WILSON, N.C. – The Hill City Howlers pushed across single tallies in the fourth, fifth and ninth innings as they bested the Wilson Warbirds 3-1 on Saturday night at Wilson Ballpark.
Hill City (9-5) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Yaikel Majares laced a two-out single off Carlos Carra (L, 0-3) for the early advantage.
The Howlers extended the lead in the fifth on another RBI single, this time from Jonathan Martinez, for a 2-0 lead.
Wilson (5-9) scratched across their only run of the game in the fifth inning as Frederi Montero reached on a fielding error, allowing Juan Ortuno to trot home and trim the deficit to 2-1.
That would be as close as Wilson would get as Hill City added another two-out single in the ninth for the final 3-1 margin.
Ettore Giulianelli (W, 1-0) worked two innings out of the bullpen to earn the win and Miguel Flores (S, 1) covered the final three innings with seven strikeouts to notch the save.
Wilson had multiple chances to push across big innings but left the bases loaded in the first and fifth and finished the game 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The series concludes Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. when RHP Tyler Renz (1-0, 0.90) takes the ball for the Warbirds and the Howlers counter with RHP Chase Mobley (0-1, 20.25).
Sunday is also the inaugural Pups in the Park at Wilson Ballpark, fans are encouraged to bring their dog and enjoy an afternoon of baseball – tickets are available at WilsonWarbirds.com or by calling (919) 269-2287.