SALEM, Va. – The Salem RidgeYaks (50-63, 25-23) erupted for 23 hits and scored 21 runs Tuesday night, cruising past the Wilson Warbirds (60-52, 24-22), 21-4 at Salem Memorial Ballpark.
Franklin Primera lead the charge by driving in seven runs, Starlyn Nunez added five RBIs and the RidgeYaks scored in each of their first five innings to pull away early.
Salem jumped on Wilson starter Joan Pena immediately, sending four runs across in the bottom of the first inning.
Josue Brito opened the scoring with an RBI single that brought home Primera. Nunez followed with a two-run single to score Kleyver Salazar and Brito before Salazar scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
Primera added to the lead in the second inning, launching his fourth home run of the season to left-center field.
Wilson trimmed the deficit to 5-3 with a three-run third inning, but Salem answered with a seven-run bottom half.
Nunez started the outburst with a two-run home run, his 12th of the season. Adonys Guzman followed with an RBI single before Primera delivered a two-run double. Kleyver Salazar capped the inning with a two-run homer, his 11th of the year, giving the RidgeYaks a 12-3 advantage.
Salem continued to pile on in the fourth, scoring three more runs. Guzman drove in Nunez with a single, Primera brought home Andrews Opata on a groundout and Salazar added a sacrifice fly to make it 15-3.
The RidgeYaks added six more runs in the fifth.
Nunez opened the scoring with a groundout that brought home Brito. Wills Maginnis followed with an RBI single, and Primera delivered his second double of the night to clear the bases and push Salem's lead to 20-4. Colton Coates then drove in Primera with a single for the game's final run.
Primera finished 3-for-6 with two doubles, a home run, four runs scored and seven RBIs. Nunez went 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs scored and five RBIs. Guzman also collected three hits, while Salazar scored twice and drove in three runs.
Maginnis, Brito, Coates and Andrews Opata each added two hits for Salem.
Nicolas De La Cruz (6-3) earned the win for the RidgeYaks, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three over two innings of relief. Cole Tolbert, Yermain Ruiz and Wuilliams Rodriguez combined to hold Wilson scoreless over the final four innings.
Salem's 23 hits marked its highest hit total of the season, as well as the 21 runs coming off 44 at-bats.
The RidgeYaks and Warbirds continue their six-game series Wednesday night in Salem. The Yaks continue their playoff push and now sit 2.0 games out of first place pending the score from Fayetteville. Christian Foutch makes the start on Wednesday for the RidgeYaks.
Game Notes
- Salem’s 21 runs are the most runs the club has seen since a 21-7 win over the Frederick Keys on May 29, 1994
- The 23 hits also mark the most in a single-game since August 30, 2005 vs Wilmington
- Franklin Primera went 3-for-6 with a career-high seven RBI
- The last time a Salem player saw seven RBI was Eddinson Paulino on September 2, 2002 at Augusta
- Over his 13 games in August, Primera is hitting .444 (20-for-45) at the plate with three home runs ,13 RBI, and a 1.390 OPS
- In 32 second-half games since June 19, Primera is second in the Carolina League with a .342 average and 15 extra-base hits
- All nine Salem starters recorded multi-hit efforts
- Salem hit three home runs to bring their total to 96 homers on the season; Salem needs eight more home runs to break the modern day single-season home run record (103 in 2021)
- Starlyn Nunez hit his team leading 12th home run of the season in the 3rd inning
- Kleyver Salazar saw three RBI to bring his team-leading total to 61 RBI on the season
- Nicolas De La Cruz earned his sixth win of the season to tie Leighton Finley for the most wins by a pitcher this season
- Yermain Ruiz went three innings from the bullpen retiring the first eight batters he saw and saw just one runner to reach on a walk
- Salem now owns two of their three 16+ runs performances this season against Wilson (April 12)
- Wills Maginnis, Colton Coates and Josue Brito all made their home debuts
- Maginnis saw seven plate appearances which is the most by any RidgeYak this season
- Starlyn Nunez’s five RBI ties his career high from June 4 at Wilson
- The RidgeYaks are now 6-1 in home games against the Warbirds