The Fayetteville Woodpeckers (56-52, 24-19) took on the Fredericksburg Nationals (68-42, 22-22) in game three on Thursday night at Segra Stadium. Ryan Verdugo was on the mound for Fayetteville against Alexander Meckley of Fredericksburg.
In the bottom of the first inning, Fayetteville had runners on second and third base with one out when Waner Luciano hit a two-run RBI double to right-center field, scoring Kam Durnin and Logan Hughes to put the Woodpeckers up 2-0. With two outs, Carlos Cauro lined out to right field, and the inning was over.
In the bottom of the second inning, Fayetteville had a runner on second base with one out when German Ramirez hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Jadyn Fielder for a 3-0 lead. Ramirez ran to second base. A wild pitch by Alexander Meckley allowed Ramirez to advance to third base. Aaron Piasecki hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Ramirez for a 4-0 lead. With two outs, Kam Durnin struck out swinging.
Moving to the top of the sixth inning, Fredericksburg had runners on second and third base when Avery Ortiz hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Dashyll Tejeda. It was now 4-1. Then, Verdugo made a throwing error in a pickoff attempt at first base, scoring Manuel Cabrera. It was now 4-2.
Verdugo would get a groundout from Jordan Williams for the first out before he was replaced by Carson Estridge. A sacrifice fly by Gavin Fien brought home Avery Ortiz. It was now 4-3. Ryan Verdugo went 5.1 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, and six strikeouts, throwing 82 pitches, of which 52 were strikes. Estridge struck out Hunter Hines for the final out of the inning. He threw 11 pitches, of which six were strikes.
Moving to the bottom of the sixth inning, Fayetteville had the bases loaded when German Ramirez worked a four-pitch walk. Carlos Cauro scored for a 5-3 lead. Ryan Minckler threw two wild pitches, scoring Ben Tryon and Jadyn Fielder for a 7-3 lead. With two outs, a groundout by Logan Hughes ended the inning.
Brady Thomas pitched for Fayetteville at the top of the seventh inning. He allowed a hit, two walks, and three strikeouts, throwing 24 pitches, of which 14 were strikes. Brandon Cassedy pitched for Fayetteville at the top of the eighth inning. With two outs, Hunter Hines hit a home run to right-center field. It was now 7-4. For Hines, it was his 11th home run of the season. Juan Cruz popped out to first baseman Ben Tryon in foul territory to end the inning.
Brandon Cassedy continued to pitch at the top of the ninth inning. He went two innings, allowing a hit, a run, a walk, and one strikeout, throwing 49 pitches, of which 31 were strikes, to get the final six outs. The Woodpeckers held on to beat the Nationals 7-4 for their third straight win.
Fayetteville finished the night with eight hits, committed one error, went 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position, and left eight men on base. The win went to Fayetteville starter Ryan Verdugo (6-4), and the loss went to Fredericksburg starter Alexander Meckley (4-4).
The Woodpeckers and Nationals play game four on Friday at 7:05 pm on the MLB App and Bally Sports Live. Jagger Beck (4-3, 2.97 ERA) will be on the mound for Fayetteville, while Fredericksburg will name a starter later.
