In front of over 4,000 fans for the second straight day, the Fredericksburg Nationals dropped the second home game of the season 13-6 to the Carolina Mudcats. After falling behind 5-1, the Nats cut the lead to 5-4, but seven runs in the 8th inning for the Mudcats secured the win for Carolina, who improves to 4-1 on the season. The FredNats remain above .500 at 3-2.
For the second straight day, the Mudcats struck in the 1st inning. The first three Mudcats reached, and Carolina put up four runs in the 1st against FredNat starter Andrew Alvarez.
Alvarez then settled in, pitching into the 5th inning and only allowing one more run after the 1st. He finished with a line of 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, and 5 K.
Brady House had two more hits and his seventh RBI of the season in the 1st to make it a 4-1 game. After the Mudcats stretched the lead to 5-1, Yoander Rivero picked up the first of three RBIs on the day in the 4th with an RBI single, and then picked up the other two in the 6th with a two-run triple to left-center field to cut the lead to 5-4. The Mudcats answered with a solo home run from Eduardo Garcia in the 7th to push the lead back to 6-4, and then the floodgates opened in the 8th.
Albert Cipion hit a two-run homer to start things off for Carolina, and by the time the 8th was over, the Mudcats had seven runs and five hits in the frame. Three walks by FredNats pitching aided the offensive effort as well.
The FredNats added two more tallies in the 9th when Leandro Emiliani nearly left the yard to center field, but it hit off the wall and ended up being a two-run triple. The final was 13-6.
These two teams are back at it tomorrow in game three of the six-game series. The first pitch is at 7:05 pm EDT.