Chattanooga, TN --- Yorman Bazardo pitched six solid innings while Todd Sears paced Carolina's offense as the Mudcats beat second-place Chattanooga 7-2 in the series opener on Monday night at Bell South Park.

 

Bazardo (W, 2-0), who became the second two-game winner on the staff, allowed just a solo homer to Jesse Gutierrez in the fourth en route to the victory.  Bazardo permitted five hits and fanned three.  Bazardo also collected his first pro hit with a double in the fourth.

 

Carolina (7-3) took a 1-0 lead in the first on a double by Sears to score Jeremy Hermida.  The Mudcats stranded 10 baserunners in the first four innings, but broke through in the fourth against reliever Eric Eckenstahler.  Thanks to three walks, an error and Bazardo's double, the Mudcats scored a pair for a 3-0 lead.  In the fifth, Carolina put the game away with four on a pair of two-run singles by Robert Andino and Sears.

 

Eric Reed, returning to the lineup after a two-day absence had a pair of bunt singles, two walks and a stolen base.  Hermida reached three times with a double and two walks.

 

Carolina sends Josh Johnson (1-1, 0.82) to the mound Tuesday night at 7:15 PM ET against Ben Kozlowski (0-0, 0.00).

 

CAROLINA           1 0 0   2 4 0   0 0 0   ---   7   10   0   12

CHATTANOOGA   0 0 0   1 0 0   1 0 0   ---   2   7   2   4

 

WP - Bazardo (2-0)

LP - Bruksch (0-1)

S - None.

 

HR - Gutierrez (3), Howard (2)

 

Time:  2:39

Att:  2,964