Jaraba Has 5 RBI as Carolina Wins Fourth Straight

Fayetteville 9 @ Carolina 10
August 19, 2022 | Venue : Five County Stadium | First pitch : 7:02 PM | Att : 4,087 | T : 2:40

FAY: 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 4 9 10 2
CAR: 0 3 3 0 0 0 1 3 x 10 6 3

WP: Alexander Vallecillo (1 - 2) LP: Shea Barry (0 - 6) SV: Brannon Jordan (5)

ZEBULON – Branlyn Jaraba went 2-for-4 with a go-ahead three-run home run in the second and a go-ahead two-run single in the third, Luis Castillo hit a solo home run in the seventh and starter Alexander Vallecillo earned his first victory as the Carolina Mudcats won their fourth straight with a series clinching 10-9 victory versus the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Friday night at Five County Stadium.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first, the Mudcats (25-21, 59-53) came back with Jaraba’s three-run home run in the second while taking a 3-2 lead on starter Shea Barry and the Woodpeckers (16-30, 47-64). Jaraba drove in all three Carolina runs in the second with what was his first home run as a Mudcat this season.

Carolina was up 3-2 after the second, but Fayetteville’s Jacob Melton took the lead back with a two-run home run in the third as Fayetteville went up 4-3. The Carolina third then featured three runs with Alberis Ferrer bringing in one with a bases loaded sac fly to tie it and Jaraba striking again with a two-run single to break the tie and give Carolina a 6-4 lead.

The first three innings saw four lead changes, but the middle three saw nothing but goose eggs as neither side scored again until the seventh. Carolina starter Alexander Vallecillo allowed four runs over the first and second, but ended up going five full innings with only those four runs allowed on four hits. Vallecillo (1-2) ended earning his first win with the Mudcats while striking out five and walking two. Fernando Olguin then followed with two scoreless frames and one strikeout.

Fayetteville’s Shea Barry started and gave up six runs (three earned) over three innings. Barry (0-6) was replaced in the fourth by reliever Colton Gordon who then went on to record 10 straight outs before giving up a home run to Castillo in the seventh.

The Mudcats led 7-4 after Castillo’s home run in the seventh, but Fayetteville came back with a run against reliever Brannon Jordan in the eighth to get within two of the lead at 7-5. The Mudcats then scored three runs in the eighth on a RBI single from Jadher Areinamo, a wild pitch and an error while building a 10-5 lead. All three Carolina runs in the eighth were scored against reliever Jayson Schroeder and would be just enough as Fayetteville scored four times in the ninth to get within one at 10-9. That four run ninth came with Jordan (S, 5) on the mound and included a RBI single from Grant McGowan and a two-run double from Melton. Like Jaraba, Melton drove in five while going 3-for-5 for the Woodpeckers.

With the lead cut down to 10-9, Jordan went on to finish the game with back-to-back strikeouts while earning his fifth save and helping the Mudcats get their fourth straight victory. Jordan ended up going two innings with five runs on five hits, a walk and three strikeouts.

The victory was Carolina’s fourth straight and clinched a series victory as it put them up 4-0 in the six-game set. It also lifted the Mudcats to 3.5 games back of the Carolina League North leading Fredericksburg Nationals with 20 games remaining.

HOME RUNS:
Fayetteville: Melton (2, 3rd inning off Vallecillo, 1 on, 1 out).

Carolina: Jaraba (1, 2nd inning off Barry, 2 on, 1 out); Castillo (2, 7th inning off Gordon, 0 on, 2 out).

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:
Jaraba, 3B (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Castillo, LF (Carolina): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI
Areinamo, 2B (Carolina): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI
Melton, CF (Fayetteville): 3-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
McGowan, LF (Fayetteville): 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:
Olguin (H, 2) (Carolina): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
Gordon (Fayetteville): 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

SCORING:
Woodpeckers 1st (Woodpeckers 2, Mudcats 0) -- Zach Cole Jr. walks. Zach Cole Jr. steals 2nd base. Jacob Melton grounds out, Jesus Chirinos to Alexander Vallecillo, Zach Cole Jr. to 3rd. Zach Dezenzo singles to left field, Zach Cole Jr. scores. Collin Price grounds out, Alexander Vallecillo to Jesus Chirinos, Zach Dezenzo to 2nd. Tyler Whitaker singles through the hole at second base, Zach Dezenzo scores; Tyler Whitaker out at 1st on the throw, Hendry Mendez to Alex Hall to Jadher Areinamo.
(2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 2nd (Mudcats 3, Woodpeckers 2) -- Hedbert Perez struck out looking. Alberis Ferrer walks. Jadher Areinamo singles through the hole at second base, Alberis Ferrer to 3rd. Branlyn Jaraba hits a home run to left field on a 0-1 pitch, Alberis Ferrer scores; Jadher Areinamo scores. Alex Hall walks. Hendry Mendez grounds out, Tyler Whitaker to Jose Alvarez, Alex Hall to 2nd. Luis Castillo strikes out swinging, Collin Price to Jose Alvarez.
(3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

