For the second consecutive visit, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers left BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem with a three-game sweep, as Fayetteville took down the Winston-Salem Dash 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. Jojanse Torres saw his franchise record scoreless streak finally come to an end at 20 innings when he allowed a sacrifice fly,
For the second consecutive visit, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers left BB&T Ballpark in Winston-Salem with a three-game sweep, as Fayetteville took down the Winston-Salem Dash 4-2 on Sunday afternoon. Jojanse Torres saw his franchise record scoreless streak finally come to an end at 20 innings when he allowed a sacrifice fly, but the flame-throwing right-hander was backed up by a two-out double by Scott Schreiber in the fifth inning to put Fayetteville up for good. As Torres holds his record perfect on the year, Fayetteville maintains their advantage in the wild card race entering the final 20 games of the year.
Making a last-minute switch, Winston-Salem threw Taylor Varnell on the mound for his Advanced-A debut. The lefty danced around three baserunners in his first two innings, and he was finally clipped for a run in the third. Jeremy Pena, activated from the Injured List the same morning, drew a walk to open the third inning and advanced to third base on a single. Pena represented the first run of the afternoon for Fayetteville when Chandler Taylor laced a lineout to right field, allowing Pena to tag third base and trot home. After Torres surrendered the miniscule lead, Fayetteville failed to recapture in the fourth inning when they missed an opportunity to plate three leadoff runners due to baserunning. Fayetteville recovered after two quick outs in the fifth inning, however, when Corey Julks built momentum with a grounds rule double. Chandler Taylor drew a walk to follow Julks, and the inning was capped by Scott Schreiber when the infielder lifted a ball over the head of the center fielder to plate the two runners. Schreiber raced around the first two bags easily, and was graced by a throwing error at shortstop, giving Schreiber a free pass for home plate. Following the triple, Varnell (L, 0-1) was lifted, and Fayetteville was only able to manage one base hit against a trio of relievers, Andrew Perez, Caleb Frare, and Jacob Lindgren, for the rest of the day, but the triple was just enough to secure the win.
Riding the best stretch by any pitcher in franchise history, Jojanse Torres took to the mound with an active 18-inning scoreless streak. Jojanse only allowed a walk over his first two frames to extend his historic mark to 20 innings before running into trouble for the first time since July. With a pair of leadoff base hits and a walk, Torres was almost destined to allow a run with the bases loaded an no outs. Johan Cruz was the one to finally snap Torres' historic performance, when the shortstop flew out to right field, scoring the runner from third base. With the game tied, Torres (W, 6-0) still took time to set up a new scoreless streak. Following a one-out single and a hard-hit groundout that advanced the runner to third, Torres allowed another run when Evan Skoug ripped a single off the glove of the first baseman. Once Fayetteville retook the lead, the game was handed off to Cesar Rosado and Humberto Castellanos to lock in the win. Rosado dealt with a runner in scoring position in the seventh inning, but never saw a runner at third base while striking out four, and Castellanos (SV, 1) retired all four batters he faced to finish the afternoon.
After starting the season 1-5 overall against Winston-Salem, Fayetteville finishes the season series with wins in nine of the 16 meetings, including six consecutive wins at BB&T Ballpark. With the South Division sweep, Fayetteville serves the Dash a tough path to the playoffs, as Winston-Salem is 4 ½ games from a playoff spot, with only three remaining games against South Division foes. Fayetteville now turns their attention to the best team in the Carolina League this season, as the Down East Wood Ducks make the trip to Segra Stadium for a three-game series following a scheduled off day on Monday. Fayetteville will play Down East ten times in their last 20 games on the year, with the first pitch for game one scheduled for 7:00PM.
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].
