Mejia, Mercedes and True Fan 15 in Woodpeckers Victory

Fayetteville, NC – Fayetteville Woodpeckers (12-7) pitching was the focal point of a 3-1 victory over the Down East Wood Ducks (9-9) on Friday night at Segra Stadium. Sandy Mejia, Abel Mercedes and Derek True combined to strike out 15 hitters without allowing a single walk. It was the first time this season that the pitching staff did not issue ball four in a game.

Mejia was in full control of his off-speed pitches. He retired eight straight hitters at one point and struck out six across a 3.1 inning start that was capped at 50 total pitches. Mercedes recorded the last two outs of the fourth inning, touching 100 mph with his fastball.

The Fayetteville lineup only mustered two hits over the first six innings of the game, but still managed to grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third after Alberto Hernandez walked, advanced to third on a Kenni Gomez double, and scored on a Zach Daniels grounder to second base.

Down East leveled the game 1-1 with an RBI single from Marcos Torres in the top of the fifth. True (W, 1-1) did not allow another run for the remainder of the game. The 23-year-old right-hander worked a season-long 5.0 innings, retired eight in a row between the sixth and eighth innings, and recorded a career-best eight strikeouts.

A breakthrough seventh inning handed True the lead and won the game. Daniels and Chase Jaworsky started the innings with singles against Jose Gonzalez (L, 0-1), both scoring on base hits from Waner Luciano and Alejandro Nunez for a 3-1 lead.

The six-game home series continues on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM. It’s Fayetteville Baseball Heritage Night and the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a one-of-a-kind Babe Ruth bobblehead courtesy of cinterra. The Woodpeckers radio broadcast can be heard at fayettevillewoodpeckers.com or through the MiLB App and watched online on MiLB.tv.

Full Box Score: https://www.milb.com/gameday/754004/final/box