The Salem RidgeYaks will host the Myrtle Beach Pelicans this week in the first homestand of the second half of the Carolina League split season. The Pelicans are a farm team of the Chicago Cubs.
The first half of the CL season ended last Thursday with the Fredericksburg Nationals and Charleston RiverDogs punching their tickets to the Mills Cup playoffs. The Nationals won the North Division by 10 games over second place Wilson while Charleston won a close race in the South. Hickory and Augusta finished just two games Charleston, Columbia was three back and Kannapolis was just four games behind the R’Dogs.
Salem finished the first half with a 25-40 record, 20 and a half games behind Fredricksburg. The Yaks opened the second half against the F-Nats last Friday and won the first game of the half, 7-6, in Fredricksburg. Salem led 7-1 after seven and a half innings and held on as the Nats put four on the board in the eighth and one in the ninth as Salem escaped a bases loaded jam.
Fredricksburg won the last two games of the series, 10-2 and 3-0, and took four of the six games on the week.
This week’s homestand with Myrtle Beach will be the last home games for the RidgeYaks before the Salem Fair comes to town. The Yaks are home for 6:35 pm games through Saturday with a 5:05 pm start Sunday, then they don’t have a home game for 18 straight days. They’re at Augusta next week, at Columbia for six beginning July 7, then all the CL teams are off from July 13-16 for the Major League Baseball All-Star game. Salem finally returns home August 17 to host Delmarva for three games folllowed by six home games with Augusta..
This week’s promotions include Bark in the Park tonight, Southwest Virginia Wildlife Night on Friday, with fireworks to follow, and the popular Zooperstars on Saturday.
Last Friday Boston sent pitcher Matt Duffy from Salem to the Florida Coast League for a rehab assignment and promoted outfielder Justin Barry from the FCL Sox to Salem. On Sunday the Yaks activated pitcher Joe Bello from the seven day injured list.
