Whitaker Homers in Return as Woodpeckers Fight off Kannapolis Comeback in Victory
July 3, 2023 - Carolina League (CarL)
Fayetteville Woodpeckers News Release
Fayetteville Woodpeckers' Tyler Whitaker at bat
(Fayetteville Woodpeckers)
Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (34-41, 4-5 2nd Half) broke open a huge seven-run lead over the first two innings of Monday's game but still had to edge out an 8-7 victory over the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (40-34, 5-4 2nd Half) to grab a series split at Segra Stadium.
The lineup immediately found an edge against Kannapolis starter Tanner McDougal (L, 0-2). Zach Cole led off the first inning with a single, Luis Encarnacion walked, and Tyler Whitaker in his return from the injured list connected for an RBI single to left for a 1-0 lead. Dauri Lorenzo followed two hitters later with a grounder to first base that scored Encarnacion for the 2-0 advantage.
The big barrage came in the second with Jackson Loftin, Sandro Gaston and Roilan Machandy loading the bases with no outs on two singles and a hit-by-pitch. Cole was also hit by a pitch and Encarnacion turned it to a 4-0 lead with a sacrifice fly. That set the stage for Whitaker to club a deep three-run home run onto the left field berm for the giant 7-0 cushion. In his first Carolina League game since May 13th, Whitaker, the Las Vegas native and 3rd round pick from 2021 finished 2-for-5 with 4 RBI.
Trey Dombroski (W, 3-6) cruised with the early run support and went hitless over his first four innings on the hill. The lefty issued a one-out walk in the fifth before eventually allowing his first hit, a two-run homer to Drake Logan that cut the game to 7-2.
Cole provided an all-important insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, hustling out an RBI triple on a line drive down the right field line that drove in Machandy for the 8-3 lead.
With Manuel Urias (SV, 2) in the game, Kannapolis went on to score four unanswered runs on a two-run home run from Brooks Baldwin in the eighth and another two-run shot from Logan in the ninth, his second of the game.
A bizarre sequence resulted in the final two outs in the top of the ninth. With Bryce Willits at first base representing the tying run with one out, Christopher DeGuzman took a pitch that he believed to be ball four. The pitch was actually ball three and he began to walk up the first base line, which caused Willits to start running to second base. Encarnacion the catcher threw down to second base and Willits was tagged for the second out. DeGuzman returned to the plate facing a 3-2 count and flied out to right field ending the game.
Next up the Woodpeckers will head to Zebulon, NC for a six-game series against the Carolina Mudcats (Single-A Brewers) beginning on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Starting pitchers are TBA.
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 Fayetteville Woodpeckers' Tyler Whitaker at bat |
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