Jacksonville, FL --- Jeremy Hermida's second homer in as many innings tied the game with two outs in the ninth inning, then a bases loaded walk in the 10th scored the winning run as the Carolina Mudcats extended then minor's longest winning streak to nine games with a 6-5 victory over Jacksonville Tuesday afternoon at the Baseball Grounds.

 

In a game that began at 11:05 AM, the Mudcats - now a minor league best 15-3 - had to tie the game three times before defeating Jacksonville for the second time in 18 hours.  Hermida, the top-rated Florida Marlins prospect, hit a tying home run in the eighth only to watch Joel Guzman, the # 1 prospect in the Los Angeles system, drill a two-run homer in the last of the eighth to give the Suns (9-10) a 5-3 lead.

 

It appeared that Carolina's longest winning streak in two years would end in the ninth, but a single by Robert Andino gave the Mudcats a chance.  James Shanks avoided a double play by beating the relay to first base to allow Hermida to bat again.  A pitching change brought Monday night's losing pitcher, left-hander Glenn Bott (L, 1-2) into the game to face the lefty Hermida.  On Bott's first pitch, Hermida slugged a tying homer inside the right field foul pole to even the score 5-5, Hermida's league-leading seventh of the season.

 

Mike Flannery (W, 1-0), who battled control problems in the ninth and 10th.  Flannery stranded the bases in the bottom of the ninth by retiring Jon Weber on a flyball to left field on a 2-1 pitch before working a perfect 10th to net the victory. 

 

Carolina pushed ahead 6-5 in the top of the 10th as Bott and Richard Bartlett, who also threw on Monday night, walked four batters, including Eric Reed intentionally to fill the bases before Andino walked on four pitches to force home Drew Niles.

 

Nic Ungs worked five innings in the start for Carolina, allowing two unearned runs in the fourth inning, which featured two errors and a hit batter. 

 

With nine consecutive victories, the Mudcats can match an 11-year old record on Wednesday afternoon.  Twice in franchise history have the Mudcats won 10 games, the last time in 1994.  Dennis Anderson's pursuit of club history fell one hit short as he lined out to short in his first at-bat in the second inning, snapping a string of eight consecutive hits.  Anderson finished 0-2 with three walks. 

 

Logan Kensing (2-1, 1.53) starts the series finale Wednesday at 1:05 PM ET against Eric Stults (1-0, 2.65).  The game will be broadcast exclusively via BroadcastMonsters.com beginning at 1:00 PM ET.

 

CAROLINA             0 0 1   0 1 0   0 1 2   1   ---   6   9   2   12

JACKSONVILLE    0 0 0   2 0 1   0 2 0   0   ---   5   9   4    7

 

WP - Flannery (1-0)

LP - Bott (1-2)

S - None.

 

HR - Loney (4), Hermida (6, 7), Guzman (4)

 

Time:  3:17

Att:  8,567