BY DREW MCDONALD
The gates opened at Truist Stadium at 5:50 p.m. on May 4th, the first time in 613 days since the Winston-Salem Dash played a home game. A sell-out crowd filed into the ballpark, eager to see their hometown team back on the field and back to some normalcy. The energy was high throughout the series, with fans participating in the ice cream and cake presented by Lowes Foods, in dancing, or singing along to “Bon Jovi” and “Journey.”
C J Johnson, President of the DASH, said “It was great to once again have fans in Truist Stadium enjoying tasty food, cold beverages and family entertainment.”
In total, the Dash sold out five of the six games in their home stand, highlighted by the “Dr. Ohl Bobblehead Giveaway” in honor of Dr. Christopher Ohl, an Infectious Disease expert with Wake Forest Baptist Health, who was in attendance at Sunday’s game. Dr. Ohl has been a staple in the Winston-Salem community with his Thursday Morning Facebook Live updates. As we all navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, he was a voice that brought knowledge and education to our community.
“Dr. Ohl and all the incredible health providers in our community helped guide us through this pandemic. . . . We thought a bobblehead was a fun way to say ‘Thank You!’,” commented C J.
The Dash’s “Back to Bases” slogan was adopted in March of 2020, a message to fans that resonated with Johnson and other Dash staff. Fans are encouraged to use the #BackToBases on their own social posts as a way of joining in with the Dash this season.
“Back to Bases means a return to fun, a return of live entertainment, and enjoying each other’s company,” explained C J.
The final game of the home stand ended in dramatic fashion and resulted in one of the biggest crowd pops of the week. Trailing 4-3 in the tenth inning with a base runners on first and second, Alex Destino lined a single to center field, scoring the runner from second to tie the game. The center fielder sent the ball sailing over the third baseman’s head, ricocheting off the protective netting above the dugout, scoring the second runner for a walk-off win. The Dash players were running across the field and congratulating Destino, sending the fans home with a memory sure to make them return to Truist Stadium for future Dash games.
The Dash returned home on Tuesday, May 25th, for a six-game series against the Hickory Crawdads.
