Trying to snag their second straight game on the road, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers fell on Wednesday afternoon to the Winston-Salem Dash, 4-3 in ten innings. Leading at multiple intervals over the day, Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed the Dash (23-22) to tie the game twice, and surrendered the winning run in the
Trying to snag their second straight game on the road, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers fell on Wednesday afternoon to the Winston-Salem Dash, 4-3 in ten innings. Leading at multiple intervals over the day, Nivaldo Rodriguez allowed the Dash (23-22) to tie the game twice, and surrendered the winning run in the bottom of the tenth inning. Only 46 games into the season, it is already the fifth time that Fayetteville (21-25) has lost a game in walk off fashion this year.
Compared to other games in 2019, the Education Day contest flew by, as the two sides traded scoreless innings across the start of the afternoon. Enoli Paredes was as strong as ever for Fayetteville, as the right-hander tossed five frames for the Woodpeckers. As Paredes dealt with baserunners across the day, he did not allow a member of the Dash to hit safely until the fourth inning. After notching five strikeouts through four frames, Enoli was finally brushed for a single run. Allowing a leadoff single and hitting a batter, a pair of deep fly outs allowed a run to score for Winston-Salem, snapping a 12-inning scoreless streak from Paredes, the longest in franchise history.
To save Paredes, the Fayetteville offense took an early lead and never surrendered until the tenth inning. While Dash starter Lincoln Henzman faced only one over the minimum over his first three innings, The Woodpeckers pushed a run across in the fourth a pair of base hits from Scott Schreiber and Colton Shaver. While the lead for Fayetteville was short-lived, as the Dash tied in the fifth inning, Fayetteville had another one waiting behind in the sixth inning. A one-out double by Jonathan Arauz set the table for Colton Shaver to pick up another RBI, giving the lead to Fayetteville once again. Shaver finished the day 3-for-4, his third three-hit game of the season, and the sixth of his career.
Leaving the contest as soon as Fayetteville led, Paredes was replaced by Nivaldo Rodriguez on the mound. Rodriguez was in consistent trouble throughout the day, only his second appearance with Fayetteville after being promoted. After stranding a runner at third base in the sixth inning, and another at first base in the seventh inning, the Dash were able to bring one home in the eighth inning. With two outs, Zach Remillard doubled to right field, and scored one batter later, on a flair single from outfielder Craig Dedelow, tying the game at two.
As Nivaldo had blown the save, it was a task for the offense to retake the lead. In the ninth inning, Scott Manea handled the challenge alone, as the catcher lofted a towering shot just inside the left field foul pole for a solo home run, pushing the Woodpeckers back ahead, 3-2. With a new chance, this time for a win, Rodriguez would need to pick up three outs in the ninth to finish the contest, but the right-hander surrendered a solo home run to the leadoff batter in the frame, Jordan George. The game once again tied, now at three, Rodriguez finished the ninth and sent the game into extra innings.
With a single in the tenth inning, Fayetteville had a quality chance to score the tiebreaking runner at second base, but reliever Luis Ledo (W, 3-1) was able to force Jacob Meyers to ground into a double play, stranding the go-ahead run at third base. As Rodriguez (L, 0-1) worked into his fifth inning in relief, an early groundout allowed the tiebreaking runner to quickly advance to third base. Intentionally walking a batter to set up a potential double play. When Zach Remillard bounced a ball toward third base, the double play was still a possibility, but the ball was just too far from the third baseman Enmanuel Valdez. As the hit rolled into left field, Winston-Salem scored the winning run to take a lead in the four-game series.
Fayetteville has now had five walk off losses this year, including two to the Frederick Keys, and one to Down East and Potomac. As the Woodpeckers fall back to 10 ½ games out of first place, they will try to split the series with Winston-Salem in Thursday night's finale. JP France will start on the mound for Fayetteville, with first pitch scheduled for 7:00PM at BB&T Ballpark.
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].
