Kinston, N.C. - The Down East Wood Ducks snapped their five-game losing streak, with a 7-3 victory over the Frederick Keys, Tuesday.
Kinston, N.C. - The Down East Wood Ducks snapped their five-game losing streak, with a 7-3 victory over the Frederick Keys, Tuesday.
With the victory, Down East (35-27, 85-47) match the 1990 Port Charlotte Rangers team for the most wins ever by a Rangers Advanced-A affiliate.
The Wood Ducks got on the board in the first inning. Julio Pablo Martinez led off with an infield single, and Sam Huff followed with a single into left-center. Curtis Terry then ripped a ball through the left side for an RBI to put Down East up, 1-0.
The Woodies added on in the second. Bubba Thompson blasted a home run to left field to make it 2-0. Yanio Perez then walked, advanced to second on a Tyler Depreta-Johnson single, and scored on a throwing error to make it a 3-0 edge.
The Wood Ducks poured it on in the third against Blaine Knight (loss, 1-11). Sherten Apostel led off with a single to extend his on-base streak to 27 in a row. Yohel Pozo followed with a single, and with one out, Thompson crushed his second homer of the ballgame, and fifth of the season, to make it 6-0.
Knight worked 2.1 innings giving up six runs on nine hits, he walked one and struck out one.
Meanwhile Scott Engler produced his best outing as a Wood Ducks starter. He tossed four scoreless innings, giving up three hits and two walks, while striking out a career-high seven.
Sam Hellinger (win, 1-0) followed with four innings out of the bullpen to secure his first Carolina League win. He allowed four hits, but three went as home runs, all solo shots. Robbie Thorburn hit one as the first batter Hellinger faced in the fifth, and then the other two came as back-to-back shots from JC Escarra and Robert Neustrom in the eighth.
The Wood Ducks did add a run in the sixth, using three infield singles, with Pozo picking up an RBI with the bases loaded.
Josh Advocate struck out two in a scoreless ninth to close out the contest.
The Woodies and Keys will play game three of their four game set Wednesday at 7 p.m. Right-hander Alex Eubanks (9-4, 3.20) will make the start for the Woodies, opposed by Frederick righty Ofelky Peralta (2-2, 5.59). The broadcast 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. For tickets and more information visit woodducksbaseball.com or call (252) 686-5172.
