The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (1-3) continued their homestand on Tuesday by opening up a six-game series against the Charleston RiverDogs (1-3) from Segra Stadium. Ryan Verdugo was on the mound for Fayetteville against Aidan Cremarosa of Charleston.
In the bottom of the first inning, Fayetteville had a runner on third base when right fielder Josh Wakefield hit a line drive two-run home run to right field for a 2-0 lead. It was Wakefield’s first home run of the season.
Moving to the top of the third inning, Charleston had runners on the corners when left fielder Dean Moss hit a ground ball RBI single to second baseman Brandon Forrester. Brenden Summerhill scored to make it a one-run game, 2-1.
Then, Charleston catcher Caden Bodine hit a line drive RBI single to center field. A throwing error by center fielder Kevin Alverez allowed Brody Donay to score, and the game was tied 2-2. Charleston would get runners on second and third base when first baseman Taitn Gray worked a four-pitch walk, but Ryan Verdugo threw a wild pitch, allowing Caden Bodine to score, and the RiverDogs took a 3-2 lead. The RiverDogs did not add any more runs in the inning.
Fayetteville starter Ryan Verdugo pitched 2.2 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, three walks, and four strikeouts, throwing 64 pitches, of which 36 were strikes. At the top of the fourth inning, Curtis Hebert was pitching for Fayetteville.
Charleston had a runner on second base when left fielder Dean Moss hit a ground ball RBI single to second baseman Brandon Forrester. A fielding error by Forrester allowed Alberth Palma to score for a 4-2 lead. A groundout by Charleston catcher Caden Bodine ended the inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, Charleston had runners on first and second base. Charleston right fielder Brailer Guerrero hit a sharp RBI ground ball to center field. Cooper Flemming scored for a 5-2. That was it for Curtis Hebert. He pitched 1.2 innings, allowing two hits, two runs, two walks, and one strikeout, throwing 50 pitches, of which 24 were strikes.
Jagger Beck was the new pitcher for Fayetteville. Charleston right fielder Brendan Summerhill hit a two-run RBI single to center field, scoring Taitn Gray and Brailer Guerrero for a 7-2 lead. Summerhill tried to reach second base, but Fayetteville got him out. A groundout by Dean Moss ended the inning. Beck pitched 2.2 innings, allowing five hits and three strikeouts, throwing 41 pitches, of which 32 were strikes.
Moving to the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs, Fayetteville first baseman Arturo Flores hit a solo home run to center field. The Woodpeckers trailed the RiverDogs 7-3. It was his first home run of the season. A strikeout by German Ramirez ended the inning.
Jhoster Baez was the new pitcher for Fayetteville at the top of the eighth inning. Baez loaded the bases when he threw a wild pitch to score Caden Bodine, which made it 8-3 Charleston. He reloaded the bases when he hit Daniel Pierce. Baez threw another wild pitch, and Cooper Flemming scored to make it 9-3. A ground out by Brailer Guerrero to bring home Taitn Gray made it 10-3. Baez would hit two more batters to load the bases again, and his night was over.
Keduar Trujillo replaced Baez. Charleston continued to pour it on when Alberth Palma hit a two-run RBI double to left field, scoring Daniel Pierce and Brendan Summerhill for a 12-3 lead. A wild pitch by Trujillo scored Brody Donay, and it was now 13-3. A flyout by Dean Moss ended the inning. Trujillo finished the night pitching 1.1 innings, allowing two hits and one walk, throwing 27 pitches, of which 12 were strikes.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Fayetteville had a runner on first base when left fielder Juan Sierra hit a two-run home run to left field. It was Sierra’s second home run of the season, and Woodpeckers trailed the RiverDogs 13-5. Two batters later, German Ramirez struck out, and the game was over. The Woodpeckers drop game one to the RiverDogs by the final score of 13-5.
Fayetteville finished the night with seven hits, committed five errors, went 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position, and left two men on base. Josh Wakefield went 2 for 4 with a single, a home run, and two RBIs. The loss went to Fayetteville starter Ryan Verdugo, and the win went to Charleston starter Aidan Cremarosa.
The Woodpeckers and RiverDogs play game two on Wednesday at 6:35 pm on the MLB App.
