Dash of the Titans

By admin — In News — September 9, 2026

   ​Down to their final out? Javier Mogollón had other plans. The Dash spent most of Tuesday night trying to dig out of an early six-run hole. With one swing in the ninth and one more big hit in the 10th, they completed the comeback.Winston-Salem erased a three-run deficit on Javier Mogollón’s two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth before Nick McLain delivered a walk-off double in the 10th, giving the Dash a thrilling 9-8 victory in Game 1 of the South Atlantic League Division Series. What a way to steal it!Despite being outhit 14-9, the Dash delivered when it mattered most. They finished only 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, but all three of their home runs came in crucial spots. Seven Winston-Salem pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts, while Max Banks, Aric McAtee and Carlton Perkins held the Hot Rods scoreless over the final 3 2/3 innings.The Dash reached the postseason behind a powerhouse offense that ranked among the top three in the league in most major categories, including first in on-base percentage and walks. They also posted the league’s best second-half run differential at +59 and finished third overall at +99. Winston-Salem matched first-half division champion Bowling Green step for step down the stretch, with both teams finishing the second half at 35-30. Tonight, all of that was on display.Drew McDaniel got the nod for the Dash after going 2-8 with a 4.57 ERA and 1.27 WHIP during the regular season. The righthander breezed through a 13-pitch first inning, throwing 10 strikes, but immediately encountered trouble in the second. A leadoff triple and an RBI single gave Bowling Green a quick 1-0 lead, and another single followed by a run-scoring double made it 2-0.The Hot Rods piled on in the third. A pair of one-out doubles and a two-run homer pushed the lead to 5-0 and chased McDaniel from the game. Frankeli Arias came in to mop up but allowed a leadoff double and a one-out RBI single in the fourth, stretching Bowling Green’s advantage to 6-0. Trey Cooper entered and prevented further damage by striking out both batters he faced.Meanwhile, Hot Rods starter Trevor Harrison retired the first 11 Dash hitters before the momentum shifted with two outs in the fourth. Kyle Lodise worked a walk, and James Taussig broke up both the no-hitter and shutout with a two-run blast to right-center. Jeral Perez followed with a single, Nick McLain drew a walk and Braden Holcomb crushed a 103 mph three-run dinger to pull Winston-Salem within one.The Dash threatened again in the fifth when Ely Brown doubled with one out, but they could not push across the tying run. Jake Curtis then surrendered a leadoff single and a two-run homer in the sixth, allowing the Hot Rods to rebuild their advantage at 8-5.That score stuck until the ninth, when Winston-Salem mounted one final rally. Holcomb reached on a throwing error, and Rylan Galvan walked to put two aboard with nobody out. After Kaleb Freeman struck out and Brown grounded out, the Dash were do  

Content Source: Yahoo News

Image Credit: Getty Images

All rights to the news content and images belong to their respective copyright owners.