Roberts Dominant in Mudcats Debut

May 4, 2012 - Carolina League (CarL) Carolina Mudcats

ZEBULON, NC - Will Roberts shook off a rough start and controlled the Frederick Keys for six innings as the Carolina Mudcats cruised 10-4 in front of 4,868 on Friday night at Five County Stadium.

Roberts (1-0), newly promoted from Lake County, held the Keys hitless over his final five innings after allowing two in the first on three two-out hits. He struck out two.

Carolina rallied quickly against Keys starter Scott Copeland (1-2). The Mudcats scored three in the second inning thanks to a pair of doubles from Carlos Moncrief and Ronny Rodriguez. Delvi Cid singled home one, and Justin Toole hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to give the Mudcats a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

Ronny Rodriguez led the Carolina offense with four hits, including two doubles and two RBI. Justin Toole drove in three runs on two hits. Jesus Aguilar extended his hitting streak to six with a fifth inning double.

The Mudcats slowly pulled away in the middle innings. Rodriguez lined his second double down the left field line to put Carolina ahead 4-2 in the third.

In the fifth, Carolina recorded four straight two-out hits to plate three. A bases-loaded walk by Holt in the seventh was followed by a two-run hit from Toole for a 10-2 lead.

Frederick scored singles runs in the eighth and ninth to round out the scoring.

Game two between Carolina and Frederick is set for 6:15 p.m. on Saturday night at Five County Stadium. The evening's festivities will feature an appearance by the Sweetright Brothers. Tickets are available through the box office by calling (919) 269-2287 or visiting carolinamudcats.com.

• Discuss this story on the Carolina League message board...
• Digg this story
• Add to Del.icio.us
Tweet

Carolina League Stories from May 4, 2012

Hague Sends Rocks to Walk-Off Sorrow - Wilmington Blue Rocks
Winston Dashes Past Salem 10-8 - Salem Red Sox
Dash Rock Red Sox - Winston-Salem Dash
Roberts Dominant in Mudcats Debut - Carolina Mudcats
Nationals Walk off on Wilmington 5-4 - Potomac Nationals
Pelicans Bats Strike Early in 7-3 Win - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Four-Run First Dooms 'Cats - Lynchburg Hillcats
Blue Rocks Game Notes - Wilmington Blue Rocks
Mudcats Game Notes - May 4 - Carolina Mudcats

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.