Mudcats Smash Salem in 9-0 Shutout Win

SALEM, VA - Cooper Hummel and Ryan Aguilar both had three hits, Trever Morrison hit a solo home run, Nick Roscetti drove in three with a bases loaded triple and Christian Taugner pitched through six scoreless frames in his debut as the Mudcats defeated the Red Sox 9-0 in a rain shortened game on Sunday in Salem.

The game was called in the seventh after heavy rain washed over Haley Toyota Field in Salem. The rain arrived moments after Roscetti's three-run triple and after Carolina (23-24, 57-60) had taken a 9-0 lead in the game. In all, the Mudcats totaled 14 hits and took a two games to one lead in the four game series with the road victory. 
Hummel led the way for Carolina as he went 3-for-3 with two runs and a walk in the road win. Hummel hit fourth in Sunday's lineup and was followed by Aguilar who went 3-for-4, Robie Rojas who went 2-for-3, Roscetti who had a three-run triple, Nathan Rodriguez who finished with a run scoring double and Morrison who hit his first home run of the season. Demi Orimoloye hit third, ahead of Hummel, and went 2-for-4 with a run as well for Carolina.
Taugner (1-0, 0.00) started for Carolina and earned a complete game victory in the rain-shortened game after pitching through six shutout frames. He also walked one and struck out two in his first start with Carolina since an August 8 promotion from Low-A Wisconsin. Taugner scattered four hits and reached 82 pitches (47 strikes) before the game was called in the Carolina half of the seventh.
The game was originally scoreless after one, but the Mudcats went on to rally for four runs and four hits off Salem (22-26, 54-62) starter Jake Thompson in the second. Thompson (5-11, 4.95) took the loss after allowing five runs and seven hits over two plus innings pitched. He also walked one and struck out two.
Hummel started the second with a walk and was quickly joined on base by Aguilar who reached with the game's first hit. Rojas then doubled in Hummel to put Carolina up 1-0, but a groundout moments later from Roscetti would help force in Aguilar to lift the lead to 2-0. A double from Rodriguez then scored Rojas as Carolina took a 3-0 lead and a two-out RBI single from Rob Henry increased the lead to 4-0 in the second.
Carolina's one run third, meanwhile, began with a double from Orimoloye and continued with a single from Hummel and a run scoring hit from Aguilar. Thompson left after allowing Aguilar's hit and reliever Daniel Gonzalez would take over and retire three straight to end the third. Morrison, however, led off the Carolina fourth with a home run to right off Gonzalez to put Carolina up 6-0 in the game.
Gonzalez would end up pitching through the sixth and allowed just one run over four innings. He also struck out five and allowed four hits all while holding Carolina's lead at 6-0. 
Austin Glorius took over in the seventh, but would end up loading the bases before giving up a three-run triple to Roscetti. The heavy rain arrived as Roscetti slid into third and play was stopped. The game was then called approximately 30 minutes later as the field proved to be unplayable and the game would be called with no outs in the seventh.
The victory was Carolina's second straight in the series and the club's third win in their last four games. The Mudcats will look for a series win on Monday night as they play the finale of the four game set in Salem beginning at 7:05 p.m.
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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