Woodpeckers 3rd (Woodpeckers 4, Mudcats 3) -- Garrett McGowan walks. Zach Cole Jr. struck out looking. Jacob Melton hits a home run to right-center field on a 1-1 pitch, Garrett McGowan scores. Zach Dezenzo struck out looking. Collin Price pops out to Alex Hall in foul territory.
(2 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 3rd (Mudcats 6, Woodpeckers 4) -- Eric Brown Jr. reaches on fielding error by Leosdany Molina. Eric Brown Jr. steals 2nd base. Jesus Chirinos walks. Hedbert Perez hit by pitch, Eric Brown Jr. to 3rd; Jesus Chirinos to 2nd. Alberis Ferrer out on a sacrifice fly to Zach Cole Jr., Eric Brown Jr. scores; Jesus Chirinos to 3rd. Wild pitch by Shea Barry, Hedbert Perez to 2nd. Jadher Areinamo strikes out swinging. Branlyn Jaraba singles up the middle, Jesus Chirinos scores; Hedbert Perez scores. Branlyn Jaraba caught stealing 2nd base, Collin Price to Leosdany Molina.
(3 Runs, 1 Hits, 1 Errors, 0 LOB)

Mudcats 7th (Mudcats 7, Woodpeckers 4) -- Alex Hall strikes out swinging. Hendry Mendez struck out looking. Luis Castillo hits a home run to right field on a 2-2 pitch. Eric Brown Jr. flies out to Zach Cole Jr.
(1 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

Woodpeckers 8th (Mudcats 7, Woodpeckers 5) -- Pitcher Change: Brannon Jordan replaces Fernando Olguin. Zach Cole Jr. singles to right field. Zach Cole Jr. steals 2nd base. Jacob Melton singles through the hole at second base, Zach Cole Jr. scores. Throwing error by Brannon Jordan on the pickoff attempt. Zach Dezenzo lines out, Branlyn Jaraba to Jesus Chirinos. Collin Price flies out to Luis Castillo. Tyler Whitaker grounds out, Jadher Areinamo to Jesus Chirinos.
(1 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors, 1 LOB)

Mudcats 8th (Mudcats 10, Woodpeckers 5) -- Pitcher Change: Jayson Schroeder replaces Colton Gordon. Jesus Chirinos singles to left-center field. Hedbert Perez walks, Jesus Chirinos to 2nd. Alberis Ferrer walks, Jesus Chirinos to 3rd; Hedbert Perez to 2nd. Jadher Areinamo singles to right field, Jesus Chirinos scores; Hedbert Perez to 3rd; Alberis Ferrer to 2nd. Wild pitch by Jayson Schroeder, Hedbert Perez scores; Alberis Ferrer to 3rd; Jadher Areinamo to 2nd. Branlyn Jaraba reaches on throwing error by Collin Price, Alberis Ferrer scores; Jadher Areinamo to 3rd. Alex Hall pops out to Tyler Whitaker in foul territory. Hendry Mendez grounds into double play, Jose Alvarez to Leosdany Molina, Branlyn Jaraba out at 2nd, Hendry Mendez out at 1st.
(3 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Errors, 1 LOB)

Woodpeckers 9th (Mudcats 10, Woodpeckers 9) -- Jose Alvarez walks. Leosdany Molina doubles to left field, Jose Alvarez to 3rd. Jackson Loftin strikes out swinging. Garrett McGowan singles to right-center field, Jose Alvarez scores; Leosdany Molina scores. Zach Cole Jr. reaches on throwing error by Jadher Areinamo, Garrett McGowan to 3rd; Zach Cole Jr. to 2nd. Jacob Melton doubles to left field, Garrett McGowan scores; Zach Cole Jr. scores. Zach Dezenzo strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by Brannon Jordan, Jacob Melton to 3rd. Collin Price strikes out swinging.
(4 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Errors, 1 LOB)