The Fayetteville Woodpeckers head into the playoffs having won eight of their last ten games, including Monday night's regular season finale. Shawn Dubin tossed six innings of one hit ball and fanned ten batters in his fantastic start for Fayetteville. Miguelangel Sierra scored three runs and had a solo shot
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers head into the playoffs having won eight of their last ten games, including Monday night's regular season finale. Shawn Dubin tossed six innings of one hit ball and fanned ten batters in his fantastic start for Fayetteville. Miguelangel Sierra scored three runs and had a solo shot for the Woodpeckers, while the Fayetteville offense drew nine total walks and forced Down East to send out six pitchers in the contest. The Wood Ducks attempted a comeback in the top of the ninth, scoring four runs to make it a one run game. However Fayetteville shutdown the rally in the nick of time to complete 5-4 victory, taking the final series four games-to-one against Down East.
Shawn Dubin (6-5) started his gem of night by sending down the first three batters he faced, giving the Woodpeckers the chance to take the lead in the bottom of the frame. Miguelangel Sierra started things off by drawing a leadoff walk against Manuel Santiago, followed by a single from Marty Costes to right field. With Chandler Taylor at the plate Santiago (0-1) fired one past his catcher Pozo that allowed Sierra to score off the wild pitch. Taylor was retired for out number two but then the Down East starter followed by walking David Hensley and Michael Papierski back-to-back. With the bases loaded, Scott Schreiber was retired 1-3 to end the inning and limit the Woodpeckers to just one run.
Fayetteville added another score in the bottom of the second inning when Miguelangel Sierra launched a two out solo shot to the berm in left field. It was Sierra's 13th homer of the year and his 46th RBI with the Woodpeckers. The bomb also put Fayetteville up 2-0 and forced the Wood Ducks to make a pitching change, sending out Jefferson Medina. The Down East reliever quickly fanned Cal Stevenson to end the frame with the Woodpeckers up by a pair of runs.
Shawn Dubin continued his stellar day on the mound, retiring the first eight batters he faced until he clipped Josh Altmann with a pitch in the third. Altmann stole second but was left stranded when the Woodpeckers starter fanned JP Martinez. Dubin did not give up a hit until the top of the sixth when Yanio Perez led off by roping a double up the third base line. Unfazed by the break up of the no hitter, Dubin sent down the next three batters he faced and fanned back-to-back Wood Ducks to finish off his scoreless night. All in all, the Woodpeckers starter struck out ten, giving up just one hit in six innings of shutout ball.
The Fayetteville offense tallied a run apiece in frames five through seven, with Miguelangel Sierra blasting a double to left field to kick off the bottom of the fifth. Cal Stevenson knocked a single against another Down East reliever in Alex Eubanks, then the two runners pulled off a double steal to move into scoring position. Marty Costes' sac fly brought home Sierra to make it 3-0 Fayetteville, with Sierra having scored all three runs at that point. In the bottom fo the sixth the Woodpeckers knocked Eubanks around again, as Michael Papierski drew a leadoff free pass. Scott Schreiber followed by lacing a single to left, putting two on for Fayetteville. Ross Adolph earned his 16th RBI with the Woodpeckers when he smacked a single up the middle that brought home Papierski to make it 4-0 Woodpeckers. That forced the fourth pitching change of the day for Down East, with the Wood Ducks turning to Jairo Beras who quickly got all three outs in the frame to limit the damage. However Fayetteville chased him out of the game as well in the bottom of the seventh when Marty Costes and Chandler Taylor drew back-to-back walks. With Michael Papierski at the plate and now Joe Kuzia on the mound for Down East, Costes scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 Fayetteville. Papierski reached on a dropped third strike the the Wood Ducks could to fire to first in time and was replaced on the base paths by Fayetteville's Scott Manea. Scott Schreiber struck out end the frame, but after seven full innings the Woodpeckers held a comfortable five run lead.
Yeremi Ceballos came in for two innings in relief for Fayetteville, making quick work of the Wood Ducks. The lefty did not allow a hit, continuing the shutout while also striking out a batter when he caught Yanio Perez looking. The Woodpeckers turned to Riley Cabral to polish off the game in the top of the ninth, but Down East finally got on the board in the frame. The Fayetteville bullpen arm gave up an infield single, followed by a walk. The run tallied when Curtis Terry sliced a single to center field to end the shutout for Fayetteville. Cabral fanned Apostel for out number one, but then gave up two more singles and allowed another two scores forcing Fayetteville to make a pitching change with now the tying run in scoring position represented by Yohel Pozo at second. The Woodpeckers sent out Humberto Castellanos to try and end the game, who did allow another run to score but fanned JP Martinez to solidify a 5-4 Woodpeckers victory.
The Woodpeckers finish the year 72-67 while the Wood Ducks end with the best record overall in the Carolina League at 87-52. The two teams will play another series against each other in the first round of the playoffs, with game one of a potential five game series scheduled for Wednesday. First pitch from Segra Stadium is set for 6:00pm.
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].
