Mudcats Allow Four Homers in 7-3 Loss to Astros

ZEBULON, N.C. - J.J. Matijevic, Abraham Toro, Jonathan Arauz and Corey Julks each hit solo home runs and starter Abdiel Saldana struck out nine over five innings as the Astros defeated the Mudcats 7-3 on Saturday night at Five County Stadium. 

The Astros (2-1, 39-33) totaled 13 hits, including a run scoring triple and four home runs while defeating the Mudcats (1-2, 35-38) and taking a two games to one lead in the split home and away four game series.
Victor Diaz (3-5, 4.84) started for Carolina and allowed three of the Buies Creek home runs over three and 1/3 innings pitched. He also walked three, struck out three and allowed five runs on nine hits before leaving the game with one out in the fourth.
Diaz originally worked through a scoreless first before then giving up a run on a sacrifice fly from Jacob Meyers in the second. Matijevic and Toro then went back-to-back with home runs to start the third, thus pushing the Buies Creek lead to 3-0. A run scoring triple later in the third from Julks then increased the Astros lead to 4-0 early in the game. Arauz then homered to start the fourth as the Astros went up 5-0.
Trailing 5-0, Carolina finally broke through with a run on a sacrifice fly to deep center from Pat McInerney in the fourth. Demi Orimoloye started the fourth with a walk, went to third on a double by Weston Wilson and then scored on McInerney's sac fly to deep center. 
The Astros went on to score once more on a home run from Julks in the fifth, but Carolina rallied back with two more runs in the fifth when Neuhaus and Orimoloye went back-to-back with two-out, run scoring doubles.
Carolina scored three times between the fourth and fifth, but were down 6-3 after five and before the Astros got one last run across on a run scoring single from Toro in the sixth. All three of Carolina's run were scored off Saldana (6-0, 3.16), but the Astros starter also struck out nine while earning the victory.
Toro went 2-for-3 with two RBI, two walks, a run and home run in the game for the Astros. Matijevic also homered while going 2-for-3 with a RBI and two walks. Julks tripled in a run in the third and hit a solo home run over the leftfield video board in the fifth while going 2-for-5 with two RBI in the game. Arauz also homered in the game for the Astros and went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
Reliever's Conor Harber, Alec Kenilvort and Braulio Ortiz followed Diaz and combined to allow just two runs on four hits over the final five and 2/3 innings. Harber gave up a home run to Julks in the fifth and Kenilvort allowed Toro's RBI single in the sixth. Ortiz pitched the ninth and retired the side in order with help of one strikeout.
Saldana allowed all three of Carolina's runs in the game. Relievers Ronel Blanco and Gabriel Valdez worked the final four frames while holding Carolina scoreless and to just two hits overall. They also combined for five strikeouts, brining the Buies Creek's staff strikeout total to 14 in the game.
Orimoloye went 2-for-3 with a double, a run and a RBI in the game for Carolina. Neuhaus went 1-for-5 with a RBI double and run scored and Joangtel Segovia went 1-for-3 with a run while batting ninth in the loss.
The series will continue on Sunday afternoon with LHP Cam Roegner (6-3, 1.65) starting for Carolina. The first pitch of Sunday's game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Five County Stadium. The game will air on the Mudcats Radio Network, the Big Dawg 98.5 FM and via TuneIn Radio at carolinamudcats.com. It will also stream via live video on MiLB.tv.
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