May 17, 2004

Sevierville, TN - A five-run first inning propelled the Carolina Mudcats to a 9-4 win over the Tennessee Smokies on Monday night at Smokies Park, avoiding a four-game sweep.

Carolina (21-17) scored three runs on one swing in the first inning when Jason Stokes (1-4, r, rbi) hit an infield single to third with the bases loaded, and two more runs came home on a low throw to first base by Gabe Johnson. Michael Tucker (1-4, r, rbi) dropped an RBI-single to score Stokes, then came home on a sacrifice fly by Bill Murphy (HR, 1, 1-2, 2rbi, sf) to cap the inning.

The Mudcats moved ahead 6-0 in th esecond inning on a run-scoring single by Joe Dillon (2-4, r, 2b, rbi, k).

Murphy (W, 4-1, 5.2ip, 4h, 4r, 4er, 2w, 3k) did not permit his first hit until the fourth inning when Murphy gave up a pair of two-run homers to Nate Espy and Gabe Johnson as Tennessee (20-18) closed to within 6-4.

Ryan Baker (ND, 2.1ip, 3h, 0r, 0w, 1k) worked scoreless baseball for the next 2 1/3 innings before Pat Flury (ND, 1ip, 2h, 0r, 1w, 1k) closed things out stranding the bases loaded in the ninth.

Murphy blasted his first professional homer in the sixth against losing pitcher Luis Martinez (L, 3-3). Dennis Anderson (HR, 1, 2-4, 2rbi, k) connected for his first home run in the eighth inning with a man aboard against reliever Carmen Cali.

Carolina moved to within one game of first-place Jacksonville, which lost in 11 innings to Chattanooga on Monday afternoon.

Ronald Belizario (1-3, 6.06) starts Tuesday night against the Lookouts Daylan Childress (0-2, 5.63) in the opener of an eight-game homestand. The game begins at 7:15 PM ET.

Carolina 5 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 --- 9 10 1 3
Tennessee 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 --- 4 9 1 9

WP - Murphy (4-1)
LP - Martinez (3-3)
S - None.

HR - Espy (4), Johnson (5), Murphy (1), Anderson (1)

Time: 2:37
Att: 2,807

Notes: Stokes extended his hitting streak to 10 games, two shy of his career high of 12 set in 2002... Anderson's homer was the 13th of his career, and his first since July 29, 2002 with Jupiter against Brevard County... Murphy's homer represented the ninth-ever hit by a Mudcat pitcher, with Randy Messenger hitting the last, on September 4th, 2003 in the Eastern Division playoffs against the Tennessee Smokies.

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