Tuesday, May 31, 2005

W 6-5

Zebulon, NC --- Jeremy Hermida hit a game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th inning as Carolina won its fifth straight game, 6-5 over the Chattanooga Lookouts at Five County Stadium on Tuesday night.

Hermida smoked a liner past first baseman Ryan Hanigan with two outs against Jason Andrew (L, 0-2) to score Robert Andino with the winning run as the Mudcats (34-17) kept pace 1 1/2 behind first-place West Tenn.

The Mudcats, 5-0 in the midst of an eight-game series against the Lookouts (21-31), squandered leads of 2-1 and 5-3 as the Lookouts tied the game with two runs in the eighth inning against Ross Wolf.  Chattanooga misfired on a bases-loaded situation against Jerrod Fuell with one out in the eighth as Rick Asadoorian and Bryan Anderson fanned.  The Lookouts also left the bases loaded in the ninth.

Jason Hill, who went 3-4, hit a solo homer in the first inning, his sixth of the season and third against his team of 2004.  Luke Lockwood, who pitched six innings allowing nine hits and three runs, blasted his first professional homer to left-center in the third inning to give the Mudcats a 2-1 lead. 

Chattanooga tied the game with a run in the fourth, then went ahead in the fifth on a double by Jeff Bannon.  Run-scoring singles by Eric Reed and Hill put the Mudcats ahead 4-3 in the fifth.

The game ended with both teams out of position players, as winning pitcher Mike McNutt (W, 1-0) struck out preceding Hermida's game-winning single. 

The Lookouts collected 16 hits, a season-high against the Mudcats pitching staff, including three apiece by Bannon, D'Angelo Jimenez, Hanigan and Brian Peterson.

The series continues Wednesday night at 7:15 PM ET with Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.91) starting against Phil Dumatrait (1-4, 2.83).

CHATTANOOGA        1 0 0   1 1 0   0 2 0   0 0   ---   5   16   0   12

CAROLINA                1 0 1   0 2 0   1 0 0   0 1   ---   6   11   1   11

WP - McNutt (1-0)

LP - Andrew (0-2)

S - None.

HR - Hill (6), Lockwood (1)

Time:  3:22

Att:  1,843