Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wood Ducks led 4-1 after five innings, and 6-4 in the tenth, but both times were unable to make the lead stand as JJ Muno lifted a walk-off sac fly in the eleventh to lift the Dash to a 7-6 win, Sunday.
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Wood Ducks led 4-1 after five innings, and 6-4 in the tenth, but both times were unable to make the lead stand as JJ Muno lifted a walk-off sac fly in the eleventh to lift the Dash to a 7-6 win, Sunday.
After converting his first 14 saves of the season, Joe Kuzia (loss, 3-1) blew the save and suffered the loss for the Woodies (18-13, 68-33), who fall to 8-4 in extra-inning affairs.
Down East struck for two runs in the second to take the early lead. Curtis Terry ripped a double off the wall in left-center to begin the inning, and two batters later Julio Pablo Martinez likewise lined a ball off the batters eye to make it 1-0. Sherten Apostel followed with an RBI single to right to increase the advantage to 2-0.
Winston-Salem (14-17, 51-43) would get a run back in the third. Muno worked a leadoff walk against Noah Bremer , and Tate Blackman followed with an RBI double to right to make it 2-1.
Down East expanded the lead in the fifth. With two out, Tyler Depreta-Johnson lined a single to left, and Bubba Thompson followed by launching his second home run of the season over the batters eye in center to make it 4-1.
Winston-Salem responded in the sixth. Steele Walker reached on a two-out infield single to end the day for Bremer. Scott Engler came on, and Craig Dedelow , the first batter to face him, lifted a two-run home run to right, cutting the lead to 4-3.
Bremer worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, he walked one and struck out five.
Engler then gave up a walk and a single to begin the eighth, putting runners at the corners. Michael Matuella came out of the bullpen and gave up an RBI groundout to Zach Remillard to tie the score at 4-4, as the ballgame moved to extra-innings.
In the tenth, with Depreta-Johnson beginning the inning at second, Thompson ripped a triple to the alleyway in right-center, putting the Woodies back on top, 5-4. Sam Huff then followed with a sharp one-hopper past Mitch Roman at third base, scoring Thompson, to make it 6-4.
Kuzia then entered in the home tenth, and after a strikeout of Walker, gave up a two-run homer to Dedelow, his second of the game, to tie the score at 6-6. It was the first home run allowed by Kuzia on the year, and the first time he'd allowed more than one run in an outing.
Jake Elliott (win, 4-2) got the Woodies to line into a double-play in the top of the 11th, giving the Dash a chance to win in the home half. With Jameson Fisher at second to start the inning, Carlos Perez lined a single to right to put runners at the corners, and Muno followed with a sac fly to center to send the Dash to a 7-6 victory.
The Woodies look to salvage the finale Monday when they send lefty John King (2-2, 1.98) to the mound to face off with fellow left-hander Konnor Pilkington (2-6, 5.46). First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m., and the pregame show will begin at 6:50 p.m. on 960AM The Bull, and online at 960thebull.com as well as on the MiLB First Pitch, and TuneIn Radio Apps.
