Defensive miscues lead to Dash demise in game 5 against Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (May 27, 2023) — With a 7-2 loss to the Brooklyn Cyclones Saturday night at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn, the Winston-Salem Dash clinched their second consecutive series defeat. Defensive miscues plagued the Dash all night, as five errors gave way to four runs for the Cyclones.

22-year-old Winston-Salem righty Andrew Dalquist got the start on the bump, and his night was finished in just 1.2 innings. It was a rocky outing for the former 3^rd round MLB draft pick, and although he only surrendered two hits, he issued four walks and was charged with three earned runs.

After walking two batters and throwing a wild pitch to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, Dalquist wasn’t able to escape the jam as the Cyclones drew first blood. A sacrifice fly from Jaylen Palmer drove home Omar Narvaez, putting Brooklyn up 1-0.

In the ensuing inning, Dalquist started to get into some trouble. After conceding a single and walking another pair of batters, he was facing Narvaez with two outs. The Cyclone’s catcher knocked a 2-run single to increase Brooklyn’s lead to 3-0, and in turn close the curtains on Dalquist’s night on the mound.

Dylan Burns was first out of the bullpen for the Dash, but Winston-Salem wouldn’t escape the rest of the inning unscathed. With runners on second and third, Kevin Parada, the New York Mets No. 1 prospect, was able to plate both on an error from Taishi Nakawake, extending Brooklyn’s lead to 5-0 through two innings.

After the Dash went down in order in the top of the third, things wouldn’t get any easier for Burns in the bottom of the frame. Despite only surrendering one hit in the inning, another misfire from Nakawake in the field helped score Omar De Los Santos and Chase Estep to give Brooklyn a 7-0 advantage.

Ernesto Jaquez entered in the bottom of the fifth inning, and he was able to stave off any more production for Brooklyn. The righty spun three scoreless, no-hit innings while only issuing one walk and striking out three in the process.

Winston-Salem wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as RBI doubles from Shawn Goosenberg and Loidel Chapelli in the 7^th and 8^th innings, respectively, cut the lead to 7-2. Nonetheless, the late pair of runs would be the only offensive support the Dash could manage, as they ultimately fell 7-2.

Dalquist was charged with the loss, moving his record to 0-4 on the year. For the Cyclones, 23-year-old righty Christian Scott picked up the win, his first of the year. Scott tossed a near-perfect five innings, allowing only one hit and striking out eight.

Winston-Salem matched Brooklyn’s hit total of five, including a multi-hit night from Chapelli, but the five errors proved too costly to overcome. The Dash fell to 1-4 in the six-game set against the Cyclones, securing a second consecutive series defeat. Aft 24-18, Winston-Salem is now just one game ahead of the Greenville Drive for first place in the South Atlantic League South.

The Dash and Cyclones will meet for the series finale Sunday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. from Maimonides Park.