The Winston-Salem Dash are going back to the playoffs, and they did it in style Friday night with an 8-2 win over the Rome Emperors.
For a White Sox affiliate, that’s no small thing. Postseason appearances have been hard to come by this decade, and outside of the Birmingham Barons’ back-to-back Southern League titles in 2024-25, there hasn’t been much to celebrate in October-caliber baseball. That’s what makes this Dash run stand out: after a 56-74 finish last year and with only Single-A and ACL talent available to add, a major step forward wasn’t exactly the obvious outcome.
Instead, Winston-Salem surged to a 35-28 second half and rode one of the youngest, strongest prospect groups in the system all the way to a South Atlantic League berth. It’s the Dash’s first postseason trip since 2018.
George Wolkow was the big bat in the clincher, finishing with two hits, three RBIs and a run. Nick McLain and Ryan Galvan also homered, but Wolkow was the difference in the lineup. On the mound, Grant Umberger and Jake Curtis gave the Dash exactly what they needed to finish the job.
Umberger started and covered six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. One of the runs came on a solo homer, but he otherwise kept the Emperors in check and settled the game early. Curtis then took over and shut the door with three scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out five more.
That kind of depth on the pitching side is part of why this team got here. When multiple players have a case for game MVP, it usually says as much about the team as the box score does.
Now the Dash move on to the SALLY Division Series against the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who finished the full 2026 season 8 1/2 games better than Winston-Salem. The Dash will host Game 1 at 5:30 p.m. CT on September 8 before the series shifts to Bowling Green for Games 2 and 3.
Runners-Up
Jake Curtis: 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Grant Umberger: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, BB, 5 K HR
Jeral Perez: 3-for-5, RBI, K
Nick McLain: 2-for-4, R, RBI, BB, K
Ryan Galvan: 1-for-4, R, RBI, 2 K
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