April 8th, 2024
Salem, Va.- The Carolina Mudcats (3-0) visited the Salem Red Sox (0-3) for a opening weekend series at Salem Memorial Ballpark. On Friday the Carolina Mudcats began their season with a 10th inning win over the Red Sox 6-4. The pitching proved crucial in this game as the Mudcats held Salem to 3 runs in the first 9 innings. The Mudcats trailed headed into the 9th until Cooper Pratt hit a game-tying 2-out triple. The Mudcats offense came alive in the 10th scoring 3 runs to rally past Salem on Opening Day. Bayden Root was the winning pitcher with Blake Whiting getting the save in the 10th inning.
The Mudcats continued their momentum on Saturday with a 6-2 win over the Red Sox. The pitching staff did it’s job only using 3 pitchers during the game. It was a collective effort on offense with 8 out of 10 batters getting a hit. The Mudcats got 3 runs in the 3rd to get a lead they would never relinquish. The winning pitch in this game was Jesus Rivero while the starting pitcher was Ryan Birchard who pitched 4 quality innings.
On Sunday the Mudcats finished the series with a 10-7 win over Salem to complete the sweep. The Mudcats had a quick start on Sunday scoring 10 runs by the end of the 5th inning. The main piece of the Mudcats offensive surge was a 2-run home run by Kay-Lan Nicasia. The Mudcats pitching had a rough day, but they got the outs when needed to keep Salem from getting back into the game. The winning pitcher in this game was Josh Timmerman with Harrison Durow getting the save.
The Mudcats will begin their next series on Tuesday at 7 p.m. against the Down East Wood Ducks at Five County Stadium. This series will be a six game series from Tuesday-Sunday.