ZEBULON, NC - A game of epic proportions featured a comeback, 24 hits, a huge inning, a flurry of strikeouts, and seven different pitchers. The Wood Ducks (23-42, 58-77) ended up on the wrong side of the thriller in a 10-9 defeat to the Mudcats (29-34, 63-70).
ZEBULON, NC - A game of epic proportions featured a comeback, 24 hits, a huge inning, a flurry of strikeouts, and seven different pitchers. The Wood Ducks (23-42, 58-77) ended up on the wrong side of the thriller in a 10-9 defeat to the Mudcats (29-34, 63-70).
Anderson Tejeda had a career night matching a high with four hits and setting a new mark with four runs scored. He tattooed a game-tying homer in the fourth inning to cap off a five-run comeback in the span of two innings. He finished the night four-for-five for his second four-hit game of the year and third of his career.
His first RBI came in the first inning to score Leody Taveras with a single. Taveras, meanwhile, extended his on-base streak to match a season-long 16 games. Later in the first, Chuck Leblanc added an RBI single as well to make it 2-0.
Rollie Lacy left two runners stranded in the first, but a shaky start fell off in the second when 11 batters came to the plate in a seven-run frame. Lacy would escape with a no decision later in the game in his shortest start of 2018.
The comeback effort began in the third for the DEWDs with another Tejeda RBI single and Brendon Davis adding one of his own to make the score 7-4.
The fourth inning featured fireworks as LeDarious Clark connected on a two-run homer to cut the deficit to just one. Tejeda followed and subsequently connected for his 19th homer of the year to tie the game.
Carolina added an unearned run in the bottom of the frame off Kaleb Fontenot to take the lead back. Fontenot went 3.2 innings with four strikeouts in his extended effort from the bullpen. Down East tied the game in the sixth with Tejeda scoring from second on an Andretty Cordero RBI single to left.
Christian Torres tossed two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh frames and kept things tied at eight. Down East jumped ahead again in the eighth when Tejeda scored on a throwing error by catcher Robbie Rojas on a stolen base by Leblanc.
The lead was not meant to be. Torres returned for the eighth and allowed a single and a go-ahead two-run homer by Demi Orimoloye to set the final at 10-9.
The head-to-head series comes to a close on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Five County Stadium. Thursday will also count for the season series as both teams have 11 wins against each other in 2018.
