Mudcats survive, win 7-5 on Wednesday night

ZEBULON, N.C. - Troy Stokes Jr. had a RBI triple, Lucas Erceg hit a two-run home run, Corey Ray had a three-run triple and Kodi Medeiros struck out six over five and 2/3 as the Mudcats survived a late rally while holding on for a 7-5 home win versus the Wood Ducks at Five County Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Wood Ducks (15-24) rallied back from a 7-0 deficit in the ninth to get within two, but ended up leaving two on as Nate Griep closed out part of the ninth while helping the Mudcats (20-19) escape with the victory. Griep (S, 5) gave up a two-run double to Josh Altmann in the ninth, but finished the game by getting Luis La O to ground out to short and earned his fifth save.
Trent Clark drove in Carolina's first run of the game with a RBI single in the second and was 1-for-3 with two runs and two walks. His run scoring hit came against starter Tyler Davis and was immediately followed by a RBI triple by Stokes, giving the Mudcats a 2-0 lead after two.
Erceg added two more to the Carolina lead in the third with majestic two-run home run to right. The home run was his fourth of the season and it put the Mudcats up 4-0 after three.
Ray later broke the game open with a two-out, three-run triple in the sixth. Reliever Kelvin Vasquez gave up Ray's bases loaded triple after inheriting three from fellow reliever Adam Choplick in the sixth.
Choplick did not give up a hit, but walked six and allowed three earned runs to score over an inning and 1/3. Vasquez pitched through an inning and 2/3 and finished with three inherited runs allowed and one strikeout. Ricardo Rodríguez later pitched the ninth and kept the Mudcats scoreless while striking out one.
Davis (0-1, 7.79) suffered the loss after allowing four runs on four hits over four innings for the Wood Ducks. He also walked two and struck out three.
Jordan Yamamoto started for the Mudcats and worked through three scoreless before eventually giving way to Medeiros (2-3, 4.75) in the fourth. Yamamoto finished his outing with five strikeouts against one walk and did not allowed a hit over the first three frames.
 
Medeiros kept the no-hit bid going into the sixth, but lost it when Eduard Pinto laced a single to center with one out in the inning. Medeiros had also continued Yamamoto's consecutive batters streak going from the first into the sixth as the two pitchers combined to retire 14 straight between the first and sixth innings. 
Medeiros also retired seven straight between the sixth and eighth, before walking one, hitting one batter with a pitch and allowing four hits in the ninth. The Wood Ducks scored five earned runs against Medeiros in the finale fame, but Griep eventually finished the game while saving Medeiros's victory.
Ledarious Clark, Michael O'Neill and Josh Altmann each drove in runs for the Wood Ducks in their five run ninth. 
NOTES: Jake Gatewood scored the game's first run after starting the Carolina second with a double. The double was his league best 15th of the season. He also walked and scored on Erceg's home run in the third and was 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks for the Mudcats… Corey Ray was 1-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs for the Mudcats. Ray has now driven in eight runs over his last four games… The Mudcats had totaled only three triples all season before collecting two on Wednesday night.
UP NEXT: The Mudcats and Wood Ducks will conclude their four game set on Thursday morning with the Mudcats leading two games to one. Thursday's game begins at 11:00 a.m. and will air on the Mudcats Radio Network, carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio and on MiLB.tv. Coverage will begin at 10:45 a.m. with the Mudcats Pregame Show. 
# # #