ZEBULON, N.C. - The Mudcats allowed a franchise record 23 hits, including six doubles, a triple and two home runs in a 17-0 loss the Dash at Five County Stadium on Friday night. The loss dropped Carolina to 2.5 games back of first behind Winston-Salem in the second half playoff
ZEBULON, N.C. - The Mudcats allowed a franchise record 23 hits, including six doubles, a triple and two home runs in a 17-0 loss the Dash at Five County Stadium on Friday night. The loss dropped Carolina to 2.5 games back of first behind Winston-Salem in the second half playoff race.
Dash (18-10, 59-39) starter Kyle Kubat earned the win after pitching through five scoreless with a career high 10 strikeouts. Kubat (4-1, 1.93) started the game with six consecutive strikeouts over the first two innings and allowed just four hits overall in his start. He and relievers Cameron Seitzer and Ian Clarkin combined on a four hit shutout of the Mudcats (15-12, 49-48) and led the Dash to their lone win in the three game series. Seitzer struck out three over two perfect frames. Clarkin allowed a hit and struck out two over the two frames to finish the game.
Victor Diaz started for Carolina and lasted only three innings while allowing six runs and seven hits. Diaz (5-6, 4.68) started the game by allowing three runs on four hits in the first and three more runs on two hits in the third before leaving the game before the fourth. He also walked two, struck out two and allowed seven hits while reaching 70 pitches (41 strikes) in the game.
Winston-Salem's three run first included a lead off single from Daniel Gonzalez and run scoring hits from Ti'Quan Forbes and Mitch Roman. The Dash totaled four hits in the first, but ended up standing three as well as Diaz eventually got out of the inning. Diaz then went on to pitch through a scoreless second, but would later allow three runs on two hits in the third before leaving the game.
Nolan Brown drove in two of Winston-Salem's three runs in the third with a two-run triple that put the Dash up 5-0 in the game. Brown ended up going 3-for-6 in the game with a triple, a double and a single in his Carolina League debut. Roman, meanwhile, bested Brown by going 4-for-6 with four singles and three RBI in the game.
Wuilder Rodriguez followed Diaz out of the Carolina bullpen and went on to work through a scoreless fourth before allowing a run in the fifth and three runs in the sixth inning. In all, Rodriguez allowed four runs, gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three over two and 2/3 innings.
Yermin Mercedes homered off Rodriguez in the fifth and went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBI in the game for the Dash. Forbes started the three run Winston-Salem sixth with a double and later scored on a RBI single from Gavin Sheets. Forbes finished the game 2-for-7 with two runs, two doubles and a RBI.
Winston-Salem led 10-0 after the sixth and would then add two more in the seventh on back-to-back run scoring hits from Blake Rutherford and Roman. Both Dash runs in the seventh were allowed in by reliever Phil Bickford, who had taken over in place of Rodriguea with two outs in the sixth. Bickford went on to also allow three runs in the eighth (one of which was an inherited run allowed to score by reliever Alec Kenilvort) and gave up five runs on six hits over an inning and 2/3. He also walked one and struck out three.
Bickford left the game with one out in the eight and Kenilvort went on to work through the rest of the frame while yielding one hit and one walk. Cooper Hummel, who had started as Carolina's designated hitter in Friday's game, pitched the ninth and allowed two runs on three hits. One of those hits was a two-run home run allowed to Dash outfielder JJ Muno.
The Dash matched a season high with 23 hits in the series finale victory. Those 23 hits included six doubles overall, including two from Forbes and two from Yeyson Yrizarri. They also got a triple from Brown and home runs from Mercedes and Muno.
Friday's game was the series finale of the three game series and the finale of a seven game home stand. Carolina finished the home stand at 3-4, after losing three of four to the Lynchburg Hillcats before taking two of three versus the Dash.
Carolina will next head out on the road for a three game road trip against the Hillcats beginning on Saturday night in Lynchburg. The game will air on the Mudcats Radio Network, the Big Dawg 98.5 FM and via TuneIn Radio at carolinamudcats.com.
# # #
