Carolina Drops Third Straight 4-1 in Fredericksburg

Carolina 1 @ Fredericksburg 4

August 27, 2021 | Venue : FredNats Ballpark | First pitch : 7:14 PM | Att : 4,794 | T : 3:32

CAR: 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 9 2

FBG: 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 x 4 8 1

WP: Matt Merrill (2 - 1) LP: Antoine Kelly (0 - 1) SV: Cole Quintanilla (2)

FREDERICKSBURG – Sal Frelick went 4-for-4 with a double, Mike Wilson doubled and scored a run and Ernesto Martinez singled to extend his hitting streak to 12 straight games, but the Carolina Mudcats managed just one run on nine hits in a 4-1 loss to the Fredericksburg Nationals on Friday night at FredNats Ballpark.

The loss was Carolina’s third straight, and like the previous two nights, the Mudcats (60-40) once again outhit the Nationals (36-64) as they totaled nine hits against Fredericksburg’s eight. The Mudcats hit into two double plays and finished the game just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position while leaving eight men on base.

Frelick had four of Carolina’s nine hits and recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the season. He additionally reached third the first, third and eighth innings, but did not score in the game. Carolina’s only run came in the eighth when Wilson doubled, moved to third on a single by Frelick and then scored on a wild pitch lost by reliever Edward Urena.

Matt Merrill started for the Nationals and spun his way through five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts while earning the win. Merrill (2-1, 4.54) also walked just one batter and scattered five hits. Bryan Pena followed and worked through two scoreless frames with a walk and a strikeout. Urena allowed Wilson’s run in the eighth, but worked around two hits and struck out one in his lone innings. Cole Quintanilla (S, 2) then finished the game with three strikeouts and a hit allowed in the nine to earn his second save since joining the FredNats on August 24. Both saves have come against the Mudcats in the current series.

The FredNats led early in the game as they brought across a run on Carolina starter Antoine Kelly in the first to take a 1-0 lead. They then added one more in the fourth and two more in the fifth while going up 4-0 on Kelly (0-1, 6.60) and reliever Christian Tripp.

Kelly allowed just the one FredNats run and did so over two and 1/3 innings pitched. Kelly also walked two and struck out three while reaching 47 pitches (29 strikes) and facing 11 batters. One of Kelly’s two walks scored the game’s first run as leadoff man Jacob Young walked and scored on a sac fly from Onix Vega in the opening frame. That sac fly put the FredNats up 1-0, while Braian Fernandez later made it 2-0 with a RBI double off Tripp in the fourth.

Tripp gave up three runs on five hits, walked two and struck out three while pitching through two and 2/3 innings. Three of his five hits allowed came during Fredericksburg’s three hits and two run fifth inning. Jose Sanchez had a RBI double in that inning and Vega had his second sacrifice fly.

Keegan McCarville followed Tripp and turned in two scoreless innings for the Mudcats. He also walked one and struck out one.

Reliever Peyton Long then turned in his fourth straight scoreless appearance as he worked the eighth. Long allowed a hit and walked one, but escaped the inning with two pickoffs and a strikeout.

TOP PERFORMERS – BATTERS:

Frelick, DH (Carolina): 4-for-4, 0 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Martinez, E, 1B (Carolina): 1-for-3, 0 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Wilson, RF (Carolina): 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Young, CF (Fredericksburg): 2-for-4, 2 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 RBI

Sánchez, J, 3B (Fredericksburg): 2-for-4, 0 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI

Vega, C (Fredericksburg): 0-for-1, 0 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 RBI

Fernández, B, LF (Fredericksburg): 1-for-4, 0 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 RBI

TOP PERFORMERS - PITCHERS:

Kelly (L, 0-1) (Carolina): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

McCarville (Carolina): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

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

Merrill (W, 2-1) (Fredericksburg): 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

Peña, B (Fredericksburg): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Urena (Fredericksburg): 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Quintanilla (S, 2) (Fredericksburg): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

SCORING:

Nationals 1st (Nationals 1, Mudcats 0) -- Jacob Young walks. Viandel Pena flies out to Noah Campbell. Jacob Young steals 2nd base. Jose Sanchez singles to shallow left field, Jacob Young to 3rd. Onix Vega out on a sacrifice fly to Micah Bello, Jacob Young scores; Jose Sanchez to 2nd. Jake Randa strikes out swinging.

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

Nationals 4th (Nationals 2, Mudcats 0) -- Jake Randa flies out to Noah Campbell. Leandro Emiliani singles to right field. Jaden Fein strikes out swinging. Braian Fernandez doubles to right-center field, Leandro Emiliani scores. Jake Boone strikes out swinging.

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

Nationals 5th (Nationals 4, Mudcats 0) -- Jacob Young singles to left field. Viandel Pena doubles to right field, Jacob Young to 3rd. Jose Sanchez singles to center field, Jacob Young scores; Viandel Pena to 3rd. Onix Vega out on a sacrifice fly to Mike Wilson, Viandel Pena scores. Jake Randa walks, Jose Sanchez to 2nd. Leandro Emiliani walks, Jose Sanchez to 3rd; Jake Randa to 2nd. Jaden Fein grounds into double play, Alex Binelas to Ernesto Martinez, Jake Randa out at 3rd, Jaden Fein out at 1st.

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

Mudcats 8th (Nationals 4, Mudcats 1) -- Pitcher Change: Edward Urena replaces Bryan Pena. Mike Wilson doubles through the hole at second base. Sal Frelick singles to left field, Mike Wilson to 3rd. Wild pitch by Edward Urena, Mike Wilson scores; Sal Frelick to 2nd. Ethan Murray struck out looking. Tyler Black grounds out to Leandro Emiliani, Sal Frelick to 3rd. Alex Binelas flies out to Braian Fernandez.

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