The Salem Red Sox split a six game series with the Lynchburg Hillcats last week at Haley-Toyota Field as both teams spun their wheels in the Low-A East North Division standings.
Salem went into the series tied with the Hillcats for second place, five games behind first place Delmarva. After six games in Salem last week the two rivals are still dead even, and they both dropped two mores games behind the first place Shorebirds, who swept a six game series with last place Fredricksburg. Delmarva now has a five game edge on both Salem and Lynchburg.
The Red Sox series with Lynchburg last week featured four one-run games. Salem won the opener, 9-8, then lost three in a row by scores of 5-4, 5-2 and 1-0. Salem bounced back with a 5-0 shutout of the Hillcats on Saturday night as four pitchers combined for eight strikeouts. Casey Cobb picked up the win with three and a third innings in relief of starter Jeremy Wu-Yelland. It was the second game in a row Wu-Yelland started a game that became a combined shutout win.
On Sunday Salem won the get-away game, 11-10, with a walk-off win in the bottom of the ninth on a hot afternoon. The batters were hot as well as the two teams combined for 29 hits, 16 by the Hillcats and 13 by Salem. Joe Davis was three-for-five and had two three run homers for the Sox.
Salem is now on the road for the next two weeks with the Salem Fair in town. The Sox are at Fredricksburg this week, then after a day off Monday they head to Delmarva for six games. The next home game is July 13 against Fayetteville.