Down East Rallies and Defeats Buies Creek

KINSTON, NC - Four of five runs for the Wood Ducks (16-18, 40-63) scored with two outs in a come-from-behind 5-2 victory over the Astros (23-11, 60-44). Yanio Perez's two-run home run tied things in the sixth, and a three-run seventh pushed the Woodies ahead for good.

The offense supported Richelson Peña's fourth straight win as he lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.77. The right-hander also claimed in his eighth win of the year to take the team lead.
He needed the support after a solo home run in the second, and a two-out RBI triple in the third from the Astros. Pena left six runners stranded in his start and exited with the lead thanks to the offense's late arrival.
Perez finished 2-for-4 with a double as well from the second inning - his ninth in his last 14 games. The game-tying home run in the sixth came with a 1-2 count, two outs, and Josh Morgan on first base. It was his first with the Woodies since his two-homer performance on July 4th.
In the seventh, Down East rallied on Forrest Whitley to take the lead. They loaded the bases with one out for the top of the order and Matt Lipka. He hit a slow grounder up the third base line that resulted in an infield hit to jump ahead 3-2.
Two batters later, Luis La O lined a single up the middle to score a pair and give the Wood Ducks the 5-2 lead they would finish with.
There was traffic on the bullpen in the last two innings. Jose Valdespina had two runners aboard in the eighth before an inning-ending 6-3 double play from Morgan.
Adam Choplick locked the save also thanks to a double play started by Morgan. The lefty converted his fifth straight save in the win.
Game two of the series is on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Righty Johnathan Hernandez (1-4, 5.23) will take the mound for the Wood Ducks against lefty Brett Adcock (4-3, 4.02) for the Astros. You can listen to every pitch of the 2017 season live on Sports/Talk 960 The Bull or streamed on the TuneIn Radio app.