The Charleston RiverDogs fell to the Carolina Mudcats 6-3 on Sunday evening at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, bringing a disappointing end to a once-promising series for the home team. Carolina left town with a split of the six-game set despite dropping the first three. The RiverDogs suffered their first home loss on a Sunday in front of 5,416 fans.
Chris Villaman had allowed one run all season entering Sunday’s contest, but Carolina (35-20) doubled that total early in the game. Filippo Di Turi and Yophery Rodriguez opened the game with back-to-back doubles to give the Mudcats a quick 1-0 advantage. Two batters later, Yhoswar Garcia snuck a groundball inside of third base for another RBI double and a 2-0 lead.
The RiverDogs (24-32) answered back almost immediately in the bottom half. Narciso Polanco lined a base hit into right field and quickly stole second base. Adrian Santana drove him in with a line drive double to right. Santana moved to third on a wild pitch from Adam Timmerman and raced home on Enzo Paulino’s bouncer to the right side, evening the score at 2-2.
The Mudcats pounced on reliever Cesar De Jesus breaking open the tie game in the top of the sixth. Di Turi opened that inning with a single to right and scored shortly thereafter on a booming triple to the right field wall by Rodriguez. Cooper Pratt followed with an RBI single that pushed the margin to 4-2. A double steal with men on the corners added one more run before the inning ended. Yophery Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh advanced the lead to 6-2.
The RiverDogs faced that deficit entering the ninth but weren’t about to go quietly. Jeison Pena hit Woo Shin to start the inning, giving the home team a spark. The right-hander walked Raudelis Martinez, struck out Ricardo Gonzalez and allowed an infield hit to Odalys Peguero as the bases became loaded with one out. Pena walked Elis Barreat to force in a run and put the tying run on base. Carolina called on Cristofher Carrasco to get out of the jam and he succeeded by retiring the next two hitters.
Villaman ended up working 5.0 strong innings, allowing only the two runs on four hits. De Jesus took the loss, surrendering three runs on four hits in his lone inning on the hill. Chavez was charged with one run in his inning of work. Finally, Gerlin Rosario was perfect for 2.0 innings out of the pen to close the game.
The Mudcats received four hits combined from their top two batters in the lineup, Di Turi and Rodriguez. The latter finished with a double, triple and three RBI. The RiverDogs had six hits, one each from six different players.
Ballpark Fun
The RiverDogs suited up as Los Perros Santos de Charleston for the second Sunday in a row. This time, the game served as a tribute to Latin food. Hot dogs created by players from Venezuela and the Dominican Republic were served in concession stands during the game.
Following an off day on Monday, the RiverDogs will head to Kinston, NC to meet the Down East Wood Ducks in the final full series of the first half. RHP Chandler Murphy (1-0, 1.11) will work in the opener for the RiverDogs. First pitch at Grainger Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The RiverDogs continue their hunt for a fourth-consecutive Carolina League championship in 2024. The full schedule of games is available here.
Carolina 6, Charleston 3
June 9, 2024
Click here for the box score
Carolina (R-H-E): 6-9-0
Charleston (R-H-E): 3-6-0
Win: Timmerman (3-0)
Loss: De Jesus (0-1)
Save: Carrasco (2)
HR: Carolina: None
HR: Charleston: None
