RiverDogs Offense Stymied in 2-1 Loss to Mudcats

The Charleston RiverDogs were limited to just three hits in a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Mudcats on Saturday night at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. Carolina will have a chance to earn a split of the series on Sunday. 4,307 fans took in the action during the penultimate game of the series.

The first four innings of the game featured a duel between the RiverDogs Gary Gill Hill and Carolina’s Yorman Galindez. The Mudcats went to the bullpen in the fifth, calling on right-hander Morris Austin, and the RiverDogs (24-31) jumped on him quickly to take the lead. Austin walked Bryan Broecker to open the inning and also issued a free pass to Carlos Colmenarez, putting two on with one out. Broecker stole third, allowing him to score the game’s first run on an infield hit by Adrian Santana.

Gill Hill maintained that lead all the way until his final inning on the hill. Filippo Di Turi opened the bottom of the Carolina (34-20) sixth with a double to the gap in left center. Cooper Pratt followed immediately with an RBI single up the middle to tie the game. The RiverDogs starter did not factor in the decision after allowing that lone run over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts.

The decisive run came against reliever Will Stevens in the sixth. Blayberg Diaz opened that frame with an infield single to third. Stevens induced a fielder’s choice groundout in the next at-bat and struck out Jose Acosta for the second out of the inning. A two-out walk to nine-hitter Reidy Mercado came back to bite him when Di Turi rolled an RBI single up the middle to give Carolina a 2-1 lead.

The RiverDogs could not muster a hit the rest of the way, putting three more runners on base via hit by pitch. All three of the team’s hits were singles. Pratt collected three hits for the second straight night in the heart of the Carolina lineup. Di Turi and Yhoswar Garcia added two each to the team’s total of eight.

Stevens took the loss after allowing one run in 1.1 innings. Dalton Fowler and Adam Boucher each worked a scoreless inning to close out the game.

Ballpark Fun

Saturday’s game felt like it was being played under the big top. A circus-themed evening was filled with circus music, juggling, aerialists, stilt-walkers and hula hooping.

The series finale is set for Sunday at 5:05 p.m. LHP Chris Villaman (2-0, 0.45) will start on the mound for the RiverDogs. Carolina will call on RHP Josh Timmerman (2-0, 4.45) to close out the weekend. Parking is free and kids can run the bases after the game on MUSC Health Family Sunday. The RiverDogs will also play as Los Perros Santos de Charleston while celebrating Latin food.