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Miscues Cost Mudcats in 3-2 Walk-Off Loss to Red Sox

August 30, 2019 - Carolina League (CarL) - Carolina Mudcats News Release

SALEM, VA - Pat McInerney launched a two-run home run to right in the first and starter Aaron Ashby struck out four over four one hit innings, but the Red Sox rallied back to tie the game with help of an error in the eighth before winning it 3-2 on a squeeze bunt in the ninth on Friday night at Haley Toyota Field in Salem, VA.

Carolina (26-41, 65-71) led 2-0 following McInerney's homer in the first and remained up by that same score until the sixth when the Red Sox (39-28, 64-70) managed to score a run off reliever Christian Taugner. They then tied it in the eighth after getting a run in from second on a dropped pop up to third with two outs in the inning. That run tied the game at 2-2 and came just one inning before Grant Williams won the game with a squeeze bunt to first that scored Victor Acosta from third.

Acosta started the ninth with a single before moving to second on a misplayed force (dropped catch by second baseman Trever Morrison) and then to third after tagging on a fly out to deep center. Acosta went 1-for-4 with the winning run in the game for the Red Sox.

Reliever Chad Whitmer ended up taking the loss for Carolina after allowing three hits, including the walk-off bunt, over just a 1/3 of an inning. Whitmer (L, 0-1, 4.50) pitched the ninth and ended up facing four in the final frame.

Taugner preceded Whitmer out of the Carolina pen and was the middle man of three pitchers for the Mudcats in the series opening loss. Taugner allowed a couple of runs (one earned) on four hits, but also walked one and struck out three over four innings in relief.

Ashby, in what was his final start of the season, turned in a solid performance after he pitched through four scoreless with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts. His lone hit came in the fourth and he also worked around a walk while reaching 50 pitches (33 strikes) in his final outing of the season.

Devlin Granberg doubled twice, including a RBI double in the sixth, and went 2-for-4 with a RBI in the game. Garrett Benge went 2-for-4 with a run out of the leadoff spot for Salem and Tanner Nishioka was 1-for-4 with a double.

McInerney led the way for the Mudcats while going 1-for-3 with his go-ahead homer in the first off starter A.J. Politi. The home was McInerney's tenth of the season and accounted for the only two runs allowed by Politi in the game.

Leugim Castillo, meanwhile, went 2-for-4 in the game with two singles. His second hit nearly scored Eddie Silva from second in the sixth, but Silva was then thrown out at home on a relay in from right to end the inning. Silva was also charged with the missed catch error that scored the tying run from second in the eighth.

Politi pitched into the fifth in his start for the Red Sox and totaled seven strikeouts, three walks and two runs on three hits. Dylan Thompson followed Politi and ended up with the victory after holding the Mudcats scoreless over four and 2/3 innings. Thompson (W, 6-8, 5.34) also struck out four and scattered four hits while facing 15 batters over the final half of the game.

The loss was Carolina's second straight and came in the opener of a four-game series versus the Red Sox. The loss also came in the first game of Carolina's final series of the season. The series will continue on Saturday night at 6:05 p.m. at Haley Toyota Field in Salem, VA.

The game will air on the Mudcats Radio Network, The Big Dawg 98.5 FM and online at carolinamudcats.com via TuneIn Radio. It will also stream in high-definition video on MiLB.tv via paid subscription.

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