Woodpeckers Drop Both Games of Sunday Doubleheader
KANNAPOLIS, NC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (19-20) had no answer for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (21-17) Sunday afternoon at Atrium Health Ballpark as the Woodpeckers dropped both games by scores of 8-2 and 2-0, respectively. Fayetteville concludes the series with five defeats in six contests. Game 1 The Woodpeckers jumped
KANNAPOLIS, NC – The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (19-20) had no answer for the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (21-17) Sunday afternoon at Atrium Health Ballpark as the Woodpeckers dropped both games by scores of 8-2 and 2-0, respectively. Fayetteville concludes the series with five defeats in six contests.
Game 1
The Woodpeckers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Saturday night for the second straight game thanks to a two-run third inning single from Fernando Caldera before weather suspended play until Sunday. Fayetteville lost the lead in the fifth on when Rikuu Nishida scored a pair on a base hit. It was the lone blemish on an otherwise strong relief appearance by Alain Pena, who went five innings and struck out six.
The wheels came off in the bottom of the eighth for Fayetteville. Amilcar Chirinos (L, 3-2) had a rocky outing, allowing six earned runs as the Cannon Ballers sent 11 batters to the plate. Wilber Sanchez produced a two-run single that helped put the win away for Kannapolis.
Game 2
The Cannon Ballers took the lead in the first inning and never gave it back. Albertson Asigen singled in two against Woodpeckers starter Sandy Mejia (L, 1-3). Mejia would settle in afterwards, tossing four innings allowing just the two runs on four hits, walking four and striking out four.
Offensively, Fayetteville was kept quiet by lefthanded Kannapolis starter Lucas Gordon, who surrendered just one hit over four scoreless. Frankeli Arias (W, 1-1) took over in the fifth and cruised for two innings but ran into trouble in the seventh. Oliver Carrillo ripped a one-out base hit before Nehomar Ochoa Jr. singled two batters later, putting runners at the corners with two away. Will Bush drew a walk that loaded the bases and chased Arias from the game as Ballers manager Patrick Leyland went to the bullpen and brought in closer Billy Seidl (SV, 1). The former Duke Blue Devil faced pinch hitter Juan Santander and struck him out on four pitches to end the ballgame.
The Woodpeckers look to reset with an off day on Monday before they travel up to Virginia to play six games against the Salem Red Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 on Tuesday at Salem Memorial Ballpark.