Bullpen lets late lead slip away
ZEBULON, NC - The visiting Hillcats erased a one run deficit in their final at-bat with a seven run and seven hit ninth while defeating the Mudcats 8-2 at Five County Stadium on Thursday night. Lynchburg's Claudio Bautista was 2-for-4 with two runs and the go-ahead RBI double in the comeback victory.
The 8-2 loss was Carolina's first this season when leading after the eighth and dropped them to six games back of first place Winston-Salem in the second half playoff race. Carolina's elimination number is down to four with 10 games remaining this season.
The Hillcats (68-62, 35-25) trailed 2-1 going into the ninth, but rallied for seven runs and seven hits in the final frame while taking an 8-2 lead. Joey Meneses started the Carolina (66-63, 32-28) ninth with a double, but was left on as the Mudcats failed to get him in.
Bradley Roney (BS, L, 2-1, 2.87) lost Carolina's one run lead in the ninth and suffered his first blown save of the season. He and Richie Tate combined to allow all seven runs and all seven hits in the final Lynchburg frame.
Roney pitched a scoreless eighth before allowing four runs and three hits in the ninth. He started the ninth with a walk of Dorsyss Paulino before allowing him to second on a wild pitch. Roney then retired Mike Papi on a groundout to second, but Paulino advanced to third and scored moments later to tie it on a RBI single to left by Eric Haase. Claudio Bautista then followed with the go-ahead RBI double putting the Hillcats up 3-2.
The Hillcats went on to collect seven straight and score seven runs in the inning while taking the 8-2 lead. Each of the three hits allowed by Roney came in two strike counts and were picked up by the seven, eight and nine batters in the inning. Tate followed Roney once the lineup flipped over to leadoff man LeVon Washington, but the hits continued as Tate allowed four straight before retiring Paulino on sacrifice fly to right.
Washington was 3-for-4 with a run, Yhoxian Medina was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI in the Lynchburg win. Haase was 2-for-4 with a run and one batted in and Bautista was 2-for-4 with a run and the go-ahead RBI double in the ninth.
Seth Webster started and finished without a decision despite allowing just one run and striking out seven over seven innings pitched. He lost a 1-0 lead in the seventh, but the Mudcats came back and took the lead in the bottom of the same inning before the seven run Lynchburg ninth.
Dustin Peterson drove in the first run of the game with a RBI single to right in the first. His hit scored Keith Curcio and resulted in his 57th RBI of the year, tying him with Jacob Schrader for the team lead.
Dace Kime allowed Curcio's leadoff single and Peterson's run scoring hit in the first before settling in and keeping the Mudcats scoreless sixth. He returned for the seventh with the game tied 1-1 and allowed a leadoff hit to Jose Briceno in the inning before leaving the game. Briceno later sored on a safety squeeze bunt by Connor Lien and the Mudcats took their late 2-1 lead.
Kime allowed two earned runs and five hits over six and 1/3 innings pitched. He also walked three and struck out three while starting for the Hillcats. David Speer allowed an inherited runner to score in the seventh and pitched through part of the eighth while going one full inning in relief. Perci Garner (W, 2-1, 2.63) worked through a scoreless eighth while earning the win and Grant Sides pitched a perfect ninth.
The series continues with game two scheduled for Friday night at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Brandon Barker will start game two for Carolina against Michael Peoples and the Hillcats.
All games air on the Mudcats Radio Network, The Big Dawg 98.5 FM, Rock City 99.3 FM and Sports 1490 AM. Games are also streamed online at www.carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio and the TuneIn Radio app. TuneIn Radio is the official digital audio partner of MiLB.com.
Individual tickets are now available online at www.carolinamudcats.com, by calling (919) 269-2287 and by visiting the Five County Stadium box office.
Premium Field Level seats are $12.00, Box Seats are $10.00 and Cattail Skybox Seats are $15.00. Flex plans, group tickets and the "Muddy Unreal Deal" plan are also currently available for purchase.
The Carolina Mudcats are the Class-A Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The 2015 "Braves New World" season is the first for the Mudcats as an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and their fourth straight in the historic Carolina League. First established in 1991, the Carolina Mudcats are entering their 25th straight season of baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. Fans can purchase tickets or find more information by calling (919) 269-2287 or by visiting www.carolinamudcats.com.
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