Wood Ducks Rally to Top the Hillcats

KINSTON, NC - The Wood Ducks (11-22, 46-57) claimed back-to-back victories for the third time this month in a 5-4 final over the Hillcats (17-15, 46-53). Anderson Tejeda's three-hit night included a go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning while Melvin Novoa supplied the game-winning RBI in the eighth.

Leody Taveras and Josh Altmann added homers in the come-from-behind effort as the Woodies were down 3-0 in the early going. However, don't let that fool you as Walker Weickel turned in his seventh quality start of the season.
The right-hander tossed seven innings for only the second time this season to match a high mark set on May 5th at Carolina. Weickel also struck out seven batters for the second straight start. After the runs scored in the first and fourth innings against him, he retired the last 12 batters he faced in a row.
Taveras' blast to center in the fifth got the Wood Ducks on the board with his fourth homer of the year. It was also his first since May 20th at Grainger Stadium. In the next inning, Altmann connected on his team-leading 18th homer of the season. The two-run blast tied the game at three.
The Woodies took the lead with speed in the seventh. Eric Jenkins drew a one-out walk and proceeded to steal second and third with two outs. Tejeda knocked a single the other way to bring him in and give Down East its first lead of the game.
In the eighth, Lynchburg managed to tie things up and load the bases with one out. Locke St. John entered and struck out the final two batters of the frame to up his impressive total of inherited runners stranded to 19 of 22 this season.
Josh Altmann was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the frame, and surprised the defense by stealing second base. Andretty Cordero knocked a base hit on a 3-0 count to put runners on the corners for Novoa. He hit a chopper toward the middle that Lynchburg second baseman Dillon Persinger made a sliding stop on, touched second, and threw home. He still got an out but Altmann beat the throw home to give the Woodies the lead.
St. John returned for the ninth and retired the side in order for his fourth win of the season. The victory is also the first one-run win for the DEWDs in the second-half. Game two of the three-game set comes on Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. for the final camp day of the season. Left-hander Joe Palumbo will get the nod opposite the Hillcats' righty Zach Plesac.