Sergio Guerra, Sports Editor/Photographer 

The Greensboro Grasshoppers were on the road this week, visiting local Triad rivals the Winston-Salem Dash. The Grasshoppers displayed a dominant showing in the series, winning five out of six games.  

Tuesday – Grasshoppers 4, Dash 3 

The first match of the series featured the Grasshoppers turning the game around with late-inning drama. In the top of the ninth, Greensboro was trailing 3-2, and the second baseman Duce Gourson was up to bat. Gourson reached first after hitting a ground ball. However, the Grasshoppers faced poor odds after Omar Alfonzo grounded out, and Esmerlyn Valdez hit a foul ball that the Dash’s first baseman caught. Javier Rivas was at bat, with the Grasshoppers facing a loss if he struck out.  

The Dash’s pitcher, Madison Jeffrey, threw four balls, allowing Rivas to walk. With two runners on base, Keiner Delgado stepped up to the plate. On the verge of striking out after a called strike and a foul ball, Delgado hit a powerful line drive that secured second base for him. More importantly, Duce Gourson and Javier Rivas scored runs, turning the game around to 4-3. 

Wednesday – Grasshoppers 8, Dash 6 

The second match of the series saw Winston-Salem tie on two occasions, including a remarkable sixth inning in which the Dash scored three runs to level the score at 4-4. A throwing error from the Dash’s Sam Antonacci allowed Jesus Castillo to score a run and shifted the momentum of the game. In addition to the run, Lonnie White Jr. advanced to third base. 

Geovanny Planchart became the Grasshoppers’ first out of the inning after hitting a sacrifice fly that allowed Lonnie White Jr. to score. This put the match at 6-4, and after trading homers in the ninth inning, Greensboro emerged victorious with a score of 8-6.  

Thursday – Grasshoppers 4, Dash 2 

Once again, the Grasshoppers relied on late-inning heroics to avoid defeat against their hosts. Thursday night, they found themselves down 2-1 at the top of the eighth inning. P.J. Hilson batted first and reached first base on a fly ball after nearly striking out. A single by Kalae Hilson put him on second, and a wild pitch moved the two runners to second and third, respectively. The Grasshoppers turned the game around when Jesus Castillo hit a fly ball, allowing Hilson and Harrison to score, which they both capitalized on. 

Saturday – (1) Grasshoppers 4, Dash 0 (2) Grasshoppers 4, Dash 3 

Heavy rain on Friday night resulted in the match being postponed. Saturday now featured a doubleheader of seven innings each. In the first match of the day, the Winston-Salem Dash had little offensive production, and the Grasshoppers secured another win largely due to Omar Alfonzo. In the top of the fourth inning, Alfonzo hit a homer to right field with Lonnie White Jr. on second base. 

The second match was much closer and was level at 3-3 going into the seventh and final inning. The Grasshoppers managed to pull ahead thanks to Lonnie White Jr., who hit a ground ball that reached shortstop Wilber Sanchez. The Dash’s shortstop executed a double play, retiring Geovanny Planchart and Lonnie White Jr. During the play, P.J. Hilson, positioned at third, managed to score and gave the Grasshoppers the lead.  

Sunday – Grasshoppers 4, Dash 10 

In the final match of the series, the Grasshoppers experienced their first loss of the week to the Winston-Salem Dash. This was largely due to the Dash’s first-inning performance. The Winston-Salem side scored 7 runs without a response until the third inning. The Dash’s early rally prevented a series sweep by their local rivals.  

The Grasshoppers will be eager to return to their winning ways when they return to Greensboro this week to face the Jersey Shore Blue Claws starting on Tuesday, April 15.