SALEM, VA - Devin Hairston went 2-for-4 with two runs and Joantgel Segovia was 2-for-5 with a run scoring double, but the Mudcats saw their four game winning come to an end as they fell 8-5 to the Red Sox in game three of a four game series on Wednesday
SALEM, VA - Devin Hairston went 2-for-4 with two runs and Joantgel Segovia was 2-for-5 with a run scoring double, but the Mudcats saw their four game winning come to an end as they fell 8-5 to the Red Sox in game three of a four game series on Wednesday afternoon at Haley Toyota Field in Salem, VA.
Carolina (16-11) fell behind early in Wednesday's loss to the Red Sox (12-14) and, in the end, were unable to overcome what started as a three run deficit in the opening frame. The loss dropped Carolina to 2-1 in the current four game set and snapped a winning streak of four straight games.
The Mudcats were down 3-0 after the first inning, but eventually answered with a run and their first two hits of the game in the fifth to cut the Salem lead to 3-1. The Red Sox quickly answered the Carolina tally with a two run fifth and led 5-1 before scoring three unearned runs in the sixth. Carolina later rallied for four runs and four hits in the seventh while cutting the deficit down to three, but they would go on to be held scoreless in the eighth and ninth while dropping game three of the series in Salem 8-5.
Christian Taugner started for Carolina and allowed three runs on four hits in the first before holding Salem scoreless in the second, third and fourth innings. The Red Sox eventually got to Taugner (1-4, 7.71) again in the fifth after rallying for a couple of runs on a couple of hits while taking a 5-1 lead in the game. In all, Taugner allowed five runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out five while suffering his fourth straight loss.
The three run first included a two-run double from Ryan Fitzgerald and a RBI single from Victor Acosta. Fitzgerald also had a two-run single in the three run sixth while going 2-for-4 in the game with four RBI. Acosta drove in three and went 2-for-4 in the game for Salem.
Taugner was later followed by reliever Matt Hardy who pitched the sixth and ended up allowing three unearned runs on two hits. Hardy began the sixth by getting two quick outs, but then walked a batter and allowed a single before seeing Marco Hernández reach on a strikeout passed ball to load the bases. Hardy then hit Pedro Castellanos with an 0-2 pitch to force in a run and then allowed Fitzgerald's two-run single.
Hardy later returned for the seventh and put up a scoreless frame while pitching through two innings with three unearned runs allowed and three strikeouts. Christian Meister later pitched a scoreless eighth while and allowed one hit. He also struck out two.
Salem's starter Enmanuel De Jesus held the Mudcats scoreless and without a hit over the first four innings before allowing two hits and a run in the fifth. Carolina's first hit and first run of the game came in that same fifth inning when Hairston reached on a two-out single and scored on a double from Joantgel Segovia.
De Jesus (2-3, 4.56) returned for the sixth and eventually left the game after walking Ryan Aguilar and facing just one batter in the seventh. The Red Sox had an 8-1 lead when the seventh began, but the Mudcats went on to rally for four runs and four hits in the inning, with all four hits allowed by reliever Hunter Smith.
Aguilar's walk to start the seventh was followed by consecutive singles from Zach Clark, Nick Roscetti and Hairston. Roscetti's single scored Aguilar and Hairston's hit loaded the bases with no out for Joantgel Segovia. Smith got Segovia to line out to second, but then gave up a run scoring hit to Rob Henry before allowing Roscetti to score on a wild pitch. Payton Henry later drove in Carolina's final run of the seventh with a groundout to short, giving him a team high 22 RBI for the season.
The four run and four hit Carolina seventh ended up not being enough though as Smith settled in and pitched a scoreless eighth before giving way to Dominic LoBrutto (S, 2) who pitched around a hit in the ninth to earn his second save.
Carolina's six through nine batters, Aguilar, Clark, Roscetti and Hairston combined to score all five runs in the loss. Hairston hit ninth and scored twice while going 2-for-4 in the game. Segovia had the only other multi-hit game as he went 2-for-5 with a RBI double out of the leadoff spot.
UP NEXT: The Mudcats will look for a series win on Thursday night in Salem as they play the finale of a four game series against the Red Sox at Haley Toyota Field in Salem, VA. Thursday's finale is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. and with Nelson Hernandez (3-0, 4.15) starting for the Mudcats. The game will air live on the Mudcats Radio Network, The Big Dawg 98.5 FM and online at carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio.
# # #
