RiverDogs Draw 12 Walks, Fall to Carolina 7-4

The Charleston RiverDogs worked a season-high 12 walks, but also grounded into four double plays in a 7-4 loss to the Carolina Mudcats on Thursday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The defeat ended the team’s winning streak at four. The game was played in front of 4,375 fans.

Carolina (33-20) struck right out of the gate against RiverDogs starter Drew Dowd in the first inning. All five batters that came to the plate in the frame swung at the first pitch of the at-bat and put the ball in play. Filippi Di Turi opened the frame with a single and advanced to third on Cooper Pratt’s single, plus an error by center fielder Odalys Peguero. The Mudcats grabbed the lead 1-0 with an infield single by Daniel Guilarte.

In the bottom of the first, the RiverDogs (24-30) bounced back quickly to tie the score. Narciso Polanco opened the day with a single to left and went to third on a single by Adrian Santana in the next at-bat. Enzo Paulino evened the score by floating a single to shallow left field for his second RBI since joining the team last week.

A pair of solo home runs moved Carolina back in front in the top of the third. Reidy Mercado led off the inning with his first home run of the season to push the Mudcats on top and Pratt followed with his second of the year shortly thereafter to make it 3-1.

Dowd struck out the first batter he faced in the fifth inning but struggled to record the second out. Mercado put down a bunt for a hit and Filippi Di Turi was hit by a pitch to put a pair on the bases. Yophery Rodriguez followed with a line drive to right field that snuck past Elis Barreat for a two-run triple that pushed the margin to 6-1. Pratt did more damage with an RBI single in the very next at-bat.

The bottom of the eighth began with the RiverDogs trailing 7-2. A walk and hit by pitch got the frame off to a quick start, but Odalys Peguero hit into a 4-6-3 double play. The inning regained life on a throwing error by Daniel Guilarte on Ricardo Gonzalez’s grounder to third, allowing a run to score. Back-to-back walks forced in another run and, suddenly, the RiverDogs had the tying run at first base. Cristofher Carrasco retired Enzo Paulino on a groundball back to the mound to end the inning with the Mudcats still in front 7-4. The RiverDogs went down in order during the ninth.

Dowd took the loss, allowing season-highs of eight hits and six runs. Samuel Mejia allowed just an unearned run in 2.0 innings as the first man out of the pen. Engert Garcia put up 2.1 scoreless down the stretch.

Carolina collected 10 hits, three of them from Pratt. The shortstop finished with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored. Rodriguez and Mercado each added a pair of hits. Santana paced the RiverDogs with three of their six hits.

Ballpark Fun

After the game, fans were treated to another excellent fireworks show courtesy of REV Federal Credit Union. Fireworks Friday has been a tradition at The Joe for decades and kept almost the entire crowd in their seat for the entirety of the show.

The RiverDogs have another chance to win the series outright on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. RHP Gary Gill Hill (1-0, 2.63) will toe the rubber first for the RiverDogs. Carolina will counter with RHP Yorman Galindez (0-0, 3.03). The team will turn the Joe into a circus on Big Top Charleston Night!