SALEM, Va. – The Salem RidgeYaks (56-74, 31-34) erased a late deficit with three runs in the eighth inning, capped by a go-ahead three-run homer from Adonys Guzman, to defeat the Hill City Howlers (55-75, 24-40), 6-5 on Saturday night at Carilion Clinic Field.
The victory not only clinches Salem a series win in their final week of the regular season, but also clinched the 2026 Battle of 460 season series over Hill City.
Guzman delivered the biggest blow of the night in the bottom of the eighth. With Louis Andujar and Starlyn Nunez aboard, the RidgeYaks catcher drove a fly ball to right-center field for his ninth home run of the season, turning a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 Salem lead.
The homer capped a three-RBI night for Guzman, who also drove in a run in the sixth inning when he grounded into a double play that allowed Andujar to score and tie the game at three.
Salem jumped in front early in the bottom of the first when Franklin Primera launched a two-run homer to left field, his fifth of the season, scoring Colton Coates and giving the RidgeYaks a 2-0 advantage.
Hill City answered with three consecutive runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to take a 3-2 lead. Deiten LaChance brought home Lucas Moore with a fourth-inning single before Alejandro Garza's sacrifice fly tied the game in the fifth. Erick Dessens then gave the Howlers their first lead with an RBI single in the sixth.
The RidgeYaks quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning. With runners at the corners, Guzman put the ball in play and reached on a double play, allowing Andujar to score and knotting the game at three.
Hill City regained the lead in the seventh when Moore singled home Tre Broussard, putting the Howlers ahead 4-3.
That set the stage for Salem's eighth-inning comeback.
After Guzman's blast put the RidgeYaks ahead by two, Hill City threatened in the ninth. Reiner Herrera drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Hill City within one, but Salem's bullpen escaped the jam to secure the victory.
Sadbiel Delzine turned in another strong start for Salem, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out six across four innings. Jose Bello followed with three runs allowed over three innings before Caden Vire earned the win after working 1.2 innings. Yermain Ruiz recorded his second save of the season to record the 27th out of the night.
Primera led the RidgeYaks offensively with two hits and two RBIs, while Guzman finished with a hit, three RBIs and a run scored. Louis Andujar also collected two hits and scored twice.
The Salem RidgeYaks play in one final game in 2026 on Sunday afternoon. It’s a Sunday matinee as RHP Berny Ortiz makes the start. Salem has already clinched the series but looks to end 2026 out on a high note with a 2:05 p.m. first pitch
Game Notes
- For the third time this week, Salem entered the bottom of the eighth inning either tied or trailing and rallied to win the ballgame
- Four of Salem’s five games this week have been decided by one run, with the RidgeYaks winning Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday by one run
- Salem clinched both the series victory over Hill City and the season series, winning the Battle of 460 for the first time since 2021
- Adonys Guzman homered for the second consecutive night
- Guzman has recorded just four hits in the series, but all four have been milestone swings. His first hit was a game-tying RBI double Tuesday, followed by the walk-off single in the 10th inning. His third hit was a home run Friday night, completing back-to-back homers and setting the record for the most home runs at Carilion Clinic Field by a Salem team. His fourth hit was Saturday’s game-winning three-run blast in the eighth inning
- Starlyn Nunez went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to eight games and his on-base streak to 14 games, dating back to Aug. 18
- Franklin Primera went 2-for-4 to extend his on-base streak to 17 games, dating back to Aug. 14
- The RidgeYaks have now scored 718 runs this season and need three more to break the modern-era franchise record for runs scored in a single season, set with 720 runs in 2022
- Sadbiel Delzine allowed one unearned run, bringing his 2026 total at Carilion Clinic Field to just one earned run allowed over four starts (14.2 innings)
- Delzine finished his home starts with a 0.61 ERA, allowing his lone earned run on a Luis Guanipa solo homer against Augusta on July 25 — just the second pitch of his Single-A career. Delzine then tossed 14.2 consecutive innings at Carilion Clinic Field without allowing an earned run
- Yermain Ruiz earned his second save of the season