Despite an exhilarating opening from Nivaldo Rodriguez and home runs from Miguelangel Sierra and Scott Schreiber, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers suffered yet another slim loss on Sunday, when the Potomac Nationals wrapped the day on a 4-3 final. Rodriguez was given separate one-run leads over the afternoon, but Nivaldo failed to
Despite an exhilarating opening from Nivaldo Rodriguez and home runs from Miguelangel Sierra and Scott Schreiber, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers suffered yet another slim loss on Sunday, when the Potomac Nationals wrapped the day on a 4-3 final. Rodriguez was given separate one-run leads over the afternoon, but Nivaldo failed to maintain both.
Potomac starter Nick Raquet took the mound for his third consecutive start against the Woodpeckers, and the adage held true for Raquet on his third trip. Fayetteville only managed single baserunners in each of the first three innings, but they were never able to push a runner to third base. When Fayetteville notched a pair of leadoff base hits in the fourth inning, it looked as if they could start a rally, an idea that looked closer to reality when Raquet threw a wild pitch to give Fayetteville the lead. Raquet locked in from that point, however, by retiring seven consecutive batters, stranding a runner at third base in the process. The middle work by Raquet (W, 6-8) bought time for Potomac to tie the game, but Fayetteville quickly pushed back ahead in the sixth inning when Sierra lofted a fly ball over the right field wall. The solo shot, Sierra's eighth of the season, made it 2-1 Fayetteville.
Navigating through trouble early, Nivaldo Rodriguez needed to strand a pair of runners in each of his first two innings of work, but still accomplished the feat. Fayetteville had taken the early lead while Rodriguez was in a stretch of nine-straight outs, but he allowed Potomac to score the tying run in the fifth inning on a miscue. Following a walk and a single, Rodriguez dropped a ball tossed his way while trying to record a groundout at first base. The error allowed the tying run to score from second base for Potomac. When Fayetteville immediately retook the lead, Rodriguez bafflingly lost his hold of the strike zone. Nivaldo (L, 2-4) gave up a leadoff single in the sixth inning, followed by three consecutive walks, the final of which drove in the tying run once again. Finally collecting a pair of outs thanks to the infield defense, Rodriguez was lifted for Riley Cabral, who was making his Woodpeckers debut. Entering with the bases loaded, Cabral immediately allowed Potomac to take the lead on a 2-RBI single by Cole Freeman. Cabral was able to settle and toss two scoreless frames to follow to wrap up his debut, but Fayetteville's offense was never able to overcome the deficit.
Lefty Hayden Howard took to the mound for the final three innings for Potomac, and he slid past the Woodpeckers with every move on the mound. Howard (S, 2) racked up five strikeouts in the three innings while only surrendering one walk. Howard did allow four hits, but the southpaw used a stellar move to pickoff two runners. The only run Howard allowed was a solo home run hit by Scott Schreiber to leadoff the ninth inning. Fayetteville went down in order after the home run to close the game.
With the loss, Fayetteville has still failed to win consecutive games since their three-game sweep of the Winston-Salme Dash over the July 4th weekend. The Woodpeckers will still have a chance to split the four-game series in Woodbridge on Monday, when they play their final game with Potomac in 2019. Austin Hansen will get the start for Fayetteville, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05PM.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros and play in their Inaugural Season at beautiful Segra Stadium in downtown Fayetteville. Segra Stadium, a $40 million state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, features space for over 5,200 fans, natural grass, a 25x70 LED video scoreboard, six luxury suites, four field boxes, the premium AEVEX Veterans Club level, Healy's Bar and outdoor party deck, a kid's zone, and more. With a rich history of baseball in the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, the Woodpeckers are thrilled to write a new chapter with their inaugural campaign on Hay Street. Fans are encouraged to visit FayettevilleWoodpeckers.com to purchase tickets, learn more about the team, and find out about upcoming events and promotions at the ballpark. Fans may also reach the Woodpeckers by visiting the BB&T Box Office in front of Segra Stadium, calling (910) 339-1989, or emailing [email protected].
