Hot Woodies Bats on a Cold Rainy Night in K-Town

Friday, April 7, 2023
By Jackson Pass

Tonight was game two of the series between the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers and Down East Wood Ducks which started off with a 10-minute rain delay. Aidan Curry started on the mound for the Wood Ducks, retiring two of three Cannon Baller batters on strikeouts. Along with the strong start from Curry, the Woodies offense came in with run support in the bottom half of the first, scoring three runs with two hits, highlighted by a two RBI double by catcher Tucker Mitchell.

Kannapolis was able to get one on the board in the fourth, after Curry allowed Tapia to score from third on a fielder’s choice to first base. This ended Curry’s night, going 3.2 innings with seven strikeouts, impressing in his first outing of the year.

The Wood Ducks scored runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to extend the lead to 10-1. In the fifth, Mitchell and Cueva tacked on more RBIs with Mitchell driving in Morrobel on a single and Cueva scoring Mitchell from second on a two out single. The sixth inning consisted of a three-hit inning for the Woodies. Ortiz leads it off with a single followed by two RBI singles from Cauley and Gutierrez. In the seventh, Cueva cleared the bases with a two RBI triple to score Mitchell and Figuereo. Cueva was able to cross the plate on an RBI single by Ortiz.

The Wood Ducks pitching staff came in hot out of the bullpen, by holding Kannapolis to only one hit after the starter Curry was relieved in the fourth. Jackson Kelley picked up the win on the night with a sweeping slider, striking out three of the five batters he faced. McCarty pitched to contact in the sixth and seventh, getting four groundouts against seven batters. Adrian Rodriguez was the last one out of the pen, flashing an overpowering fastball that led to six straight outs, two being strikeouts.

Tonight was the first Woodies win of the year with 13 hits on the night and 13 strikeouts from the pitching staff which lead to a 10-1 victory. The Wood Ducks (1-1) and Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (1-1) play game three tomorrow on Saturday, April 8th, with the series tied 1-1. The first pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. in Kinston, NC at Historic Grainger Stadium. Gates open at 4 pm with the first 1,000 fans set to receive a Kinston retro Jersey sponsored by Pepsi.

Fans can purchase tickets online at woodducksbaseball.com, by calling the Wood Ducks Team Offices at (252) 686-5164 or in the Wood Ducks Team Offices located at Grainger Stadium (Mon-Fri – 10am - 4pm). Make sure to follow your Down East Wood Ducks on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Facebook so you don’t miss anything!