CarL1 Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Bats Silenced as Salem Takes Rubber Match

Published on June 26, 2019 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release


The Fayetteville Woodpeckers dropped their rubber match with the Salem Red Sox on Wednesday, as Salem broke a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning with three runs off Chad Donato, and eventually winning 4-2. While Luis Garcia tossed five innings of one-hit ball, the Woodpeckers offense was never able to give him proper support, only scoring one run before the ninth inning, stranding ten runners on base, and seven runners in scoring position.

The night started quickly for Salem against Luis Garcia. The first two batters for the Red Sox reached safely, with Keith Curcio reaching on catcher's interference, and Victor Acosta singling to push Corcia to third base. Following the single, Garcia locked in to stay nearly perfect for the rest of his night. While Garcia allowed a sacrifice fly in the frame for Salem to take the lead, the righty for Fayetteville went on to face the minimum for fifteen outs to finish his outing. Working a tandem on the mound, Chad Donato took over to finish the game for Fayetteville, but was hit hard after a scoreless sixth inning. Donato (L, 3-8) allowed a trio of singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly while committing an error himself to give the lead back to Salem, as the Red Sox scored three runs in the frame.

Jhonathan Diaz was strong when it counted to start for Salem. While the right-hander loaded the bases in the first inning, he was still able to escape the frame without allowing a hit or a run. Fayetteville only managed three more baserunners over the following four frames, including a pair of runners in the fourth inning, but still failed to bring any across to tie the early lead from Salem. Fayetteville finally pushed through in the sixth inning, after Michael Papierski led off the frame with a double to left field, later scoring on a single by Scott Schreiber. The run for Fayetteville knocked Diaz out of the game, and the Woodpeckers again fell quiet against reliever Hunter Smith. Smith (W, 1-4) tossed 2 2/3 scoreless frames to maintain the tie before Salem retook the lead. Right-hander Andrew Schwaab took the mound for the ninth inning, but he did get hit for a run after a couple of strikeouts. A two-out walk for Marty Costes kept the game alive for Fayetteville, and Chandler Taylor laced a double to left field to score Costes before Schwaab (S, 3) closed the game for Salem.

As Fayetteville drops the rubber match on Wednesday, they've fallen in their only two rubber matches in 2019. Still finishing with a 5-2 record on the road trip to open the second half, Fayetteville maintains a one-game lead over the Down East Wood Ducks heading into Thursday. Fayetteville will return to action on Thursday when they open a seven-game homestand with the first-of-four against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Brett Conine will get the start in the series opener for Fayetteville, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:00PM at Segra Stadium.

The Fayetteville Woodpeckers are the Advanced Single-A affiliate of the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros and play in their Inaugural Season at beautiful Segra Stadium in downtown Fayetteville. Segra Stadium, a $40 million state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, features space for over 5,200 fans, natural grass, a 25x70 LED video scoreboard, six luxury suites, four field boxes, the premium AEVEX Veterans Club level, Healy's Bar and outdoor party deck, a kid's zone, and more. With a rich history of baseball in the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, the Woodpeckers are thrilled to write a new chapter with their inaugural campaign on Hay Street. Fans are encouraged to visit FayettevilleWoodpeckers.com to purchase tickets, learn more about the team, and find out about upcoming events and promotions at the ballpark. Fans may also reach the Woodpeckers by visiting the BB&T Box Office in front of Segra Stadium, calling (910) 339-1989, or emailing Woodpeckers@Astros.com.

Check out the Fayetteville Woodpeckers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Carolina League Stories from June 26, 2019


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.

OurSports Central