ZEBULON, N.C. - Joantgel Segovia went 3-for-5 with three doubles, both Cooper Hummel and Rob Henry hit home runs and Nathan Kirby totaled a career high six strikeouts as the Mudcats closed out a series victory with a 13-4 home win versus the Wood Ducks on Thursday night at Five
ZEBULON, N.C. - Joantgel Segovia went 3-for-5 with three doubles, both Cooper Hummel and Rob Henry hit home runs and Nathan Kirby totaled a career high six strikeouts as the Mudcats closed out a series victory with a 13-4 home win versus the Wood Ducks on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.
The Mudcats (29-30) scored a season high 13 runs while matching a season high with 15 hits in their series finale victory against the Wood Ducks (31-28). The home win clinched a two games to one series victory for Carolina and pulled them within 3.5 games of first in the first half Southern Division standings.
Carolina trailed 1-0 in the game before getting six runs in the sixth while taking a 6-1 lead. They later added one more in the third on Henry's second home run of the season and then took an 11-1 lead after scoring four more runs in the fourth with help of Hummel's second homer of the year. They later scored two more in the eighth on back-to-back run scoring doubles from Luis Aviles Jr. Jr. and Tucker Neuhaus and led 13-2 before the Wood Ducks closed things out with two runs in the ninth.
Carolina's six run sixth began with consecutive singles from Mario Feliciano, Aviles and Neuhaus. All three hits came against Down East starter Christian Torres and the three hits ended up loading the bases for Hummel who then forced in a run after being hit by a pitch. Segovia then broke the tie with a two-run double to give Carolina its first lead of the game at 3-1 in the second. Weston Wilson later followed with a sacrifice fly to score another, before Segovia and Dallas Carroll successfully executed a double steal with Segovia scoring from third. Carolina then took a 6-1 lead after a wild and both rundown allowed Carroll to score from second.
Torres (5-4, 3.77) left after hitting Hummel and ended up allowing four runs on four hits over an inning plus and took the loss. Kaleb Fontenot followed Torres and allowed three inherited runners to score in the second before later allowing Henry's homer in the third. He also remained in the game for the fourth, but left before Hummel's three-run home run put Carolina up 11-1.
Hummel's homer came against Jairo Beras and was the second straight hit allowed by Beras after took over. Neuhaus also picked up a run scoring hit against Beras in the fourth, but the Down East reliever eventually settled in and would go on to work through two and 1/3 innings with five strikeouts for the Wood Ducks.
Segovia and Neuhaus led the way for Carolina as they both totaled three hits and both had two RBI each in the game. Segovia totaled three doubles (matching Neuhaus' team high set on April 14 in Winston-Salem) while going 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run in the game.
Devin Williams started the game for Carolina and ended up pitching through two and 1/3 innings with one run allowed on three this. He also walked one and struck out three in his season debut with the Mudcats. Williams reached 43 pitches with 26 going for strikes before leaving the game in the third inning. Braulio Ortiz followed and retired two of three batters faced before giving way to Kirby in the fourth.
Kirby (1-4, 5.83) struck out six and allowed just one run on one hit while working through a career high four innings. He allowed a RBI double to Chuck Leblanc in the sixth, but allowed just the one run overall while setting new career bests for innings and strikeouts in a game. He also earned his first professional win while reaching 51 pitches (34 strikes) and working through the seventh.
Phil Bickford later worked the final two frames and had held the Wood Ducks scoreless in the eighth before allowing a two-run home run to Franklin Rollin in the ninth. Bickford allowed two runs, two walks and two hits, while also striking out two in his first home appearance of the season.
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