The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (37-38, 5-5) visited City Stadium on Tuesday night to begin a 12-game road trip starting with the Hill City Howlers (33-43, 2-8). Ryan Forcucci was on the mound for Fayetteville against Nelson Keljo of Hill City.
In the bottom of the first inning, Forcucci loaded the bases with two outs when Jose Pirela hit a two-run RBI double to left field, scoring Jonathan Martinez and Cannon Peebles for a 2-0 lead. A groundout by Gabriel Rodriguez ended the inning.
With one out, Ryan Forcucci was replaced by Jose Varela. Forcucci went 1.1 innings, allowing a hit, two runs, and three walks, throwing 34 pitches, of which 15 were strikes. In the bottom of the third inning, Hill City had runners on second and third base when Varela threw a wild pitch, scoring Jonathan Martinez for a 3-0 lead. With two outs, Varela struck out Jose Pirela to end the inning. Varela went 1.2 innings, allowing a run, two walks, and five strikeouts, throwing 32 pitches, of which 16 were strikes.
Juan Fraide was the new pitcher for Fayetteville in the bottom of the fourth inning. With runners on the corners, Hill City second baseman Jonathan Martinez hit a two-run RBI single to right field, scoring Gabriel Rodriguez and Dauri Fernandez for a 5-0 lead. With two outs, a flyout by Juneiker Caceres ended the inning.
At the top of the eighth inning, Fayetteville had a runner on first base when Kevin Alvarez hit an RBI double to left field, scoring Xavier Neyens. The Woodpeckers trailed the Howlers 5-1. With two outs, Josh Wakefield struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
Juan Fraide went five innings, allowing three hits, two runs, one walk, and seven strikeouts, throwing 73 pitches, of which 49 were strikes.
At the top of the ninth inning, Fayetteville had the bases loaded with two outs when Kevin Alvarez cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field, scoring German Ramirez, Anthony Huezo, and Xavier Neyens to cut the deficit to 5-4. Arturo Flores struck out swinging, and the game was over.
Fayetteville lost to the Howlers 5-4. It is their third straight loss. The Woodpeckers finished the night with six hits, committed one error, went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position, and left nine men on base. The loss went to Fayetteville starter Ryan Forcucci (0-3), while the win went to Hill City pitcher Javi Torres (1-1), and Evan Chrest earned his first save of the season.
The Woodpeckers and Howlers play game two on Wednesday at 6:30 pm on the MLB App. Fayetteville have yet to name a starter, while Joey Oakie (0-6, 6.75 ERA) will be on the mound for Hill City.
