Mudcats double up Tennessee

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on June 27, 2007 1:47 PM

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ZEBULON -- Scott Nestor and Chris Mobley combined for three innings of scoreless relief as Carolina doubled up Tennessee 4-2 in a Southern League contest at Five County Stadium.

Nestor threw the seventh and eighth, while Mobley mopped up in the ninth for his second save of the season. The duo preserved a two-run lead when starter James Russ departed after six innings. The Concord native yielded two earned runs and escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth when the Mudcat defense turned an inning-ending double play.

Carolina (29-49 overall, 2-7 second half) opened the scoring in the first inning when Brett Hayes legged out a fielder's choice grounder. The infield play scored Jonny Raburn from third.

The Smokies (41-35, 5-4) answered with Chris Robinson's run-scoring single the next inning. Second baseman Gary Cates put the visitors ahead with a one-out, solo home run in the third.

Tennessee kept the lead until the sixth when starter Mark Holliman got in trouble. Raburn laced a two-RBI, one-out hit down the first-base line to give the Mudcats a lead they would not relinquish. Holliman threw five-plus innings and dropped to 7-6 on the mound.

The teams continue their series today. Game time is 7:15 p.m. Carolina begins a four-day series at Chattanooga on Saturday.