Erceg pulls hidden-ball trick on Buies Creek
Class A Advanced Carolina tricked its way out of a sticky situation in a two-run game Wednesday. A double steal put runners on second and third for Buies Creek in the seventh inning. But thanks to the Mudcats' Lucas Erceg, Kyle Tucker of the Astros didn't last very long on
Class A Advanced Carolina tricked its way out of a sticky situation in a two-run game Wednesday. A double steal put runners on second and third for Buies Creek in the seventh inning. But thanks to the Mudcats'
Milwaukee's No. 7 prospect executed a hidden-ball trick to eliminate the second-ranked Houston prospect and turn a potential trouble spot into a more manageable situation for Carolina, which went on to win, 3-0, at Five County Stadium.
After Tucker slid safely into third on the double steal with
The umpires conferred before making the call since Rodriguez was on the mound when Erceg tagged Tucker. Buies Creek manager Omar Lopez did not think his runner should be called out and argued until he was ejected, and home-plate umpire Ryan Wilhelms called Tucker out shortly afterward.
Box score
The hidden-ball trick wasn't Erceg's only contribution to the victory. His fourth-inning double to right -- fielded by Tucker -- plated Brewers No. 6 prospect Trent Clark to open the scoring.
Right-hander
Chris Tripodi is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @christripodi.