Clams Claim Petitt Cup
August 15, 2015 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, NC - The Edenton Steamers completed the sweep of the Gastonia Grizzlies with a 10-4 victory to win the Petitt Cup Championship on Friday night. Edenton (6-2, 46-17) won its first Petitt Cup in ten years, while Gastonia (4-3, 35-28) fell two wins shy of a championship of its own.
Mike Bittel collected the win for the Teal and Black. Bittel (1-0) allowed three earned runs on six hits while striking out four batters in six innings of work.
Alec Bivins took the loss for the Grizzlies. Bivins (0-1) lasted four innings, surrendering four earned runs on eight hits with one walk to five strikeouts.
The Steamers took the lead in the bottom of the third. Trey Hair led off with a single, and an Evan Rogers double put runners on first and second. After a Julian Russell strikeout, Mick Fennell plated a run with a single. Tony Rosselli and Nick Maguire followed with two two-out singles of their own to tack on two more runs and give Edenton a 3-0 advantage.
The Clams added another run in the fourth inning. Rogers stepped to the plate with two outs and knocked a home run to left, giving the Steamers a 4-0 lead.
Edenton continued to roll with another run in the fifth. Three consecutive two-out singles from Rosselli, Maguire and Stefan Van Horn brought home another run to put the Teal and Black up 5-0.
The Grizzlies refused to go down without a fight, scoring three runs in the sixth. Ryan Whitt opened the inning with a double, and Brennan Morgan followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Sammy Taormina stepped up with one out and cracked a home run to right-center field to cut the Steamer lead to 5-3.
However, the Steamers would not be denied. Rosselli and Maguire both walked to start the bottom of the seventh. Cole Gruber came to the dish with one out and hit a sharp ground ball to second. Brooks Kennedy booted the ball into right field, allowing Rosselli to score.
The Clams added to their 6-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth. Russell led off the frame with a moon shot over the left-field wall. Fennell singled in the next at bat, and after Chad Sedio walked, Rosselli singled to load the bases. With the infield in, Maguire bounced a ground ball to second, and Kennedy let the ball slip through his legs, allowing Rosselli and Sedio to score. Van Horn polished off the scoring with his second RBI single of the night, giving the Steamers a 10-3.
Babe Thomas tacked on a home run for the Grizzlies in the ninth, but Gastonia would get no closer.
With the win, the Edenton Steamers clinched their third Petitt Cup Championship in franchise history, first in ten years, and finished off the 2015 CPL season. For more information about the Edenton Steamers and the 2016 season, fans can call (252) 482-4080 or visit edentonsteamers.com.
Coastal Plain League Stories from August 15, 2015
- Clams Claim Petitt Cup - Edenton Steamers
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