Mudcats Drop Third Straight to Red Sox

Salem Red Sox 4 - Carolina Mudcats 2

Box Score

ZEBULON, NC – The Carolina Mudcats (14-6) could not hang onto a one-run lead late Saturday night at Five County Stadium as the Salem Red Sox (9-11) rallied to win 4-2 and claim their third straight victory. The loss guarantees the first series of the season in which Carolina cannot win.

For the fifth straight game, the Red Sox scored the game's opening run. In the top of the third, Nazzan Zanetello rounded the bases on an inside-the-park home run after a strange bounce off the right field wall got away from Kay-Lan Nicasia. It was the first professional home run for Zanetello. This would be the only run conceded by Mudcats starter Yorman Galindez, who struck out a season-high eight batters over three and a third innings.

Carolina answered with a run in the fourth on a Luis Castillo RBI groundout. The Mudcats then loaded the bases in the sixth before a balk from Salem reliever Nathanael Cruz brought Tayden Hall in to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage. Hall finished the game with three hits and scored both of Carolina's runs.

The Red Sox bounced back in the top of the seventh and tied the game with an RBI ground rule double from Johanfran Garcia. Blake Whiting (L, 0-1) minimized the damage as he relieved Osbriel Mogollon to get the final two outs of the frame.

Salem got their big swing the following inning, however. Albert Feliz launched a solo home run off Whiting to give the Sox a 3-2 lead which was later padded by a Fraymi De Leon RBI double. Royman Blanco (W, 4-1) pitched his way out of a jam in the bottom of the eighth and set down Carolina in order in the ninth to earn his league-leading fourth victory.

The two teams will conclude their series on Sunday afternoon in Zebulon. RHP Josh Timmerman gets the start for the Mudcats opposite Salem LHP Noah Dean. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.