Salem Steals Series Opener Over Woodpeckers

Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (25-33) started off a 12-game homestead with a 3-1 defeat to the Salem Red Sox (29-29) on Tuesday Night at Segra Stadium. Fayetteville scored the first run of the game with a Kenni Gomez homer before the Red Sox pieced together three unanswered runs with a home run in the fourth followed by two runs in the seventh. It extended Fayetteville's longest losing streak of the season to seven games.

Gomez was the main source of offense for the Woodpeckers. The 19-year-old had a two-hit game, homering over Healy’s Bar in the first and doubling in the fourth. On the mound, RHP Yeriel Santos pitched a solid game. The 20-year-old righty went five innings allowing four hits, four strikeouts and one walk. His lone run was given up in the fourth on a home run by Brooks Brannon.

On the other side of the pitching matchup Matt Duffy had nearly an identical line. Duffy gave up four hits while not issuing a walk and struck out six. He surrendered his only run on the Gomez homer and allowed just two more hitters to reach over five innings.

The Red Sox gained the edge with the game tied at 1-1 heading into the seventh. Andy Lugo was hit by a pitch and proceeded to steal second base. With Lugo on third after a groundout, Dawill Almonte (L,0-1) threw a wild pitch, scoring Lugo to make it 2-1 Red Sox. Antonio Anderson gave Salem an insurance home run later in the inning to cap the scoring at 3-1. Ben Petschke looked sharp out of the bullpen, holding the deficit with a scoreless eighth and ninth in relief.

The Woodpeckers were shut down in the ninth inning as Nunez, Ochoa Jr, and Santander all flew out for the final three outs. Danny Kirwin (W, 2-0) got the win, pitching four innings while only allowing one hit to go along with four strikeouts. The Woodpeckers look to snap the losing skid on Wednesday as RHP Raimy Rodriguez (1-3) will take the mound against Salem’s Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz (2-3) at 6:35PM at Segra Stadium.