Zebulon, NC  - The Carolina Mudcats had a pair of four-run innings to lead to their fourth straight win, defeating the Mobile BayBears 9-4 on Saturday night at Five County Stadium.

After waiting out a 32-minute rain delay to start the game, the Mudcats (13-10) scored four in the first against Steve Watkins (L, 1-2), highlighted by a two-run single by Michael Tucker (HR, 1, 3-4, R, HR, 3RBI, K, CS).  The inning witnessed two Mobile (11-12) errors, which also saw a sacrifice fly by Josh Willingham (1-2, R, 2B, RBI, SF, HBP) and an RBI-groundout by Pat Magness (0-4, RBI, K).

Bill Murphy (W, 2-1, 6IP, 6H, 4R, 3ER, 1W, 9K) earned his second win of the season working six innings, fanning nine hitters.  Murphy worked from a bases loaded jam in the second inning, allowinng only one run on a double play ball.  In the sixth, leading 8-1, Murphy surrendered a three-run homer to Greg Sain after an infield walk and an error set up the inning.

In the fifth inning, Carolina put the game away with four more runs against Watkins.  With one out, Eric Reed (3-4, 2R, 2-3B, K) hit the first of two stand-up triples to right-center.  Josh Wilson (2-3, R, 2B, RBI, SB) doubled over Freddy Guzman's head in center to score Reed for a 5-1 lead.  Willingham was then hit on a 3-2 pitch, then Stokes crushed his sixth homer of the season to centerfield.

Mike McNutt (ND, 2IP, 1H, 0R, 0W, 3K) worked two scoreless innings, then gave way to closer Kevin Cave (ND, 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0W, 0K) in a non-save situation for a perfect ninth inning.

The Mudcats closed to within 3 1/2 of first-place Jacksonville in the East, and set a season-high with their fourth consecutive win.

Ronald Belizario (0-2, 5.31) starts Sunday at 2:00 PM ET against Mobile righty Chris Rojas (1-1, 2.74) at Five County Stadium.

Mobile        0 1 0   0 0 3  0 0 0   ---   4   7   2   4
Carolina      4 0 0  0 4 0   0 1 x   ---   9  11  1   3

WP - Murphy (2-1)
LP - Watkins (1-2)
S - None.

HR - Stokes (6), Sain (8), Tucker (1)

 Att:  1,706
Time:  2:17

Notes:  Mike McNutt fanned three hitters in two innings Saturday night, and now has 23 in 14 1/3 innings.  McNutt has only walked three batters...  Reed's two stand-up triples was the first time in Mudcats history a batter has had two triples in the same game... Tucker's homer in the eighth inning was his first at Double-A... Matt Demarco, who joined the club from High-A Jupiter Saturday afternoon, made his debut as a pinch-runner for Josh Wilson in the fifth inning.  Demarco scored on Stokes' homer.  Wilson left the game with tightness following his double... Jimmy Goelz was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a pulled hamstring... A fifth former Mudcat made his major league debut in the 2004 season when Brad Hawpe collected a pinch-single in Saturday's first game of the Colorado-Atlanta doubleheader at Coors Field.  Hawpe started in the nightcap and homered.  He joins Adrian Gonzalez, Franklyn Gracesqui, Matt Holliday and Justin Huisman.