Mudcats Open With Split in Fayetteville

Carolina left Fayetteville with a 1-1 record ahead of Tuesday's home opener

(Credit: Brent Hammer)

April 9, 2023

GAME ONE

CAR: 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 5 5 1
FAY: 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 6 2

WP: Shane Smith (1 - 0) LP: Jose Fleury (0 - 1) SV: -

Mudcats Earn Season Opening 5-3 Victory
Strong pitching helped lead the way as the Mudcats opened 2023 with a victory

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Following two postponements, and despite wasting a two-run lead in the ninth, the Carolina Mudcats eventually won their season opening game 5-3 in ten innings versus the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in the first game of a de facto doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at SEGRA Stadium. The game originally began on Friday night but was suspended, rained out on Saturday and resumed on Sunday afternoon.

The Mudcats (1-0) took an early lead on Friday night and originally led 1-0 in the second after Kay-Lan Nicasia forced in Carolina’s first run of the season with a bases loaded walk. The Woodpeckers (0-1) later tied the game in the third when Rolando Espinosa doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch lost by Carolina starter Edwin Jimenez.

Despite the run-scoring wild pitch in the third, Jimenez pitched well as he worked through four innings with just one run allowed on three hits. Jimenez also totaled five strikeouts, including three straight in the first to start the game. Reliever Miguel Guerrero worked the fifth and kept the game tied at 1-1 through five after stranding two baserunners and striking out the side.

The game was eventually suspended after the fifth and was locked at 1-1 when it resumed on Sunday afternoon. That 1-1 tie was short-lived as Carolina scored twice in the sixth to take a 3-1 lead. Jace Avina walked and scored on a RBI single from Tayden Hall to start Carolina’s two-run rally. Hall then scored moments later on a sacrifice fly from Jadher Areinamo.

With the Mudcats leading 3-1 reliever Quinton Low took over on the mound and went on to record two scoreless frames with four strikeouts and two walks. Jeison Pena followed with a scoreless eighth, but found trouble in the ninth after allowing two runs, thus allowing the Woodpeckers to tie things up at 3-3. Pena hit a batter and walked another before giving up back-to-back run-scoring hits in the ninth.

Carolina’s Shane Smith took over for Pena in the ninth and would induce a double play to end the frame and force extras. Smith (1-0) stranded two runners in the ninth and left one man on while pitching a scoreless tenth.

Both Carolina runs in the tenth were helped in by poor Fayetteville defense as the Woodpeckers were charged with two errors in the extra-frame. Both errors led directly to runs for the Mudcats.

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:
Avina, CF (Carolina): 0-for-1, 3 R
Hall, 1B (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Guilarte, 3B (Carolina): 2-for-5
Clifford, RF (Fayetteville): 2-for-5, 1 RBI
Espinosa, R, LF (Fayetteville): 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:
Jimenez (Carolina): 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
Low (H, 1) (Carolina): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO
Smith (W, 1-0) (Carolina): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO
Santa (Fayetteville): 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO
Brockhouse (Fayetteville): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

SCORING:
Mudcats 2nd (Mudcats 1, Woodpeckers 0) -- Avina walks Hall walks, Avina to 2nd Guilarte strikes out Areinamo singles to CF Cole Jr., Avina to 3rd, Hall to 2nd E Fernandez strikes out Nicasia walks, Avina scores, Hall to 3rd, Areinamo to 2nd Barrios reaches on a fielder's choice, Nicasia out at 2nd, 3B Whitaker to 2B Loftin
(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 3 LOB)

Woodpeckers 3rd (Mudcats 1, Woodpeckers 1) -- J Garcia strikes out Molina grounds out, 3B Guilarte to 1B Hall R Espinosa doubles to 2B Areinamo R Espinosa steals 3rd R Espinosa scores on a wild pitch (no RBI) Clifford singles to RF E Fernandez Whitaker walks, Clifford to 2nd Cole Jr. pops out to LF H Perez
(1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB)

Mudcats 6th (Mudcats 3, Woodpeckers 1) -- (#27) Jose Fleury replaces (#29) Walker Brockhouse at P H Perez strikes out Avina walks Avina to 2nd on a wild pitch on a wild pitch Hall singles to CF Cole Jr., Avina scores Hall to 2nd on a wild pitch on a wild pitch Guilarte singles to RF Clifford, Hall to 3rd Areinamo flies out on a sac fly to RF Clifford, Hall scores E Fernandez grounds out, 3B Whitaker to 1B J Williams
(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Woodpeckers 9th (Mudcats 3, Woodpeckers 3) -- J Garcia hit by pitch Molina walks, J Garcia to 2nd R Espinosa singles to 2B Areinamo, deflected by RF E Fernandez, J Garcia scores, Molina to 3rd Clifford singles to LF H Perez, Molina scores, R Espinosa to 2nd R Espinosa steals 3rd Whitaker strikes out (#23) Roilan Machandy replaces (#15) Ryan Clifford at PR, batting 1st Machandy to 2nd on a defensive indifference Cole Jr. hit by pitch (#22) Shane Smith replaces (#46) Jeison Pena at P Gaston grounds into double play, R Espinosa out at Home, 2B Areinamo to C Wood, Gaston, out at 1st, C Wood to 1B Hall
(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB)

