ZEBULON, N.C. - Dallas Carroll blasted a three-run, walk-off, home run in the ninth to lead the Mudcats to a 7-6 victory versus the Blue Rocks in Carolina's first home game of the season on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.
ZEBULON, N.C. - Dallas Carroll blasted a three-run, walk-off, home run in the ninth to lead the Mudcats to a 7-6 victory versus the Blue Rocks in Carolina's first home game of the season on Thursday night at Five County Stadium.
The Mudcats (6-2) trailed 6-4 heading into their half of the ninth before Carroll blasted his three-run homer to win the game. The game-winning blast was hit off Wilmington (5-3) reliever J.C. Cloney and gave the Mudcats their fourth straight victory. It also lifted Carolina to a 6-2 start on the season and snapped Wilmington's winning streak at five straight games.
Cloney (1-1, 3.12) struck out four and allowed three hits over three and 2/3 plus frames in the loss. He followed starter Brady Singer and had held Carolina scoreless from the end of the fifth through the eighth before allowing three runs and two hits in the ninth.
Carolina's ninth began with a lead-off single from Eddie Silva and continued with Zach Clark reaching on an error (Wilmington's fourth error of the night). Carroll then followed and battled his way into a 2-2 count before connecting on his game-winning blast.
The Mudcats originally led 4-0 in Thursday's opener after scoring four unearned runs in the third off Singer. That four run third began with Devin Hairston reaching on an error and continued with a single from Joantgel Segovia, a run scoring hit from Ryan Aguilar and a two-out RBI double by Payton Henry. Singer also had a throwing error that plated a run for Carolina in the four run third. Singer pitched through four and 1/3 with four unearned runs allowed on four hits. He also walked three and struck out seven in his start.
Nelson Hernandez started for the Mudcats and was in line for the victory before the Blue Rocks came back and tied the game in the eighth. Hernandez struck out six and walked one in five and 2/3 innings in his start. He also allowed two runs on six hits while reaching 89 pitches (56 strikes).
The Mudcats led 4-2 when reliever Cody Beckman took over for Hernandez in the sixth. Beckman (BS, 1) pitched through the rest of the sixth in place of Hernandez and pitched through two and 1/3 innings overall. He then worked out of a no-outs, bases loaded jam in the seventh, but gave up two home runs in the eighth while seeing the Carolina lead slip away.
The Blue Rocks took their first lead of the game in the ninth after starting the frame with back-to-back walks against Carolina's Chris Dula. Reliever Matt Hardy took over for Dula in the ninth and went on to allow the two he inherited to score on a two-out single from Wilmington's Sebastian Rivero. Overall, Hardy (2-0, 1.93) struck out two and allowed one hit in his appearance for Carolina and earned the win.
NOTES: Dallas Carroll went 2-for-4 with two home runs in his final home game at Five County Stadium last season and has now homered in back-to-back home games, with three home runs overall, dating back to the 2018 season… Joantgel Segovia went 2-for-2 with a run, two hits and two walks, while reaching safely in all four of his at-bats in Thursday's game.
UP NEXT: The Mudcats next play on Friday night as the they take on the Blue Rocks in game two of the four game series. Friday's game will be followed by the first House Autry Friday Night Fireworks show of the season and will begin at 7:00 p.m. in Zebulon. Tickets are available by calling (919) 269-CATS (2287), by visiting carolinamudcats.com and by visiting the Five County Stadium Box Office. The game will air live on the Mudcats Radio Network, the Big Dawg 98.5 FM and online at carolinamudcats.com and TuneIn Radio. It will also stream live in full HD video on MiLB.tv.
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