Mudcats lose late lead in rain-shortened loss
Posted August 15, 2021 5:24 p.m. EDT
Kinston, N.C. — Felix Valerio went 3-for-4 while recording his 27th multi-hit game of the season, and Christian Tripp allowed just one unearned run and one hit in his first career start, but the Wood Ducks rallied for two runs in the sixth while defeating the Mudcats 3-2 in a rain-shortened, seven-inning, game on Sunday afternoon at Grainger Stadium.
Carolina (53-37) originally led 1-0 after getting a run scoring single from Wes Clarke in the first. That early lead, however, did not las long as the Wood Ducks (51-38) answered right back with a run of their own when Keyber Rodriguez brought in the tying run with a sacrifice fly in the last of the first. It stayed tied at 1-1 until the fourth when Andre Nnebe drove in Clarke from second with a go-ahead RBI single.
Nnebe, however, was also involved in Down East’s two-run sixth as his catching error on a sacrifice fly from Rodriguez ended up allowing two runs to score. Nnebe’s error allowed the Wood Ducks to take a 3-2 lead and a storm would wash away any chance for Carolina to score again as the game was called after the top of the seventh due to rain.
Rodriguez ended up going 0-for-1 in the game, but drove in two runs for the Wood Ducks. Down East totaled just four hits in the game, and neither of those four directly forced in runs.
Tripp started for the Mudcats and managed to hold the Wood Ducks to just one run and one hit over four innings pitched. The start was Tripp’s first of his career and came in his 42nd appearance in affiliated baseball. Tripp also walked two and struck out two.
Both Peyton Long and Keegan McCarville followed Tripp’s solid start and both did so after being activated from the injured list before the game. Long tossed a scoreless fifth, but McCarville (1-1, 6.75) allowed two runs and three hits in the sixth while taking the loss.
Teodoro Ortega earned the win after working around three walks and holding Carolina scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. Mason Cole earned the save despite walking two in a scoreless seventh.
The loss clinched a series win (4-2) for the Wood Ducks and shortened Carolina’s lead in the Low-A East Central standings to just 1.5 games ahead of the Wood Ducks.
