Fayetteville Smothers Wilmington in Series Opener

Following their recent stretch of pitching dominance, the Fayetteville Woodpeckers blanked the Wilmington Blue Rocks on Tuesday, a series-opening 6-0 win. Fayetteville plated five of their runs after the fifth inning, and they leaned on near-perfect outings from Forrest Whitley and Cody Deason to keep the Blue Rocks from ever reaching third base.

Making a second rehab start for Fayetteville, Forrest Whitley sliced through the Wilmington offense to open the night. The top pitching prospect in the Astros organization retired the first ten batters he faced on the evening, including striking out six of the first seven batters he faced. A lone single from Blake Perkins in the fourth inning accounted for the only baserunner against Whitley (W, 1-0) on the night. After five strong innings, Cody Deason took over for Whitley for the remaining frames, and while the right-hander allowed two quick baserunners to reach with only one out in the sixth inning, Deason (S, 1) would not allow another. Cody racked up another six strikeouts on the night while setting down the final 11 batters of the game.
While the Fayetteville offense wasted a handful of scoring chances early on, they still produced enough opportunities to eventually strike against lefty Marcelo Martinez. After stranding multiple runners in scoring position over the first four frames, Jacob Meyers eventually scored the first run of the night when he doubled with two outs in the fifth inning, and quickly scored on a single by Jonathan Arauz. Fayetteville was able to chase Martinez (L, 5-6) from the game in the sixth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. Against new pitcher Josh Mitchell, Enmanuel Valdez doubled toward the alley in left field to clear the bags for a four-run lead.
The offense struck Mitchell again in the seventh inning when Corey Julks reached on an error, the outfielder scored easily when Chandler Taylor tripled to left field. Standing at third base with only one out, Taylor had no issue crossing home on a quick single by Michael Papierski. Fayetteville's offense finally settled over the final two frames, as Wilmington right-hander Walker Sheller tossed a pair of scoreless frames to end the night.
Having now won seven of their last eight contests, Fayetteville as three games above .500 in the second half since they opened the half with a five-game win streak. With only their second win at Frawley Stadium under their belt, the Woodpeckers will try to win the three-game tilt on Wednesday. Reigning Carolina League Pitcher of the Week Jojanse Torres is scheduled to climb the hill for Fayetteville, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35PM.
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].