Pitching Dominant Once Again as Fayetteville Wins Series

After a thrilling 4-2 win on July 4th, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers won their three-game series on Friday in a similar fashion. Jojanse Torres tossed six powerful innings while allowing a meager unearned run to guide Fayetteville to a 3-1 win at BB&T Ballpark, knocking off the Winston-Salem Dash for the second straight night. While Fayetteville managed ten hits on the day, two of their runs scored on a single by Scott Manea, and the third on a wild pitch.

Following the trend of the previous night, both starting pitchers held their ground early on. Kade McClure tiptoed around trouble through five innings. With five base hits over the first four frames, the Woodpeckers applied constant pressure against McClure, had a runner at third base in the second, third, and fourth innings, but never scored. While McClure allowed six hits, the right-hander still stranded seven Fayetteville runners on the night to maintain the scoreless evening. Fayetteville immediately attacked reliever Tyler Johnson (L, 0-1) as the game entered the sixth inning. After Jonathan Aruaz reached safely on an error to lead off the frame, Jeremy Pena doubled into right-center field to put a runner at third base for the fourth time on the night. Scott Manea made sure to make the most of his opportunity by slicing a single to left field to score both runners.
Hoping to bounce back from a less-than-stellar appearance on the back half of a tandem in his last contest, Jojanse Torres was nearly unhittable on the night, as the flamethrower burned through the Winston-Salem offense for five opening frames of scoreless ball. Allowing only two hits, Torres (W, 2-0) allowed the only run of the game from the Dash in the sixth inning after a walk and a stolen base. With two-outs in the frame, Jonathan Arauz misjudged a ground ball that was hit toward third base, allowing it to sneak into left field to score the unearned run from second base,
While the Fayetteville offense went quiet for a short time, they snuck through once again against Will Kincanon in the ninth inning, after a pair of singles by Ross Adolph and Scott Manea to open the inning, a wild pitch by Kincanon allowed Adolph to score an extra run for Fayetteville.
Needing to use their relief staff, Fayetteville turned to Cesar Rosado and Jacob Billingsley to polish off the win, with both right-handers meeting their call. After a slow start to his outing, Rosado immediately turned a corner in the eighth inning by striking out the side. Turning the night to Billingsley (SV, 3) with one out in the ninth inning, Jacob was able to log a couple of fly outs to earn the save.
Winning their first series since the four-game sweep of Myrtle Beach to start the second half, Fayetteville will try to make it three in a row on their six-game road trip tomorrow for the series finale. JP France will climb the hill for Fayetteville in the finale, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:00PM.
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].