Carolina Comes Up Short in 8-5 Loss to Fayetteville

Fayetteville 8 @ Carolina 5

June 29, 2022 | Venue : Five County Stadium | First pitch : 7:02 PM | Att : 826 | T : 2:52

FAY: 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 8 2

CAR: 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 5 7 0

WP: Bryant Salgado (5 - 4) LP: Alexander Cornielle (3 - 7) SV: Palmer Wenzel (1)

ZEBULON – Reliever Pablo Garabitos struck out five over a career-high four and 1/3 innings and Reliever Jakob Brustoski struck out six over two innings, but the Carolina Mudcats could not overcome an early deficit as the Fayetteville Woodpeckers earned a series tying 8-5 victory on Wednesday night at Five County Stadium. Alexander Cornielle started and allowed two, two-run home runs in the third while taking the loss.

Carolina’s series tying loss saw them trail 7-0 before scoring their first run of the game in the fourth. The Mudcats (1-4, 35-36) also went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and had batters representing the tying run hit into double plays to end threats in the seventh and ninth innings in the loss.

The Woodpeckers (2-3, 33-37) took their early 1-0 lead in the first after Cody Orr doubled and scored from third on a wild pitch. That 1-0 lead quickly grew to 6-0 in the third after a RBI single from Leosdany Molina and two-run home runs from both Joey Loperfido and Rainier Rivas. Cornielle (3-7) would go on to face two more batters in the third, but was eventually replaced by Garabitos who finished the frame with a strikeout.

Cornielle allowed six runs and six hits, including two home runs, while working through two and 2/3 innings. Garabitos allowed a run in the fourth, but would go on to work through the next four and 1/3 innings (setting a career high) with two hits, one run, two walks and a season high five strikeouts.

Trailing 7-0, and with Garabitos slowing down the Fayetteville offense, the Mudcats would then go on to chip away with a run in the fourth and two in the sixth. The lone fourth inning run scored on a Jose Sibrian RBI double, meanwhile, the two in the sixth came across on a ground out and error.

Fayetteville eventually scored once more in the ninth with Loperfido striking out, but reaching on a wild pitch lost by Brustoski. Loperfido went on to steal second and third before then scoring on another wild pitch. Despite allowing the run, Brustoski totaled four strikeouts in the ninth, joining 2021 reliever James Meeker as the two most recent Carolina pitchers to accomplish the rare feat. Meeker struck out four in the ninth last season on August 29, 2021 in Fredericksburg.

Carolina was down 8-3 heading into their half of the ninth before scoring twice in the final frame to cut the lead to 8-5. Hedbert Perez had a RBI double in the ninth and Zack Raabe had a sacrifice fly. Those two runs would be all Carolina would score as Palmer Wenzel would work the final two and 2/3 innings to earn the save.

Wenzel (S, 1) finished the game by getting Jesus Chirinos to hit into a double play. He also finished the seventh by getting Sibrian to hit into an inning ending double play. Both batters represented the tying run.

Starter Byrant Salgado allowed the lone Carolina run in the fourth, while the two in the sixth scored against reliever Jayson Schroeder. Salgado (5-4) earned the win after allowed just the one run on four hits over five innings. He also walked two and struck out three. Schroeder walked five, but allowed just two runs (one earned) on one hit over an inning and 1/3.

HOME RUNS:

Fayetteville: Loperfido, J (5, 3rd inning off Cornielle, 1 on, 0 out); Rivas, R (3, 3rd inning off Cornielle, 1 on, 1 out).

