SL1 Carolina Mudcats

Mudcats Split Double-Header

Published on June 18, 2009 under Southern League (SL1)
Carolina Mudcats News Release


Sevierville, TN --- A four-RBI game from Juan Francisco helped usher the Carolina Mudcats to a doubleheader split of Tennessee during an eight-hour afternoon at Smokies Park on Thursday.

With the split, first place Huntsville's magic number shrunk to four. Carolina trails the Stars by one-half game with three to play. Huntsville was defeated by Birmingham 5-4 on Thursday night.

The doubleheader, resulting from Wednesday's rainout, began at noon, with the Mudcats grabbing a 4-1 and 5-2 lead, but the Smokies continued to chip away, scoring single runs in five straight innings to force a tie by the sixth inning. Zack Cozart homered twice, once with a man on in the second, and later a solo homer in the fouth. However, the Smokies (29-38) hit four home runs in the game, including a game-tying home run by Darwin Barney leading off the eighth against Ramon Geronimo, who entered with a 6-5 lead in extra innings.

The game continued tied into the 10th, when with one out, major rains swept through the region, with the downpour forcing a 2-hour, 14-minute rain delay before the opener was resumed. With the contest tied 6-6 in the 12th, Phillippe Valiquette (L, 1-1) surrendered the game-winning home run to Tyler Colvin, his second of the game as the Smokies defeated Carolina 7-6.

In the nightcap, Francisco drove in two tie-breaking runs in the fifth with a bases-loaded single, then added an opposite-field homer in the seventh to complete a four-RBI game as the Mudcats defeated Tennessee 6-3. Travis Wood (W, 7-3) earned his seventh straight win, working five innings on eight hits. Sean Watson (S, 4) worked the final two innings for his fourth save.

Tom Cochran (1-0, 1.72) starts against Hung Wen-Chen (3-5, 6.19) Friday night at 7:15 PM ET.

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Southern League Stories from June 18, 2009


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