Loftin Ties Stolen Base Record as Woodpeckers' Offense Explodes in Win Over 'Cats

July 22, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release

Lynchburg, VA - History was equaled Saturday night at Bank of the James Stadium as Fayetteville Woodpeckers center fielder Jackson Loftin stole three bases, tying Myles Straw's single-season franchise record with his 36th of the year. Loftin also had a pair of hits and two runs driven in, assisting in the Woodpeckers' (39-49, 9-13) 11-7 victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats (42-45, 11-11).

Loftin swiped his first base after leading off the ballgame with a single to left off Hillcats starter Abel Brito (L, 0-1). Luis Baez and Tyler Whitaker both drew walks before Luis Encarnacion grounded out to score Loftin and open the scoring. John Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly and Dauri Lorenzo singled home Whitaker to give Fayetteville a 3-0 lead before Amilcar Chirinos took the mound, who surrendered one run in the bottom half.

The Woodpeckers' offense did not let up in the second, adding six more runs. Loftin walked to put runners at the corners before he stole second base, allowing Leosdany Molina to dash home. That steal tied Loftin for second with Logan Cerny for about thirty seconds before the former was in motion again, swiping third and pulling even with Straw for the record. He came home on a Baez single to make it 5-1 and Garcia and Lorenzo both added two-run doubles to swell the lead to eight for the visitors.

Lynchburg put a small dent in the gap with a pair of third inning runs. In the fifth inning, Loftin decided to add to the lead with his bat this time, driving a liner off the wall in center field to bring in Sandro Gaston and Garrett McGowan to bring the score to 11-3.

The Hillcats did not go away quietly, however. A four-run bottom of the eighth inning against Fayetteville reliever Carlos Espinosa put the ballgame into a save situation for Jeremy Molero (SV, 4). Molero got the final out of the eighth but ran into trouble of his own in the ninth as Lynchburg loaded the bases with one out, bringing the tying run to the plate. With the pressure on, the right-hander locked in and struck out both Wuilfredo Antunez and Angel Genao to end both the game and the Woodpeckers' three-game losing streak.

Fayetteville now heads into the series finale with a chance to salvage a series split Sunday afternoon before beginning a 12-game homestand on Tuesday. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 2:00 ET.

Fayetteville Woodpeckers' Jackson Loftin in action

Carolina League Stories from July 22, 2023

• Loftin Ties Stolen Base Record as Woodpeckers' Offense Explodes in Win Over 'Cats - Fayetteville Woodpeckers
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