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:

Quero, DH (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Perez, LF (Carolina): 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI

Sibrian, C (Carolina): 1-for-4, 0 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI

Orr, CF (Fayetteville): 2-for-4, 3 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Loperfido, J, 1B (Fayetteville): 1-for-4, 2 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Rivas, R, LF (Fayetteville): 1-for-4, 1 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Molina, SS (Fayetteville): 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:

Garabitos (Carolina): 4.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Brustoski (Carolina): 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

Salgado (W, 5-4) (Fayetteville): 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Wenzel (S, 1) (Fayetteville): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO

SCORING:

Woodpeckers 1st (Woodpeckers 1, Mudcats 0) -- Cody Orr hits a ground rule double to left field. Leosdany Molina struck out looking. Wild pitch by Alexander Cornielle, Cody Orr to 3rd. Joey Loperfido walks. Justin Williams strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by Alexander Cornielle, Cody Orr scores; Joey Loperfido to 2nd. Logan Cerny walks. Rainier Rivas pops out to Zack Raabe.

(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB)

Woodpeckers 3rd (Woodpeckers 6, Mudcats 0) -- Cody Orr doubles to left field. Leosdany Molina singles to center field, Cody Orr scores; Leosdany Molina to 2nd. Joey Loperfido hits a home run to left field on a 0-0 pitch, Leosdany Molina scores. Justin Williams singles to left-center field. Logan Cerny pops out to Jackson Chourio. Rainier Rivas hits a home run to right field on a 0-1 pitch, Justin Williams scores. Tyler Whitaker walks. Freddy Guilamo flies out to Jackson Chourio. Pitcher Change: Pablo Garabitos replaces Alexander Cornielle. Jaxon Hallmark strikes out on foul tip.

(5 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Woodpeckers 4th (Woodpeckers 7, Mudcats 0) -- Cody Orr walks. Leosdany Molina flies out to Jackson Chourio. Cody Orr steals 2nd base. Joey Loperfido grounds out to Jesus Chirinos, Cody Orr to 3rd. Justin Williams singles to center field, Cody Orr scores. Logan Cerny flies out to Jackson Chourio.

(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Mudcats 4th (Woodpeckers 7, Mudcats 1) -- Eduardo Garcia strikes out swinging. Zack Raabe walks. Jose Sibrian doubles to left field, Zack Raabe scores. Jesus Chirinos grounds out, Justin Williams to Joey Loperfido. Jheremy Vargas flies out to Tyler Whitaker.

(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Mudcats 6th (Woodpeckers 7, Mudcats 3) -- Pitcher Change: Jayson Schroeder replaces Bryant Salgado. Eduardo Garcia singles to right field. Eduardo Garcia advances to 2nd on a balk. Zack Raabe walks. Wild pitch by Jayson Schroeder, Eduardo Garcia to 3rd; Zack Raabe to 2nd. Jose Sibrian grounds out, Leosdany Molina to Joey Loperfido, Eduardo Garcia scores. Jesus Chirinos strikes out swinging. Jheremy Vargas walks. Hendry Mendez reaches on throwing error by Justin Williams, Zack Raabe scores; Jheremy Vargas to 3rd; Hendry Mendez to 2nd. Jackson Chourio grounds out, Justin Williams to Joey Loperfido.

(2 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors, 2 LOB)

Woodpeckers 9th (Woodpeckers 8, Mudcats 3) -- Leosdany Molina struck out looking. Joey Loperfido strikes out swinging, Joey Loperfido to 1st;wild pitch by Jakob Brustoski. Joey Loperfido steals 2nd base. Joey Loperfido steals 3rd base. Justin Williams struck out looking. Wild pitch by Jakob Brustoski, Joey Loperfido scores. Logan Cerny strikes out swinging.

(1 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 9th (Woodpeckers 8, Mudcats 5) -- Jeferson Quero singles to right field. Hedbert Perez doubles to left-center field, Jeferson Quero scores. Eduardo Garcia walks. Wild pitch by Palmer Wenzel, Hedbert Perez to 3rd; Eduardo Garcia to 2nd. Zack Raabe out on a sacrifice fly to Cody Orr, Hedbert Perez scores. Jose Sibrian walks. Jesus Chirinos grounds into double play, Jaxon Hallmark to Leosdany Molina to Joey Loperfido, Jose Sibrian out at 2nd, Jesus Chirinos out at 1st.

(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)