Alexis Pantoja delivered the go-ahead single to lead off the 10th inning and Lynchburg’s bullpen did not allow a run as the Hillcats rallied to defeat Salem 6-5 Friday evening at Salem Memorial Ballpark in Salem.
Dillon Persinger was placed on second base to begin the top of the 10th inning and Pantoja turned on the first pitch he saw in the inning and recorded his only hit of the game to score Persinger.
The Hillcats (17-17), which led 2-0 and 3-1 in the game’s early stages, trailed 5-3 heading into the top of the ninth.
Pantoja led off with a walk against Red Sox relief pitcher Yankory Pimentel (0-1) and Jodd Carter followed two batters later with a double to left to move Pantoja to third.
Pimentel forced Conner Capel to pop out to first for the second out, but Li-Jen Chu delivered a line-drive single to center that scored Pantoja and Carter to tie the game.
Chu (2 for 3) moved to third on Trenton Brooks’ single, but Pimentel struck out Persinger to end the ninth.
Brooks went 2 for 4 and Emmanuel Tapia drove in two runs.
Hillcats starter Zach Plesac, coming off a complete-game two-hit shutout last weekend at home, was roughed up for five earned runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings.
Bobby Dalbec hit his seventh homer of the season, a solo shot in the second, to cut Salem’s deficit to 2-1.
C.J. Chatham (3 for 4) had an RBI double in the third and Jerry Downs added a two-run double in the fifth to put the Red Sox (17-18) ahead 5-3.
Fortunately, the Hillcats bullpen allowed only three hits over the final 5 1/3 innings.
Anderson Polanco threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, Billy Strode (1-0) allowed one hit in 2 1/3 innings and James Karinchak worked around a two-out walk to record the final two outs and record the save.
Red Sox starter Darwinzon Hernandez did not get out of the first inning. He threw 33 pitches and issued four walks with a hit while recording two outs.
Jared Oliver settled things down and allowed one run on four hits in 4 1/3 innings.
Hunter Smith threw three scoreless innings before turning it over to Pimentel, who blew his first save opportunity of the season.