Late homer sinks Dash in opener at Carolina

ZEBULON, N.C. (July 18, 2018) - A go-ahead, two-run home run from Cooper Hummel propelled Carolina to a 5-3 win over Winston-Salem on Wednesday night at Five County Stadium. 
With the game tied at three in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mario Feliciano led off the frame with a single. Then, Hummel drove a 1-2 pitch from Drew Hasler (2-2) over the right-field fence to give Carolina (14-11, 48-47) the lead.

On the other side, Daniel Brown (4-3) and Luke Barker combined for three scoreless innings of relief for the Mudcats, with Barker earning his league-leading 14th save. Wednesday's outcome marked the end of a six-game winning streak for the Dash (17-9, 58-38) against Carolina. 
In what was the series opener between the two ballclubs, Winston-Salem scored the first run of the game. After Laz Rivera was hit by a pitch in the first inning, he stole second base and moved to third on a wild pitch before coming in to score on a fielding error by Weston Wilson. 
But, the Mudcats put up two runs in the bottom of the first inning to go in front. After Demi Orimoloye smacked a two-out single, Wilson lofted a two-run home run off John Parke over the right-field fence to make it a 2-1 game. 
Then, the Mudcats tacked on a run in the bottom of the second. Hummel led off the inning with a double, moved to third on a wild pitch and subsequently scored on an RBI single from Devin Hairston. 
Parke settled in after that, striking out six across his six innings. He stranded six runners, and held the Mudcats to a 1-for-7 mark with runners in scoring position.
The Dash tied the game in the bottom of the fifth. Following back-to-back singles from Yermin Mercedes and Yeyson Yrizarri to start the inning, Daniel Gonzalez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Then, a wild pitch from Webb allowed Mercedes to score to cut the deficit to one. 
Next, after Luis González walked to put runners on the corners with two outs, Rivera grounded an RBI double down the left-field line, knotting the contest at three and plating the last run of the night for Winston-Salem. 
The Dash continue their series against the Mudcats on Thursday, when right-hander Luis Martinez (6-4, 4.23 ERA) pitches for Winston-Salem. Pregame coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. and fans can catch all the action on WSJS Sports (600 AM & 101.5 FM), wsjssports.com and MiLB.tv. 
Meanwhile, the Dash return to BB&T Ballpark on Tuesday for a three-game series against the Frederick Keys. Promotions for the homestand include a Free Food Tuesday, a camp day on Wednesday and a Lowes Foods Thirsty Thursday. For tickets and more information, call the Dash at (336) 714-2287 or visit wsdash.com.