Woodpeckers Served Ninth Walk-Off Loss

Hoping to stay perfect in the second half of the season, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers were instead reminded of first half woes on Tuesday night, as they were served their ninth walk-off loss of the year, this time from the Salem Red Sox, a 3-2 final in ten innings. Fayetteville managed all its offense on solo home runs, but Cesar Rosado was unable to hold the slim lead from the long balls, allowing the tying and winning run for Salem late in the night.

As they have done already multiple times in the second half, Fayetteville again used an early long ball to strike first. JJ Matijevic blasted a solo home run to right field with only one out in the first inning to give Fayetteville the early advantage. Despite the early power show from Fayetteville, Salem right-hander Daniel Gonzalez still commanded the strike zone for eight innings. Dismantling the Woodpeckers offense, Gonzalez surrendered only four hits while striking out seven. Failing to draw a walk over those first eight frames, Fayetteville never managed multiple baserunners at the same time. When Salem tied the game in the fourth inning, it was another long ball for Fayetteville to retake the lead. Michael Papierski launched his third home run of the second half to right field in the seventh inning to push Fayetteville back ahead.
Still hunting for his first win on the mound with Fayetteville, Jojanse Torres was gifted the early lead to try and hold. After tossing three scoreless frames to start, Torres got nicked for the tying run in the fourth inning. On the first pitch of the frame, infielder Ryan Fitzgerald drilled the ball over the right field wall for his first home run of the season. Torres left the game before Fayetteville retook the lead after tossing a career-high 102 pitches, the most by a Woodpeckers pitcher this season. Jacob Billingsley recorded four outs to keep Fayetteville in the game, and he was in line for the win once Fayetteville retook the lead.
Cesar Rosado took over on the mound in the eighth inning, but he could not maintain the lead. Following a one-out walk, Garrett Benge split a triple into the left-center field gap to tie the game. While the Fayetteville offense continually held quiet, Rosado tossed a scoreless ninth to send the game into extras. While the Woodpeckers managed a pair of walks in the tenth inning, they were still held scoreless by Rio Gomez (W, 1-0). As Rosado (L, 2-3) returned to toss the tenth inning, he quickly surrendered a game-winning double to Edgar Corcino, as the free runner at second base scored.
Fayetteville has now suffered a walk-off loss at least once during each of their roadtrips this season, and the only teams in the Carolina Legue that have not walked-off Fayetteville are Carolina and Myrtle Beach. As Salem evens the three-game series, Fayetteville will have to try for the rubber match win on Wednesday when Luis Garcia takes the mound. The series finale will get underway in Salem at 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].