Wilmington, DE - The Down East Wood Ducks saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to a close Thursday night, as they dropped the opening game of four game set with Wilmington, 4-3.
Wilmington, DE - The Down East Wood Ducks saw their season-best five-game winning streak come to a close Thursday night, as they dropped the opening game of four game set with Wilmington, 4-3.
Down East (10-5) stuck first in the ballgame, with a run in the second inning, when Ryan Dorow lifted a sacrifice fly to center, plating Anderson Tejeda all the way from second base, for a 1-0 lead.
Wilmington (11-4) responded for a run in the home half of the third. Cristian Perez and Rudy Martin worked back-to-back singles to begin the inning, and later in the frame, Blake Perkins lifted a sac fly to center, knotting the score at 1-1.
Down East would go ahead again in the fourth against Jackson Kowar (win, 1-0). Leody Taveras and Tejeda each singled to begin the inning, and then with both in scoring position after a wild pitch, Dorow brought in Taveras on an RBI groundout to make it 2-1 Down East.
Kowar worked 5.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits, he walked three and struck out six, to earn his first win of the season.
A.J. Alexy (loss, 0-3) was dominant early for the Woodies, striking out seven in his first four innings. However the Down East righty ran into trouble in the fifth. He loaded the bases on two hits and a walk, and then with two out, Seuly Matias ripped a bases clearing triple to the gap in right-center to give the Blue Rocks a 4-2 lead, ending Alexy's night. He worked 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out eight.
The Woodies trimmed into the deficit in the sixth inning. Julio Pablo Martinez led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Diosbel Arias, that came off of Wilmington reliever Rito Lugo .
However, that was as close as the Woodies offense would get. Alex Eubanks was strong out of the bullpen, escaping a bases loaded jam in the seventh to work 2.1 scoreless innings, and Peter Fairbanks fired a scoreless eight for Down East. Tad Ratliff (save, 5) worked around an infield single in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.
The teams will play the second game of the four game series tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Righty Reid Anderson (1-0, 1.00) will get the start for the Woodies, opposed by Wilmington lefty Daniel Tillo (2-0, 1.38). 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.
