The Salem RidgeYaks are off to a good start in their first season in “Yaks” uniforms. After their opening nine game homestand the RidgeYaks are 7-2 and leading the North Division of the Carolina League.
After taking two of three from Delmarva to open the season in Salem the Yaks hosted the Wilson Warbirds, a farm team of the Milwaukee Brewers. Salem won the first four games of the series by scores of 10-2, 6-3, 2-1 and 5-4 on Friday. In the Friday game for Salem High lefty Ethan Walker picked up his first professional win on the mound. Ethan pitched four and a third innings of scoreless baseball, allowing just one hit while striking out nine and walking two. His ERA is 1.29 after two appearances.
Salem lost Saturday evening’s game, 6-3, but bounced back Sunday afternoon to hammer the ‘birds, 16-3. After a scoreless first innings the Yaks put runs on the board in six straight innings while shutting out Wilson through six frames on no hits. Salem had 16 hits with Enddy Azocar and Andrews Opeta knocking three hits each. Catcher Luke Heyman hit his first home run in the seventh to finish off the scoring.
Lefty Devin Futrell started on the mound and left after five innings with a no-hitter. Nicolas De La Cruz pitched a clean sixth before the Warbirds spoiled the no-hit bid against Griffin Kilander in the top of the seventh, scoring three runs on three hits.
The RidgeYaks hit the road this week for the first time, visiting Hickory for six games against the Crawdads through Sunday. Hickory is a farm team of the Texas Rangers.
After an off day Monday the Yaks will be back in Salem on Tuesday, April 21, to open a six game series against the Fredricksburg Nationals, a Washington farm team.
