Bullpen Shines But Mudcats Fall
Published on May 2, 2014 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Carolina Mudcats News Release
Zebulon, N.C. - The Carolina Mudcats' bullpen carried the team through eight innings on Friday night, but an early deficit to the Wilmington Blue Rocks proved too much in a 3-1 loss at Five County Stadium. The Blue Rocks (11-14) snapped a four-game losing skid to the Mudcats (13-11) in Zebulon.
Cole Sulser (0-3) had his start cut short after using 39 pitches to get through the first inning. The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits. Rob Nixon, Jacob Lee, Carlos Melo and Grant Sides combined to pitch the final eight innings and limited the Blue Rocks to one run. Nixon hurled four innings for his longest outing since July 19, 2012.
Wilmington's starter Jonathan Dziedzic left the game with a 3-1 lead, but only pitched 4.2 innings. He struck out seven and allowed one run on five hits. Glenn Sparkman (1-0) was awarded the win in relief, tossing 2.1 frames. He fanned five hitters. Mark Peterson pitched the final two frames for his fifth save.
The Blue Rocks scored twice in the first inning thanks to a double by Zane Evans and a run-producing single by Johermyn Chavez.
Ollie Linton drove in the only run for the Mudcats with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center in the third. The Mudcats had a chance to grab the lead, but the left three on base. The team failed to put a runner in scoring position over the final six innings.
Wilmington added the final run in the fifth on a single by Bubba Starling.
In all, the Mudcats struck out a season-high 14 times, finishing five shy of the record set on August 5, 2013 against the Potomac Nationals.
The Mudcats celebrate "Christmas in May" as they continue their series against the Blue Rocks Saturday evening. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Five County Stadium. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (919) 269-2287 or by logging on to carolinamudcats.com.
Carolina League Stories from May 2, 2014
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- Spectacular Pitching Highlights Wire-To-Wire Win - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Six-Game Home Winning Streak Snapped - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Early Lead Not Enough for Dash against Potomac - Winston-Salem Dash
- Five Runs in Second Inning Pushes Keys to 6-4 Win - Frederick Keys
- Bullpen Shines But Mudcats Fall - Carolina Mudcats
- Skinner and Carroll's Homers Power Hillcats to 7-2 Win - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Pelicans Notes - 7:05 vs. Frederick - May 2, 2014 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Frederick Keys Game Notes - Frederick Keys
- National Spelling Bee Competitor at Pfitzner Stadium Tuesday - Potomac Nationals
- Blue Rocks Game Notes - May 2, 2014 - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Lynchburg Hillcats Game Notes - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Lynchburg Hillcats Announce Transactions - Lynchburg Hillcats
- Salem Red Sox Game Notes - Salem RidgeYaks
- Winston-Salem Dash Game Notes (May 2 vs. Potomac) - Winston-Salem Dash
- Rocks Open Road Trip with Loss in Carolina - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Seven-Run Seventh Lifts Myrtle Beach Over Keys - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
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.
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