The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (41-39, 9-6) concluded the six-game series against the Hill City Howlers (34-47, 3-12) on Sunday evening at City Stadium. Aubrey Smith was on the mound for Fayetteville against Miguel Flores of Hill City.
At the top of the first inning, Fayetteville had a runner on second base when Kevin Alvarez hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Josh Wakefield to put the Woodpeckers up 1-0. With two outs, Carlos Cauro popped out to shortstop Gabriel Rodriguez for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning, Hill City had runners on the corners when Yeiferth Castillo grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, scoring Jose Pirela to tie the game 1-1. A lineout by Luis De La Cruz to Fayetteville pitcher Aubrey Smith ended the inning.
Moving to the top of the fifth inning, Fayetteville had runners on the corners when German Ramirez popped out in foul territory, which was caught by first baseman Reiner Herrera. They tried to get Kenni Gomez out at first base, but he was safe while Hector Salas scored for a 2-1 lead. Fayetteville left fielder Josh Wakefield gave the Woodpeckers breathing room when he hit a two-run home run to right field for a 4-1 lead. It was his fourth home run of the season.
Later, Fayetteville designated hitter Xavier Neyens hit a double and later went to third base on a flyout by Kevin Alvarez. Waner Luciano hit an RBI double to left field, scoring Neyens for a 5-1 lead. With two outs, a flyout by Carlos Cauro ended the inning.
Fayetteville starter Aubry Smith went five innings, allowing a run, five walks, and one strikeout, throwing 82 pitches, of which 44 were strikes. Grayson Saunier pitched for Fayetteville in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hill City had a runner on third base when Juneiker Caceres hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Dauri Fernandez, and it was now 5-2.
Later, Hill City had the bases loaded when Yeiferth Castillo grounded out to shortstop, scoring Juneiker Caceres. It was now 5-3. With the bases loaded again, Reiner Herrera hit an RBI single to right field, scoring Cannon Peebles, and it was now 5-4. With two outs, Gabriel Rodriguez grounded out to second base to end the inning. Saunier allowed three hits, three runs, three walks, and one strikeout, throwing 33 pitches, of which 17 were strikes.
At the top of the seventh inning with one out, Fayetteville third baseman Waner Luciano hit a solo home run to left field that made it 6-4. It was his fifth home run of the season. With two outs, a flyout by Hector Salas ended the inning.
Ryan Mathiesen pitched for Fayetteville in the bottom of the seventh inning. After walking the first two batters, Mathiesen gave up an RBI single to Jose Pirela that went to center field, scoring Dauri Fernandez, and it was now 6-5.
With the bases loaded, Yeiferth Castillo hit a two-run RBI single to left field, scoring Juneiker Caceres and Jose Pirela to give the Howlers a 7-6 lead. With two outs, a wild pitch by Mathiesen brought home Cannon Peebles for an 8-6 lead. A groundout by Reiner Herrera ended the inning.
At the top of the eighth inning, Fayetteville had runners on first and second base when Josh Wakefield hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Kenni Gomez. The Woodpeckers trailed the Howlers 8-7. Fayetteville would get the bases loaded when Carlos Cauro worked a four-pitch walk, scoring German Ramirez, and the game was tied 8-8. Arturo Flores worked a four-pitch walk, scoring Josh Wakefield to give the Woodpeckers a 9-8 lead. A wild pitch by Hill City pitcher Ettore Giulianelli scored Waner Luciano for a 10-8 lead. The Woodpeckers had the bases loaded with two outs when Kenni Gomez struck out swinging, and the inning was over.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Hill City had a runner on third base with two outs when Juneiker Caceres hit an RBI single to center field, scoring Jhorvic Abreus, and it was now 10-9. Jose Pirela popped out to first baseman Arturo Flores for the final out of the inning. Mathiesen allowed three hits, five runs, and four walks, throwing 41 pitches, of which 18 were strikes.
Brandon Cassedy pitched for Fayetteville in the bottom of the ninth inning. Cassedy threw 11 pitches, of which seven were strikes, to get the final three outs of the game. The Woodpeckers defeated the Howlers 10-9 to win the series.
Fayetteville finished the afternoon with 11 hits, went 3 for 19 with runners in scoring position, and left 11 men on base. Waner Luciano went 2 for 3 with two walks, a home run, a double, a stolen base, and two RBIs, while Josh Wakefield went 3 for 5 with a home run, a double, a walk, and three RBIs. The win went to Fayetteville pitcher Ryan Mathiesen (7-0), while Brandon Cassedy earned his second save of the season, and the loss went to Hill City pitcher Javi Torres (1-2).
The Woodpeckers continue their road trip when they head to Wilson Ballpark against the Wilson Warbirds starting on Tuesday at 6:05 pm on the MLB App.
