Knorr's Scoreless Start Leads Woodpeckers to Win in Series Conclusion
Published on April 30, 2023 under Carolina League (CarL)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release
Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitcher Michael Knorr
(Fayetteville Woodpeckers)
Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (9-11) ended a five-game losing streak on Sunday night, winning 6-2 over the Down East Wood Ducks (11-9) in the series conclusion. Michael Knorr carried the effort on the mound with six scoreless innings, while eight of nine batters in the starting lineup recorded a hit.
Fayetteville jumped on top 1-0 with a John Garcia RBI single in the bottom of the first and didn't surrender the lead for the remainder of the game. Down East starter D.J. McCarty (L, 0-1) departed the game after three innings, and Fayetteville quickly capitalized on reliever Ivan Oviedo in the fourth.
Ricardo Balogh led off with a single and was quickly driven home on a Luis Encarnacion double. Garrett McGowan made it a string of three straight hits, singling in Encarnacion for a 3-0 lead. Two batters later, Jackson Loftin drove a double to the left field wall, bringing in McGowan once the cutoff throw was booted in left field. Ryan Clifford capped the four-run inning and the 5-0 lead with a sacrifice fly.
Knorr (W, 2-0) excelled with the run support behind him, allowing five hits, all singles, and striking out five over six scoreless innings in a quality start. The third-round draft pick out of Coastal Carolina became the first Fayetteville arm to toss six scoreless innings and did so while throwing 82% of his pitches for strikes.
In the fifth, Ricardo Balogh pushed Fayetteville out to their largest lead of the entire series with a solo home run over the right field wall that made it a 6-0 game. It was the first home run hit by Balogh since September of 2021. Balogh went 2-for-4 in the game and finished the series 7-for-14 with a 2B, 3B, HR and 5 RBI.
Andrew Taylor (SV, 1) entered behind Knorr in the seventh and closed the game with three innings of work. He allowed a Yosy Galan two-run home run in the seventh but recovered with a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to earn the save.
The Woodpeckers will be off on Monday before to traveling to Salem, VA on Tuesday for the start of the six-game series against the Salem Red Sox (Single-A Boston Red Sox). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm on Tuesday night.
FULL BOX SCORE: https://www.milb.com/gameday/728008/final/box
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 Fayetteville Woodpeckers pitcher Michael Knorr |
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