The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (1-7) played game five from Segra Stadium on Saturday night against the Charleston RiverDogs (5-3). Ethan Pecko was on the mound for Fayetteville against Luke Jackson of Charleston.
At the top of the first inning, Charleston right fielder Brendan Summerhill hit a solo home run to center field on the third pitch of the game to put the RiverDogs up 1-0. It was Summerhill’s second home run of the season.
In the bottom of the first inning, Fayetteville center fielder Kevin Alvarez hit a double to center field and moved to third base on a groundout by Xavier Neyens. Second baseman Nick Monistere hit a sacrifice fly to left field deep enough to bring home Alvarez, and the game was tied 1-1. A flyout by Anthony Huezo ended the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning with two outs, Fayetteville first baseman Camilo Diaz hit a solo home run to right field to give the Woodpeckers a 2-1 lead. It was Diaz’s first home run of the season. A groundout by Keduar Trujillo ended the inning.
Fayetteville starter Ethan Pecko pitched three innings, allowing two hits, one run, and three strikeouts, throwing 37 pitches, of which 27 were strikes. Jesus Carrera was the new pitcher for Fayetteville at the top of the fourth inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs, Fayetteville third baseman Xavier Neyen hit a solo home run to right field. The Woodpeckers extended their lead to 3-1. It was Neyens’s first home run of the season. Two batters later, Anthony Huezo struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
At the top of the sixth inning, Charleston had runners on first and second base when shortstop Daniel Pierce hit a three-run home run to left field. The RiverDogs took a 4-3 lead, and it was Pierce’s third home run of the season.
After hitting Dean Moss, Fayetteville replaced Jesus Carrera with Curtis Hebert. Carrera pitched 2.2 innings, allowing one hit, three runs, three walks, and two strikeouts, throwing 60 pitches, of which 31 were strikes. With two outs, Hebert walked Brailer Guerrero, before striking out James Quinn-Irons, and the side was retired.
Moving to the top of the seventh inning, Charleston had a runner on second base when Brendan Summerhill hit an RBI single to left field and ran to second base. Derek Datil scored, and the RiverDogs extended their lead to 5-3.
After a wild pitch allowed Summerhill to go to third base, Charleston catcher Caden Bodine hit an RBI triple to right field. Summerhill scored for a 6-3 lead. Curtis Hebert faced three more batters before being replaced by Jose Varela. Hebert went one inning, allowing three hits, two runs, and one strikeout, throwing 34 pitches, of which 18 were strikes.
With two outs, Brody Donay was caught trying to reach home plate, and the inning was over. Varela pitched 2.1 innings with three strikeouts, throwing 33 pitches, of which 22 were strikes. The Woodpeckers were unable to make a comeback and lost to the RiverDogs by the final score of 6-3. The Woodpeckers have now lost six straight games.
Fayetteville finished the night with eight hits, committed two errors, went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position, and left seven men on base. The loss went to Fayetteville pitcher Jesus Carrera, while the win went to Charleston pitcher Trey Pooser, and Jacob Hartlaub earned the save.
The Woodpeckers and RiverDogs conclude the six-game series on Sunday at 5:05 pm on the MLB App. Aubrey Smith (0-1, 6.75 ERA) will be on the mound for Fayetteville against Aidan Haugh (0-1, 12.00 ERA) of Charleston.
