Jacksonville, FL --- Todd Sears scored on a passed ball in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie as Carolina won its eighth straight game, 3-2 in the series opener over the Jacksonville Suns at the Baseball Grounds on Monday night.

 

The Mudcats (14-3), who won their sixth straight series opener, tied the game at 1 in the second inning when JC Muniz scored from third on a groundball by Rex Rundgren.  Carolina took its first lead in the third inning on a double by Robert Andino to score James Shanks from second base.  Andino had three of the Mudcats 11 hits. 

 

In the eighth with the game tied 2-2, Andino singled ahead of a diving catch by Todd Donovan on a sinking liner by Jeremy Hermida in center.  Sears blooped a double on the left field line, pushing Andino to third followed by an intentional walk from Glenn Bott (L, 1-1) to Chris Bass to load the bases.  Muniz hit into a force at home before Sears scampered home on a 1-0 pitch to Chris Ashby that deflected off of Russell Martin's glove.

 

The Suns (9-9) tied the game against Scott Olsen in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by James Loney.  Jacksonville managed just two hits against the three Carolina pitchers.

 

Olsen fanned eight over six innings, allowing both Suns hits, a double off the glove of right fielder Jeremy Hermida in the fourth, and a bloop single by Joel Guzman in the sixth.  Jerrod Fuell (W, 1-0) earned the victory with two scoreless innings before turning the game to closer Chris Resop (S, 7), who stranded the tying run at first base as the game ended.

 

The eight-game winning streak is longer than any from the Southern League championship Mudcats in 2003, and two shy of tying the club record of 10 in 1993 and 1994.  At 11-games over .500, Carolina has the best record of any minor league team. 

 

One day after setting the franchise record with a 20-game hit streak on Sunday, Eric Reed popped out in the ninth as a pinch-hitter to end the streak that began on May 29, 2004. 

 

Nic Ungs (1-1, 3.31) will start the Tuesday morning game against the Suns at 11:05 AM ET against Suns righty Eric Hull (1-2, 3.77) at the Baseball Grounds.

 

CAROLINA            0 1 1   0 0 0   0 1 0   ---   3   11   1   8

JACKSONVILLE    1 0 0   1 0 0   0 0 0   ---   2    2    0   5

 

WP - Fuell (1-0)

LP - Bott (1-1)

S - Resop (7)

 

HR - None.

Att:  1,973

Time:  2:37