Woodpeckers Can’t Solve RiverDogs’ Pitching, Drop Fifth Straight
CHARLESTON, SC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (52-67, 23-30) were stifled by the Charleston RiverDogs (59-59, 32-21) in Tuesday night’s series opener at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park as the Woodpeckers fell by a final score of 7-1. The win for Charleston snaps a five-game losing streak against Fayetteville while the
CHARLESTON, SC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (52-67, 23-30) were stifled by the Charleston RiverDogs (59-59, 32-21) in Tuesday night’s series opener at Joseph P. Riley Jr. Park as the Woodpeckers fell by a final score of 7-1. The win for Charleston snaps a five-game losing streak against Fayetteville while the loss for the Woodpeckers is their fifth consecutive defeat.
The RiverDogs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Emilien Pitre before Fayetteville evened the score a half inning later when Drew Vogel drove in Caden Powell on a base hit. However, a Brady Marget solo home run off Woodpeckers starter Anderson Brito (L, 1-2) in the bottom of the second gave Charleston the lead for good. Brito surrendered another run in the fourth when Marget singled in Theo Gillen to make it 3-1, ending the former’s night after three and two-thirds innings and six strikeouts.
RiverDogs starter T.J. Nichols went just two innings before handing the ball over to southpaw Drew Dowd (W, 6-6). Dowd proceeded to go seven scoreless frames in relief, allowing only one hit and striking out eight Fayetteville batters. The former Stanford Cardinal retired 15 consecutive batters from the third inning to the eighth.
Charleston added two more runs in the sixth inning against reliever Julio Marte thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Narciso Polanco and Adrian Santana. Pitre capped off the scoring in the eighth with a two-run double off Hudson Leach.
The Woodpeckers will look to get back into the win column on Wednesday night. RHP Rafael Gonzalez gets the start for Fayetteville while the RiverDogs’ starter is to be determined. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM.