski Mariners entertain the Greeneville Astros tonight. The Mariners are in the driver’s seat in the best of three Appalachian League championship series after beating the home team 5-3 Wednesday night in front of 507 mostly disappointed customers at Pioneer Park. Now Pulaski has two chances at home to win one game and the series. The
Blake Swihart’s left arm celebrates his life in ink. A complex mosaic of tattoos honors his father, mother, brother, sister and late grandfather. A yellow rose pays homage to his native Texas. A hot air balloon salutes New Mexico, where he was a three-sport star as a teen. A baseball scene depicts the view down the third base line from behind home plate. On his right arm, though? No tattoos.
About a month ago, Salem Red Sox manager Billy McMillon and his coaches gathered the players in the outfield for an impromptu meeting. The message: You have about 30 games left. Play loose, have fun, and you’ve got a chance to do something. Did they ever. Capping a remarkable closing stretch, the Sox beat Lynchburg 4-3 in Monday’s regular-season finale to steam into the postseason as the hottest team in
PULASKI — Like many people, the Pulaski Mariners had Labor Day off. That didn’t mean they weren’t working. Fresh off sweeping the Bluefield Blue Jays in the opening round of the Appalachian League playoffs, the Mariners (43-27) were back at their Calfee Park headquarters for an afternoon workout Monday in the first of two nights off from playing a baseball game. That was a privilege they earned with the Jays
PULASKI - It says something about the Pulaski Mariners that they can play the biggest game of the Appalachian League season with 22 home runs sitting in the dugout, use a leadoff batter and center fielder who signed as an undrafted free agent, and have a closer standing by for duty who has 3.2 innings worth of experience in the league. All those came to pass Sunday night, but nothing
STILL ROLLING: In sweeping an ad-hoc twin bill against Lynchburg on Sunday, the Salem Red Sox won for the 24th time in 32 games. By winning the continuation of Saturday's game 2-1 and blanking the Hillcats 3-0, the Red Sox also established a new standard for wins in the season. At 75-64, Salem now owns its best mark as a Red Sox affiliate. Individually, second baseman Mookie Betts has reached
BLUEFIELD - The Pulaski Mariners broke things open in extra innings with five runs in the 10th to defeat the Bluefield Blue Jays 9-4 on Saturday night in the first game of the 2013 Appalachian League East Division playoffs at Bowen Field. The drama-filled game included a Bluefield out due to batter interference, a Pulaski out called on runner's interference, and the ejection of Bluefield manager Dennis Holmberg at the
PULASKI - For those who measure life by the inning, few pleasures exceed bonus baseball. As is true with most things, the best bonus baseball is the kind that is earned. Payday arrives tonight for the Pulaski Mariners and the other three Appalachian League semifinalists who slugged it out through 67 games to earn a shot at a few more games in the two-round playoffs. The Mariners (41-27) lost to
In his first appearance at Salem Memorial Stadium, new Red Sox pitcher Brian Johnson got to witness two fireworks displays Friday night, only one of them scheduled. Johnson, whose season had been marked by an absence of run support at Greenville, S.C., saw the first five Red Sox batters reach base and subsequently score in the first inning of an 8-2 Salem victory over the Frederick Keys. "It was awesome,"
With the Carolina League postseason almost at their fingertips, the last thing the Salem Red Sox wanted to do was back their way in. With a magic number of one going into Thursday’s game with the guest Frederick Keys, there were only a few potential outcomes “I think everybody wanted to celebrate after a win rather than waiting for [Carolina] to lose,” Salem first baseman Matt Gedman said. The Red
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. - Jesus Ugueto scored Isaiah Yates with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth inning for the eventual game-winning run as the Pulaski Mariners defeated the Elizabethton Twins 4-2 at Joe O'Brien Field Thursday. After Ugueto hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth to give Pulaski a 1-0 lead, the Twins received solo homers from Rory Rhodes and Bryan Haar to give
AND THEN IT WAS ONE: David Chester hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 victory over Frederick and a split of a doubleheader at Salem Memorial Ballpark. The win moved Salem one step closer to a Carolina League postseason bid. Carolina beat Lynchburg 12-11 in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader before the nightcap was postponed. Salem clinches
ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Pulaski extended a sudden losing streak, falling 5-1 to the Elizabethton Twins on Wednesday. Since defeating Kingsport 15-0 on Sunday, the Mariners have lost three straight . The losses put the Mariners (40-26) one game back of Bluefield, which has also dropped three straight as the season draws to a close. The Twins (36-30) took a first-inning lead when Mitch Garver singled in Zach Granite and Engelb