Mudcats 10th (Mudcats 5, Woodpeckers 3) -- (#23) Roilan Machandy to RF, batting 1st Runner On: (#4) Matthew Wood placed on 2nd base H Perez reaches on a fielder's choice to 1B J Williams, Wood scores (unearned, no RBI) Avina hit by pitch Hall singles to LF R Espinosa, H Perez to 3rd, Avina to 2nd Guilarte strikes out Areinamo reaches on a fielder's choice, H Perez out at Home, 3B Whitaker to C J Garcia, Avina scores (unearned, no RBI), Hall to 3rd E Fernandez strikes out
(2 Runs, 1 Hits, 2 Errors, 2 LOB)

GAME TWO

CAR: 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 0
FAY: 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 2 x 7 8 0

WP: Ronny Garcia (1 - 0) LP: Nate Peterson (0 - 1) SV: -

Carolina Offense Stifled in 7-1 Loss
The Mudcats fell in the second game of Sunday’s twin-bill in Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Staring pitcher Nic Swanson struck out five over three and 1/3 scoreless innings and Ryan Wrobleski hit a three-run home run in the sixth as the Fayetteville Woodpeckers defeated the Carolina Mudcats 7-1 in the second game of a de facto doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at SEGRA Stadium in Fayetteville. The Mudcats took the first of the twin-bill and left Fayetteville with a season opening two-game series split.

Sunday’s series finale was scoreless through the fourth before the Woodpeckers (1-1) jumped out to a 1-0 when pinch runner Kobe Kato scored on a two-out wild pitch lost by reliever Nate Peterson. Fayetteville went on to add four more runs in the sixth and two more in the eighth while running away with the game 7-1.

Peterson (0-1) allowed five of Fayetteville’s seven runs and took the loss. Beyond the run-scoring wild pitch in the fifth, he also gave up a three-run homer to Ryan Wrobleski in the sixth. Overall, Peterson struck out four, walked one and allowed four runs on six hits over two innings.

Yujanyer Herrera started for the Mudcats (1-1) and worked through three scoreless with four walks and four strikeouts. Chase Costello followed with a scoreless fourth. Tanner Shears and Nick Merkel pitched the final two frames with Shears working a scoreless eighth and Merkel allowing two runs and two hits in the ninth.

HOME RUNS:
Fayetteville: HR: Wrobleski (1, 6th inning off Peterson, 2 on, 1 out).

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:
Perez, H, LF (Carolina): 1-for-5, 0 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Parra, 1B (Carolina): 2-for-3, 0 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Wrobleski, 1B (Fayetteville): 1-for-3, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
Gaston, C (Fayetteville): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:
Herrera (Carolina): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO
Costello (Carolina): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
Swanson (Fayetteville): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
Garcia, R (W, 1-0) (Fayetteville): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

SCORING:
Woodpeckers 5th (Woodpeckers 1, Mudcats 0) -- (#20) Nate Peterson replaces (#18) Chase Costello at P Lorenzo singles to CF Avina Machandy strikes out (#4) Kobe Kato replaces (#16) Dauri Lorenzo at PR, batting 8th Kato steals 2nd Clifford strikes out Whitaker singles to RF E Fernandez, Kato to 3rd Kato scores on a wild pitch (no RBI)Whitaker to 2nd Cole Jr. strikes out
(1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Woodpeckers 6th (Woodpeckers 5, Mudcats 0) -- Gaston singles to LF H Perez Loftin walks, Gaston to 2nd Cruz lines out to RF E Fernandez Wrobleski homers to LF, Gaston scores, Loftin scores, Wrobleski scores Kato singles to CF Avina Machandy doubles to RF E Fernandez, Kato to 3rd Clifford grounds out, SS Barrios to 1B Parra, Kato scores, Machandy to 3rd Whitaker strikes out
(4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Mudcats 7th (Woodpeckers 5, Mudcats 1) -- E Fernandez walks Parra doubles to LF Machandy, E Fernandez to 3rd Barrios flies out on a sac fly to CF Cole Jr., E Fernandez scores Parra steals 3rd Guilarte walks Wood hit by pitch, Guilarte to 2nd H Perez strikes out Avina flies out to CF Cole Jr.
(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 3 LOB)

Woodpeckers 8th (Woodpeckers 7, Mudcats 1) -- (#29) Nick Merkel replaces (#13) Tanner Shears at P Machandy strikes out Clifford strikes out Whitaker singles to CF Avina, deflected by P Merkel Whitaker to 2nd on a passed ball on a passed ball Cole Jr. walks Gaston doubles to CF Avina, Whitaker scores, Cole Jr. scores Loftin strikes out
(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)