Monday, April 11,
2005
W 5 - 4
Zebulon
,
NC
---
The Carolina Mudcats improved to a minor league best
5-0 with a 5-4 win over the Birmingham Barons on
Monday night before 2,885 fans at Five County Stadium.
The
Mudcats (5-0), one of 14 unbeaten teams in minor
league baseball entering Monday, took advantage of a
pair of home runs and another stellar performance by
its bullpen in winning the series opener with the
Barons.
Carolina
has
never started a season 6-0, but will have an
opportunity to do so on Tuesday.
James
Shanks connected for a first inning three-run blast,
while Chris Bass hit his second in two days to snap a
3-3 tie in the fourth. Carolina, which allowed
just one run in four games in sweeping Huntsville over
the weekend four straight, saw the Barons (2-3) tie
the game against winning pitcher Yorman Bazardo (W,
1-0) with three runs in the fourth inning.
Birmingham
tied
the game with a single by Chris Stewart with two outs
one batter after
Carolina
failed to complete a double play which saw another run
score.
Bass
then delivered against losing pitcher Kris Honel (L,
0-1) with a homer to left, while Robert Andino drove
in another in the inning with a two-out, broken bat
single to score Rex Rundgren. Andino, who has
hit safely in all five games this season, went 3-4,
and is now 10-21 in 2005.
Chad
Bentz, Mike Flannery and Joe Rodriguez combined to
throw four scoreless innings to finish off the one-run
win, stranding a combined five base runners. The
Mudcats bullpen has thrown 14 2/3 innings this season,
not allowing a run.
The
game was delayed before the start of the fifth inning
by 15 minutes when home plate umpire Ria Cortesio's contact
lens was blown to the ground in the Mudcats dugout
between innings. Near the end of the fourth
inning, a wind-aided pollen storm swept through the
stadium, which sent Cortesio to the dugout to cleanse
her contact, which was blown out of her hand.
Following the delay, Todd Paskiet replaced Cortesio
behind the plate and the game had two umpires the
remainder of the game.
Carolina
will send Josh Johnson (1-0, 0.00) against
Birmingham's Jim Bullard (0-1, 13.50) on Tuesday night
at 7:15 PM ET.
BIRMINGHAM
0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0
--- 4 11 0
10
CAROLINA
3 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 x
--- 5 11 2
7
WP
- Bazardo (1-0)
LP
- Honel (0-1)
S
- Rodriguez (1)
HR
- Shanks (1), Bass (2), Young (1)
Time:
2:40
Att:
2,885
|
