Big third inning lifts Sox over Dash

Subtract one inning, or add a timely hit, and the Winston-Salem Dash would have been in business last night.

As it turned out, the math didn't add up for the Dash in a 9-5 loss to the Salem Red Sox at Wake Forest Baseball Park.

The Red Sox ripped Dash starter Miguel Socolovich for seven runs in a decisive third inning. The Dash chipped away but couldn't come up with the big hit in the late stages as its hold on first place in the Carolina League's Southern Division slipped.

The Red Sox and Kinston Indians, both fighting to join the first-half winner Dash in playoffs that begin next Wednesday, caught up in the second-half standings with five regular-season games left.

The Dash found itself in a big hole early in last night's game.

Socolovich made his fourth start since moving from the bullpen into the rotation on Aug. 15, but failed to get very far.

Socolovich was knocked out in the third inning by a six-hit barrage, which was capped by Will Vasquez's grand slam.

"You take away that third inning and it's a different ballgame," Manager Joe McEwing of the Dash said. "Socolovich left some pitches up in that inning and they took advantage."

Che-Hsuan Lin led off the third with a single, and John Hee followed by reaching base when he was hit by a pitch. Anthony Rizzo, Brad Correll and Mike Jones then followed with a string of no-out singles.

Socolovich had a chance to extricate himself, getting an out on a ground ball, but Zach Borowiak drove in another run with a single and Vasquez blew the game open with a grand slam that boosted the Red Sox's lead to 7-0.

Relievers Wander Perez and Hector Santiago teamed to keep further damage to a minimum. They combined for 52/3 innings of shutout work.

The hope was that Socolovich could have pitched some of those innings.

"We needed him to get innings," McEwing said of the reason that Socolovich was moved from the bullpen. "He was hurt early on in the season and, as an organization, we wanted to move him into the rotation to get innings in."

It hasn't worked out too well. Socolovich (3-4) hasn't gotten past the fourth inning in any of his four starts.

"It is a transition, but when you're called upon and get the ball you've got to go there and do the job," McEwing said. "We've told him to do nothing differently, just go out and compete."

The Dash battled back, getting a solo homer from Seth Loman in the fourth inning and then closing the gap in the sixth on Joe Persichina's two-run double off starter Stephen Fife (3-4).

"They just keep grinding and grinding, that's all we ask for," McEwing said. "They continue to do that."

The Dash got a major opportunity in the seventh inning when reliever Armando Zerpa of the Red Sox walked four straight batters with one out.

Logan Johnson, who singled in each of his first three at-bats, appeared to have a clutch fourth hit. But a liner that appeared headed for center field died on the way and was snagged by shortstop Ryan Dent. Loman, advancing on what appeared to be a sure hit, couldn't retreat in time to avoid an inning-ending double play.

"I got it off the end of the bat a little bit," Johnson said. "We got hits, but it seemed like we couldn't come up with that big hit."

The Dash got three straight one-out singles by Persichina, Dale Mollenhauer and Greg Paiml in the eighth inning off reliever Kyle Fernandes, but closer Jason Blackey shut the door by striking out Salvador Sanchez and Brent Morel.

"We definitely had our chances," McEwing said. "We loaded the bases up a couple of times but couldn't get them in."

Mollenhauer, mired in a slump after hitting .183 in August and starting September 0 for 6, had two hits for the Dash.

The Dash will play its final regular-season home game tonight at Wake Forest Baseball Park. Dylan Axelrod (2-1) is scheduled to start for the Dash. He'll face fellow right-hander Seth Garrison (8-11).

■ Tommy Bowman can be reached at 727-7320 or at tbowman@wsjournal.com.

SALEM ab r h bi W-S ab r h bi

Lin cf 4 1 1 0 Mllnhr 2b 5 0 2 0

Hee 3b 4 1 1 0 Paiml ss 4 0 1 1

Rizzo 1b 5 0 2 0 Sanchez rf 4 1 0 0

Correll rf 3 1 2 1 Morel 3b 4 0 0 0

Jones dh 5 1 1 1 Loman dh 4 1 1 1

Chiang lf 5 2 1 0 Greene cf 3 1 0 1

Mlman pr/lf 0 0 0 0 Jhnsn c 4 1 3 0

Brwk 2b 5 2 2 1 Kuhn lf 5 0 0 0

Vazquez c 4 1 3 5 Pschna lf 3 1 1 2

Dent ss 4 0 1 0