By: RiverDogs Media
Fayetteville, NC – The Charleston RiverDogs guaranteed themselves a winning record with a 4-2 victory over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers on Wednesday night at Segra Stadium. The 2023 season is the fourth-consecutive year in which the RiverDogs will finish with a record above .500. The last time the franchise experienced a similar run of success was from 2003-09 when the organization enjoyed six straight winning seasons.
The RiverDogs (39-22, 66-61) jumped out of the gate early in the contest against Fayetteville's Jose Guedez. Brayden Taylor worked a four-pitch walk in the second at-bat of the contest to become the first baserunner of the game. He quickly stole second base and advanced to third on a balk by the starting pitcher. Cooper Kinney drove in his 57th run of the season with a soft bouncer to short.
The lead grew with the bottom of the lineup cashing in during the next frame. Ryan Spikes and Jhon Diaz opened the inning with back-to-back walks. Raudelis Martinez loaded the bases with a single to right field moments later. Geudez recorded his first out of the inning by striking out Bryan Broecker, but Angel Mateo rolled a sharp single up the middle to score a pair and make it 3-0.
The fifth inning featured both teams scoring a single run. Kinney continued his torrid start to the series by blasting an opposite-field solo home run in the top half. The Woodpeckers (26-36, 56-72) pushed across their first run in the bottom of the frame against Trevor Martin. Pascanel Ferreras opened the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI groundout from Juan Santander.
Fayetteville used the same formula to pull another run closer in the eighth. Brice Matthews singled through the left side to begin the attack against reliever Jack Hartman. He quickly stole second base and advanced to third when the throw from Martinez bounced into center field. Garret Guillemette brought in the runner from third with another groundout to short.
Martin earned his 10th victory of the season by allowing just one run on three hits over 5.0 solid innings. The right-hander became just the third pitcher in the Carolina League to reach that mark this season. Drew Sommers followed Martin with 2.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. Finally, Jack Hartman earned his third save of the year by allowing just an unearned run in 2.0 frames.
Kinney led the RiverDogs attack with his 10th home run of the campaign and two runs batted in. Fayetteville received a pair of hits from first-round draft pick Brice Matthews while outhitting Charleston 8-5.
The teams will meet again on Thursday night for game three. RHP Marcus Johnson (5-6, 3.89) will take his turn in the rotation for the RiverDogs with RHP Alimber Santa (3-9, 5.90) of Fayetteville opposite him. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.
Charleston 4, Fayetteville 2
Click here for the box score
Win: Martin (10-5)
Loss: Guedez (1-4)
HR: Charleston: Cooper Kinney (10, 5th inning, 0 on base)
