Baseball teams from Salem, and the Triad win on Fri.

The Salem Avalanche from my hometown of Salem, Va., are on an amazing run as they won their 17th of 21 games last night by defeating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans 5-0 in a game that was played in SC. Avalanche CF Ervin Alcantra hit a solo homer in the third which put the Avs up for good,paving the way for their big win in the Carolina League.

Meanwhile, the Greensboro Grasshoppers hosted the Savannah Sand Gnats in South Atlantic League action. And, the Hoppers came away with a 4-1 win thanks to the combined pitching efforts of Aaran Thompson, Jason Iehl and Brad Stone. According to the Hoppers web site, manager Brandon Hyde is pleased with the team's defensive play this season.

And, lastly, in Frederick, Md., the Winston-Salem Warthogs (20-20) defeated the host Frederick Keys in another pivotal Carolina League game by a score of 3-1. The Hogs were helped by starting pitcher Kyle McCulloch, who was the 2006 first-round pick of the Chicago White Sox. The Hogs jumped ahead thanks to a two-out RBI single by Chris Kelly to score Victor Mercedes in the first inning. Mercedes would finish the game by going 4 for 4. Hogs reliever Oneli Perez gave up a run in the eighth inning, but closer Fernando Hernandez was able to secure the win, and get his 12th save of the season.

 

The Avalanche are Class-A team of the Houston Astros. The Winston-Salem Warthogs are an affiliate of the White Sox. The other four teams in the Carolina League are the Potomac Nationals, Lynchburg Hillcats, Kinston Indians and Wilmington (De) BlueRocks.

The Greensboro Grasshoppers are the lower Class-A team of the Florida Marlins.

 

These are the home sites for the teams, all of whom broadcast their games live on the Internet.

The Avs host the Lynchburg Hillcats on Monday.

Earlier in the week, the Avalanche played the Warthogs in Winston-Salem as a day game in which temperatures passed the 100 degree mark. The Warthogs won the game, and no one was reported to have suffered a heat stroke.

 

Salem Avalanche: http://www.salemavalanche.com

Winston-Salem Warthogs http://www.warthogs.com

Greensboro Grasshoppers http://www.gsohoppers.com