May 26th, 2024
Zebulon, NC- The Carolina Mudcats (26-17) played host to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (19-25) in a Sunday afternoon contest. The Mudcats entered the day tied for first place with the Fredericksburg Nationals (27-18). The starting pitcher for the Mudcats was Josh Timmerman (2-0) who had a 4.24 ERA in 23.1 inning pitched entering Sunday’s contest. The starting pitcher for the Pelicans was Alfredo Romero (0-5) who had a 8.72 ERA in 21.2 inning pitched entering Sunday’s contest.
The Mudcats got on the board in the bottom of the second when Juan Baez hit a line drive home run to right field which gave the Mudcats a 1-0 lead. The Mudcats continued scoring as David Garcia scored on an infield single to 3rd base by Yhoswar Garcia which increased the lead to 2-0. Yhoswar Garcia then stole 2 bases which set up a Reece Walling fielders choice which increased the lead to 3-0. The Mudcats left the bases loaded after a strike out and fly ball to center field.
The Mudcats continued to score in the bottom of the 4th with a Cooper Pratt single to left center field that scored Miguel Briceno which made it 4-0. The Pelicans scored first in the top of the fifth with a pair of walks, and a pair of singles which including a Frank Hernandez single to center which made the score 4-2. The Mudcats responded in the bottom half with a no doubt solo home run to right field by Luis Castillo which extended the Mudcats lead to 5-2.
Myrtle Beach took the lead in the top of the 7th with 6 runs. The scoring started with a Frank Hernandez single to center which cut the lead to 5-3. Myrtle Beach struck again with a wild pitch that scored Alfonsin Rosario which made it 5-4. Frank Hernandez was scored on a hit by pitch which tied the game at 5-5. Fabian Pertuz was scored on a on a wild pitch which gave the Pelicans a 6-5 lead. A Christian Olivo bloop single to right scored Christopher Paciolla which made the lead 7-5. A wild pitch scored Ishmael Mena which expanded the lead to 8-5.
The Mudcats cut into the deficit in the bottom of the 8th when Miguel Briceno scored on a wild pitch to cut the deficit to 8-6. The Mudcats rally fell short as a no doubt solo home run by Luis Castillo would be all the Mudcats got in the bottom of the ninth. The Mudcats dropped the series finale by a final score of 8-7.
The winning pitcher for Myrtle Beach was Vince Rielly who gets the win for his 2 innings of 1 run ball. The losing pitcher for the Mudcats was Jesus Rivero who gets the loss for his 2 innings where he allowed 4 runs on 3 hits. The save went to Shane Marshall for his 2 innings of 1 run ball. The Mudcats maintain their position in the standings. The Mudcats play again at Five County Stadium against the Delmarva Shorebirds at 6:30pm on Tuesday.