Hillcats Spoil Woodpeckers' Comeback Bid with Ninth Inning Walk-Off
July 20, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release
Fayetteville Woodpeckers' Luis Baez on game night
(Fayetteville Woodpeckers)
Lynchburg, VA - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (38-48, 8-12) erased a 5-0 deficit after the first inning Thursday night at Bank of the James Stadium, but an Angel Zarate walk-off RBI double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth gave the Lynchburg Hillcats (41-44, 10-10) the 7-6 victory. It was the second night in a row where the Woodpeckers rallied after falling behind early but ultimately came up just short.
Lynchburg struck for five runs in the bottom of the first inning off Fayetteville starter Jose Fleury with the big blow being Zac Fascia's three-run home run to right field. Fleury left the ballgame in favor of Bryan Perez ahead of the second, who pitched a scoreless frame and gave way to Tyler Guilfoil. Guilfoil went a near spotless four innings in relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit with eight strikeouts.
The Woodpeckers began their comeback in the top of the third inning when Luis Baez lined his sixth double in 11 at bats since joining the team, scoring both Leosdany Molina and Garrett McGowan. With the score 6-2 going into the fourth, Fayetteville loaded the bases and Molina drove in two more runs on a single the other way to cut the lead to two. McGowan drew a walk before both Ricardo Balogh and Tyler Whitaker delivered sacrifice flies to pull the Woodpeckers even at six.
Both teams were deadlocked going into the ninth inning. Hillcats reliever Yeury Gervacio (W, 3-2) set down Fayetteville in order in the top half. In the bottom half, Kasey Ford (L, 0-1) retired the first two batters he faced for the Woodpeckers before issuing a walk to Juan Benjamin. The walk came back to haunt Ford as Zarate rifled a double off the wall in right center and Benjamin crossed home plate to end the ballgame.
Fayetteville searches for redemption to begin the weekend on Friday night, sending RHP Andrew Taylor to the bump. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 PM ET.
Images from this story
 Fayetteville Woodpeckers' Luis Baez on game night |
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