hole during Salem’s last homestand. The Sox return to Memorial Ballpark Tuesday.
PHOTO BRIAN HOFFMAN
The Salem Red Sox will return home next Tuesday, May 20, after concluding a 12 game road trip that included stops in Fayetteville, NC and Charleston, SC. Salem will take on the Delmarva Shorebirds for six games in a week that features Game Show Nigh on May 22nd and an appearance by the popular “Zooperstars” on May 24.
The Sox won four of six in last week’s visit to Fayetteville. They lost the first game, 5-4, but then won the next three by scores of 4-3, 11-9 and 7-2 to battle their way back to .500 at 15-15. However, they then lost the next two on Saturday and Sunday, 9-2 and 4-3.
Salem ended the series at 15-17 and seven games behind first place Carolina in the Carolina League’s North Division. The Mudcats, who come in next week, are a farm team of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Through 32 games Freili Encarnacion leads the team with a .284 batsting average. He also leads the Sox with seven home runs and 25 runs batted in while Kelvin Diaz has a team best six stolen bases. Franklin Aria was hitting .346 when he was called up to Greenville and last week Antonio Anderson also got the nod after posting a .345 average in Salem through 22 games.
Matt McShane had Salem’s best pitching record at 3-0 with an 0.63 earned run average when he was elevated to Greenville in late April. Blake Aita and Steven Brooks have two wins each on the current staff and Shea Sprague leads the team with 27 strikeouts.
