Mudcats lose 4-3 in first half finale

ZEBULON, NC - The Mudcats finished the first half schedule one win shy of 30 after losing 4-3 to the Blue Rocks in Sunday's series and first half finale at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. Ryan Clark allowed his league worst 12th home run of the season in the loss.

The loss came in front of a Father's Day crowd of 4,988 at Five County Stadium and in game six of a six game series between the Mudcats (29-41) and Blue Rocks (27-42) in Zebulon. The Mudcats won 29 games over their first half schedule and finished one game better than last place Winston-Salem in the first half standings.

Clark (0-9, 6.20) took the loss after allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. He walked a batter, struck out four and allowed one home run in the loss. 

Carolina originally jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first after Keith Curcio brought in Stephen Gaylor from third with a sacrifice fly to left. Gaylor started the first with a walk and went to third on a single to right by Omar Obregon. 

The Mudcats led 3-0 through the second before Humberto Arteaga homered off Clark to cut the lead to 3-1 in the third. The home run was Clark's league high 12th allowed this season and Arteaga's second. 

The Blue Rocks trailed 3-1 after the Arteaga home run, but later took the lead in the fifth after collecting three runs and three hits against Clark. Cody Jones drove in Brian Bien with a single in the fifth and an error later in the frame by Jordan Edgerton allowed Jones to score from second. Elier Hernandez plated another run with a sacrifice fly to break the tie and give the Blue Rocks the 4-3 lead.

Wilmington's starter Foster Griffin eventually finished the first with just the one run and one hit allowed, but the Mudcats tacked on two more in the second while taking a 3-0 lead. Reed Harper walked and scored on a fielding error in the second and Obregon squeezed in Tanner Murphy with a bunt to first in the same frame to cap the two run rally. Murphy was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run in the game for the Mudcats. 

The Mudcats stranded 11 men on base in the loss, including six over the final five innings. Luis Rico inherited a runner from Griffin in the fifth, but finished the frame without allowing a run. Carolina was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and lost the series four games to two.

Rico pitched through total of two innings and earned the win out of the bullpen. He struck out three, walked two and gave up just one hit in his appearance. Wilmington also used Jake Newberry and Jake Kalish in the series finale victory. Newberry struck out two and walked one over one inning and Kalish (S, 1) struck out two over one and 1/3 inning pitched.

Clark was followed by Taylor Lewis, Sean McLaughlin and Chase Johnson-Mullins who combined to hold the Blue Rocks scoreless over four innings pitched. Lewis worked through a scoreless sixth and seventh with one strikeout. McLaughlin pitched a scoreless eighth and Johnson-Mullins worked through the ninth without allowing a run.

Tickets to all Carolina Mudcats games are currently available by contacting a front office representative at (919) 269-CATS (2287) or by visiting www.carolinamudcats.com.

The Carolina Mudcats are the Class A Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. First established in 1991, the two-time Southern League Champion Carolina Mudcats are in their 26th consecutive season of baseball at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C. 

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