Mudcats Outlast Wood Ducks on Orimoloye Eighth Inning Homer

ZEBULON, N.C. - Dillon Thomas went 3-for-5 with two runs, Dallas Carroll went 2-for-3 with a RBI double and Demi Orimoloye went 1-for-5 with three runs, three RBI and a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth as the Mudcats outlasted the Wood Ducks 10-9 on Wednesday night at Five County Stadium.

The game saw several lead changes and saw the Mudcats (63-70, 29-34) total a season high for runs in an inning after they rallied for seven runs in the second. The Wood Ducks (58-77, 23-42) hit two home runs, totaled 13 hits and totaled five stolen bases in the loss.
Carolina reliever Alec Kenilvort limited the Wood Ducks to just one unearned run on one hit from the sixth through the eighth and earned the win. Kenilvort (4-3, 4.36) totaled a career high six strikeouts in the victory and finished with just one walk and one hit allowed.
Luke Barker earned the save after working around a leadoff walk and facing four in the final frame. Barker (S, 20) has not totaled a Carolina League leading 20 saves on the season.
Down East left-hander Christian Torres originally worked through two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh before allowing Orimoloye's go-ahead home run in the eighth. Torres (5-6, 3.32) struck out four, walked two and allowed just two runs on three hits over three innings while taking the loss.
The Wood Ducks originally had a 2-0 lead after getting run scoring hits from Anderson Tejeda and Chuck Leblanc in the first. The Mudcats, however, went on to rally back with a seven run and six hit second off starter Rollie Lacy and reliever Kaleb Fontenot while taking a 7-2 lead in the game.
Dallas Carroll got the second going with a leadoff walk but quickly moved to third when Trever Morrison ripped a single to right. Robie Rojas then brought in Carroll to cut the Down East lead to 2-1 with a RBI single to left. The long inning then continued with Joantgel Segovia reaching on a error by third baseman Yanio Perez; an error that scored Morrison from third. 
With the game tied 2-2, the Mudcats then kept their rally going with a single from Nick Franklin, a RBI single from Dillon Thomas and then a force out to center hit by Demi Orimoloye that ended up plating a run as well. Cooper Hummel and Ryan Aguilar then had back-to-back doubles to finish what ended up being a seven run and six hit second inning. 
Carolina led 7-2 after their huge second inning, but the Wood Ducks went on to chip away with two runs in the third to make it 7-4 before tying the game with three runs in the fourth. Chuck Leblanc and Brendon Davis had run scoring hits while LeDarious Clark and Anderson Tejeda hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth to tie the game.
Clark's two-run home run was his ninth of the season, while Tejeda's was his 19th on the year. Tejeda's homer also knocked Carolina's starter Alec Bettinger out of the game. Bettinger pitched through three and 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs on 11 hits. 
Reliever Nathan Kirby took over for Bettinger in the fourth and ended up finishing the frame with back-to-back strikeouts. He also returned for the fifth and worked around a couple of walks while keeping the Wood Ducks scoreless and while holding Carolina's newly found lead. The Mudcats scored once in their half of the fourth on a two-out RBI double from Carroll to take an 8-7 lead in the game on Fontenot and Down East.
Kirby remained in the game for the sixth but found trouble early as he walked Clark to star the frame, before then giving up a on-out RBI single to Andretty Cordero. The run scoring hit tied the game at 7-7 and would help to bring an end to Kirby's night on the mound. Kirby went on to face one more batter in the sixth but ended up walking the final man he faced before Kenilvort took over.
Kenilvort would go on to quiet the Wood Ducks offense, but was on the mound in the eighth when Down East broke the tie to take an 9-8 lead. Their go-ahead run scored on a errant throw to third by Rojas behind the plate. Tejeda scored from third on Rojas' error and did so after reaching third moments earlier on a wild pitch lost by Kenilvort.
Tejeda went 4-for-5 with four runs and three RBI in the game for the Wood Ducks. His run in the eighth put them up 9-8, but Orimoloye's home run in the eighth proved to be the difference as it put Carolina in front again 10-9. Orimoloye went 3-for-5 with three runs and three RBI in the game.
NOTES: Cooper Hummel went 2-for-3 with two walks and a RBI while raising his Carolina League leading on-base percentage to .390 for the season... Demi Orimoloye went 1-for-5 with three runs and three RBI while stretching his hitting streak to nine straight games.
UP NEXT: The Mudcats will continue their final home stand with game four of a four game versus the Wood Ducks at Five County Stadium on Thursday night beginning at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by visiting www.carolinamudcats.com/tickets, by calling (919) 269-CATS (2287) and by visiting the Five County Stadium front office in Zebulon. 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 live via video on MiLB.tv.
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