Ballers Drop Game One Despite Out-Hitting Woodpeckers At Home

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Kannapolis pitchers tallied eleven strikeouts and out-hit the Woodpeckers 7-to-4, including a three-hit night from Lency Delgado Jr., but fell short in the series opener 4-1 Tuesday night at Atrium Health Ballpark.

RHP Andrew Dalquist (L, 1-3) got the nod for the Ballers on the hill. The No.5 prospect in the White Sox system failed to see his solid outing come to fruition despite striking out seven in his four innings of work, allowing two hits and two earned runs. RHP Martin Carrasco entered in relief of Dalquist, going two innings, allowing two hits and two runs, while walking one and striking out two.

Fayetteville wasted no time in jumping out to an early lead, scoring in the top of the first inning on a Nerio Rodriguez RBI double that scored Nate Perry and Jordan Brewer, giving the Woodpeckers a quick 2-0 lead.

D.J. Gladney answered in the bottom of the fourth inning despite grounding into a double play. The grounder to shortstop gave Delgado Jr. an opportunity to cross the plate, cutting the Fayetteville advantage to 2-1.

LHP Julio Robaina (W, 1-0) started the ballgame for the Woodpeckers on the mound, providing a quality outing for Fayetteville. The Cuban southpaw fired five innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run, while striking seven and walking one Baller. RHP Alex Santos made his professional baseball debut in the bottom of the sixth inning in relief of Robaina. The No.10 prospect in the Houston Astros system tossed 2.2 shutout innings, allowing three hits and accumulating five punchouts.

The Woodpeckers expanded the lead to 4-1 in the top of the sixth inning when Luke Berryhill capitalized with two runners on base with an RBI double off Carrasco, giving Fayetteville insurance runs late in the ballgame.

The Ballers will look to bounce back from the loss on Wednesday night in the second of six games with the Woodpeckers. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. RHP Chase Solesky (1-3, 4.70 ERA) is slated to start on the mound for Kannapolis, while Fayetteville will send out RHP Misael Tamarez (1-1, 7.20 ERA) to begin the ballgame.

Tickets can be purchased for any of the remaining home games at kcballers.com or at the F&M Bank Box Office located at Atrium Health Ballpark. Fans can also keep up with the action while the Ballers is on the road on the team’s social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on Twitter @kcannonballers.