Segovia and Los Pescados Prevail in Extras as Carolina Defeats Down East 6-5 in Ten

ZEBULON, NC - Joantgel Segovia delivered a walk-off single in the tenth and hit a game tying double in the sixth while leading the Mudcats, playing as Pescados de Carolina for the first time, to a 6-5 extra-innings victory versus first place Down East on Friday night at Five County Stadium.

Carolina (29-19) pulled within 2.5 games of the Carolina League Southern Division leading Wood Ducks (32-17) with Friday's walk-off victory in front of a crowd of 4,460 in Zebulon. The walk-off, and extra-innings, victory was Carolina's third of the home stand as they also won in extras on May 20 and May 21 versus Lynchburg earlier in the week.
Segovia led the way for los Pescados while going 2-for-5 with a run, a double and three RBI in the series opening victory. His hit in the tenth came off reliever Michael Matuella and scored Eddie Silva from third to win the game. It also followed a bases loaded run scoring walk from Rob Henry, a RBI single from Payton Henry and a leadoff single from Nick Roscetti in the final frame.
Matuella (L/BS, 2-1, 6.00) allowed three Carolina hits, walked one and allowed three runs (two earned) in the final frame while losing a two run Wood Ducks lead in the tenth. He started the tenth by allowing Roscetti's single to right and Henry's run scoring knock to left. Payton Henry's hit scored the inserted runner Lutz from second and cut the Down East lead to 5-4. Silva then followed with a sac bunt attempt, but Matuella went on to him with a pitch to load the bases for Rob Henry. A bases loaded walk forced in the tying run and with one out Segovia then connected on a 3-2 pitch from Matuella while lining the game winning hit to left to win the game.
Rodrigo Benoit earned the victory for Carolina despite balking in the go-ahead run and seeing one other run score on a passed ball in the Down East half of the tenth. Benoit (W, 5-0, 0.46) struck out the side in the ninth, but also gave up two unearned runs, two walks and struck out four total over two innings pitched.
The Wood Ducks led first in the game after scoring once in the second and once in the fifth on home runs from Anderson Tejeda and J.P. Martinez respectively. Both homers came off Pescados' starter Matt Smith, but were the only runs and accounted for two of the three hits allowed by Smith in his start. Smith worked through the fifth and struck out two while also allowing two runs on three hits.
The Wood Ducks led 2-0 in the fifth, but Carolina rallied back with Segovia's double to tie the game and Ryan Aguilar's go-ahead RBI single to right. All three Carolina runs came with two outs in the fifth and all three were allowed in by starter John King. 
Carolina led 3-2 after five, but reliever Christian Taugner would then follow Smith out of the pen. Taugner (BS, 1) worked his way through the next two frames without allowing a run, but would later see an unearned run come across in the eighth as the Wood Ducks tied things up a 3-3. In all, Taugner struck out three and allowed an unearned run on two hits over three innings pitched.
Down East's Diosbel Arias brought in the tying run with a double to left, but after the Mudcats had committed an error and failed to turn a double play in the inning. The game would then stay tied at 3-3 through the ninth as relievers Cole Uvila and Demarcus Evans kept Carolina in check over four straight frames. 
Uvila struck out four, walked one, hit three batters and allowed one hit over two scoreless frames. Uvila allowed a leadoff double to Tristen Lutz in the eighth, but Evans followed out of the bullpen and went on to strikeout three straight to end the frame. He then went on to walk a few in the ninth, but escaped the frame with back-to-back strikeouts of Mario Feliciano and Lutz to leave the bases loaded.
King totaled nine strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on six hits over five innings in his start for Down East. Uvila struck out four, walked one and pitched through two plus innings scoreless. Evans then struck out five while recording six outs overall. The trio of King, Uvila and Evan combined to total 18 strikeouts in the game for the Wood Ducks.
Carolina's Friday night victory also came in the first game of the four game set and gave the Mudcats both a 1-0 series lead and a 3-2 advantage in the overall season schedule between the two teams. The series will continue on Saturday evening with a 5:00 p.m. first pitch at Five County Stadium. The game will air live on the Mudcats Radio Network, The Big Dawg 98.5 FM and online at carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio.
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