Mudcats Waste Early Lead in 10-5 Loss

Augusta 10 @ Carolina 5

May 05, 2022 | Venue : Five County Stadium | First pitch : 7:00 PM | T : 2:39

AUG: 0 0 2 0 1 0 4 3 0 10 14 0

CAR: 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0

WP: Juan Mateo (1 - 0) LP: Israel Puello (2 - 3)

ZEBULON – Jeferson Quero hit a three-run home run in the first while helping lift the Carolina Mudcats to an early five run lead, but the Augusta GreenJackets bullpen no-hit Carolina from the second through the ninth while setting up a 10-5 comeback victory for the GreenJackets on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.

The Mudcats (13-11), playing as Pescados de Carolina, scored five runs and totaled five hits in the first, but went on to be no-hit and held to just three walks the rest of the way as the GreenJackets (13-11) took game three of the series 10-5 in Zebulon.

Augusta relievers Estarlin Rodriguez, Juan Mateo and Jake Grisold combined for eight no-hit frames and 10 strikeouts from the second through the ninth in the victory. Rodriguez worked four scoreless with two walks and four strikeouts. Mateo (1-0) then followed with two scoreless while earning the victory. Griswold finished the game with five strikeouts and two perfect frames over the eighth and ninth.

Starter Landon Leach worked just the first and ended up allowing five runs and five hits over one inning pitched. Leach also walked one and struck out one while using 30 pitches (18 strikes) to get through the five-run first inning.

Leach saw Eduardo Garcia drive in the first run of the game with a groundout before giving up Quero’s three-run home run. The home run was Quero’s first of the season and put Carolina up 4-0. Jheremy Vargas finished the early rally with a RBI single while helping the Mudcats jump out to the early 5-0 lead.

Augusta’s comeback started with a two-run home run from Cal Conley in the third and continued with a RBI double from Brandol Mezquita in the fifth. Carolina’s lead then shrank to 5-3 after Mezquita’s double in the fifth, before totally evaporateing in the seventh when the GreenJackets rallied for four runs and four hits against reliever Israel Puello. Mezquita started that rally with a home run, while both Caleb Durbin and Brandon Parker kept it going with a game-tying single and go-ahead triple respectively.

The Mudcats found themselves down 6-4 in the seventh after Puello (2-3) was unable to hold the lead. Trevor Tietz went on to take over for Puello in the seventh and managed to leave two inherited runners on base before later allowing three more Augusta runs in the eighth. That three-run eighth included a two-run double by Adam Zebrowski and run-scoring wild pitch lost by Tietz.

The GreenJackets scored 10 unanswered runs and had 13 hits from the second through the ninth while running away with game three of the six-game series. The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Mudcats and dropped Carolina’s lead in the six-game series to two games to one. The Mudcats won all six of their games with the GreenJackets last season, making Thursday’s loss Carolina’s first in franchise history to Augusta.

HOME RUNS:

Augusta: Conley (4, 3rd inning off Jimenez, 1 on, 1 out); Mezquita (2, 7th inning off Puello, 0 on, 1 out).

Carolina: Quero (1, 1st inning off Leach, 2 on, 1 out).

TOP PERFORMERS - BATTERS:

Quero, C (Carolina): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI

Vargas, SS (Carolina): 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Conley, SS (Augusta): 3-for-6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Mezquita, RF (Augusta): 3-for-6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Zebrowski, C (Augusta): 2-for-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Parker, LF (Augusta): 1-for-5, 1 3B, 2 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:

Jimenez (Carolina): 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

Brustoski (Carolina): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO

Rodriguez, E (Augusta): 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

Mateo (W, 1-0) (Augusta): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Griswold (Augusta): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

SCORING:

Mudcats 1st (Mudcats 5, GreenJackets 0) -- Hendry Mendez singles to center field. Jackson Chourio doubles to left-center field, Hendry Mendez to 3rd. Eduardo Garcia grounds out, Geraldo Quintero to Braulio Vasquez, Hendry Mendez scores. Jesus Chirinos singles to deep shortstop, Jackson Chourio to 3rd. Jeferson Quero hits a home run to left field on a 1-1 pitch, Jackson Chourio scores; Jesus Chirinos scores. Hedbert Perez walks. Wild pitch by Landon Leach, Hedbert Perez to 2nd. Jheremy Vargas singles to center field, Hedbert Perez scores. Zack Raabe strikes out swinging and Jheremy Vargas caught stealing 2nd, Adam Zebrowski to Cal Conley to Adam Zebrowski.

(5 Runs, 5 Hits, 0 Errors, 0 LOB)

GreenJackets 3rd (Mudcats 5, GreenJackets 2) -- Connor Blair strikes out on foul tip. Geraldo Quintero singles to right field. Geraldo Quintero steals 2nd base. Cal Conley hits a home run to right field on a 2-1 pitch, Geraldo Quintero scores. Brandol Mezquita pops out to Zack Raabe. Adam Zebrowski singles to left field. Wild pitch by Edwin Jimenez, Adam Zebrowski to 2nd. Stephen Paolini flies out to Jackson Chourio.

(2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)

GreenJackets 5th (Mudcats 5, GreenJackets 3) -- Connor Blair singles to right-center field. Geraldo Quintero grounds out, Luis Silva to Jesus Chirinos, Connor Blair to 2nd. Cal Conley grounds out, Zack Raabe to Jesus Chirinos, Connor Blair to 3rd. Brandol Mezquita doubles to left-center field, Connor Blair scores. Adam Zebrowski walks. Stephen Paolini flies out to Hedbert Perez.

(1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB)

GreenJackets 7th (GreenJackets 7, Mudcats 5) -- Cal Conley strikes out swinging. Brandol Mezquita hits a home run to left field on a 1-2 pitch. Adam Zebrowski walks. Passed ball by Jeferson Quero, Adam Zebrowski to 2nd. Stephen Paolini strikes out swinging. Braulio Vasquez singles to shallow center field, Adam Zebrowski to 3rd. Caleb Durbin singles up the middle, Adam Zebrowski scores; Braulio Vasquez to 2nd. Brandon Parker triples to right-center field, Braulio Vasquez scores; Caleb Durbin scores. Connor Blair walks. Pitcher Change: Trevor Tietz replaces Israel Puello. Geraldo Quintero flies out to Hedbert Perez.

(4 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors, 2 LOB)

GreenJackets 8th (GreenJackets 10, Mudcats 5) -- Cal Conley doubles to right field. Brandol Mezquita singles to deep shortstop. Adam Zebrowski doubles to right-center field, Cal Conley scores; Brandol Mezquita scores. Wild pitch by Trevor Tietz, Adam Zebrowski to 3rd. Stephen Paolini walks. Wild pitch by Trevor Tietz, Adam Zebrowski scores; Stephen Paolini to 2nd. Braulio Vasquez flies out to Hendry Mendez. Caleb Durbin pops out to Luis Silva in foul territory. Brandon Parker grounds out, Luis Silva to Jesus Chirinos.

(3 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors, 1 LOB)