Clams Swallow Pilots in Double Header Sweep
August 3, 2013 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, N.C "" Edenton (38-10, 18-4) used a four-run 11th inning and a six-run third inning to complete the suspended game double header sweep over the Peninsula Pilots (33-20, 19-7) 8-4 in game one and 9-7 in game two at Historic Hicks Field on Friday night.
When the game was suspended an evening ago tied 2-2 it was the bottom of the fifth with the Peninsula Pilots batting, one out and a runner on first.
Edenton scored twice in the top of the first and Peninsula knotted the game with a run in the bottom of the first and a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the score.
Once play resumed Jeremy Bales (Lee University) was on the mound for the Steamers and he issued back-to-back walks to the first two hitters he faced. Bill Cullen knocked in Alex Close with a single and was then thrown out at second base to end the inning. Peninsula took a 3-2 lead on Cullen's 22nd RBI of the season.
Edenton tied the game against Jeremy Lyons of Peninsula, who was on the mound when play resumed in Edenton.
Edenton got back-to-back infield singles from Chase Harris (University of New Mexico) and Jacob Reese (Eastern Illinois University) to begin the top of the seventh. Alex Delgado (Emmanuel College) sacrificed both runners up and Tyler Eager (Abilene Christian University) brought Harris home with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.
An inning later Harris returned the favor when he hit a sacrifice fly that scored Josh Hampton (Wilmington University), who doubled, for a 4-3 Steamer lead.
Jake McCoy (College of the Desert) came on to try and pick up his 11th save of the season in the bottom of the ninth. With one out and runners on second and third after two singles and a fielder's choice Garrett Brooks hit an RBI single that scored Connor Meyers to tie the game at 4-4 and send it into extra innings.
A game that began in Hampton, VA a day earlier and was resumed in Edenton, NC almost a full 24 hours after it officially began was going extra innings.
McCoy stayed in and struck out the side in the bottom of the tenth. Lyons pitched five innings, allowing three hits and two runs; he walked three and struck out five.
Edenton put McCoy in line for the win in the top of the 11th with a four-run outburst. Eager picked up his second RBI of the game with a single to score Harris and Nick Miller (University of Northern Colorado) slammed a bases clearing double off the left-field wall to push the score to 8-4 Steamers.
McCoy pitched the bottom of the 11th and stranded the bases loaded to pick up his seventh win of the season against no losses. The loss went to Ryan Cook for his one inning of work. He allowed three hits and four runs, falling to 2-2.
Game two pitted Patrick Peterson (Temple University) against Alex Regan for Peninsula.
The Pilots jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first when Jordan Negrini hit a two-run triple to centerfield that scored Bradon Reitano and Alex Close for a 2-0 lead.
Hampton connected for his ninth home run, a two-run home run in the bottom of the first off of Regan to tie the game at 2-2. The long ball pushed Hampton's league-leading RBI total to 42 on the season.
Matt Dickason connected for a long ball of Peterson in the second for a 3-2 Pilots lead.
Edenton countered with a Nick Thompson (East Carolina University) sacrifice fly in the bottom half to again tie the score at 3-3.
Edenton blew the game open in the bottom of the third against Regan, scoring six times and ending the evening for the lefty from Mount Olive. Adam Kirsch (Texas Tech University), who earlier in the game set the Steamers franchise record for doubles in a season with 20, slapped his second of the game to score Harris from second for a 4-3 lead. Delgado hit a sacrifice fly to score Kirsch from third for a 5-3 lead and Tyler Qualls (Louisiana Tech University) scored when Eager reached on an error for a 6-3 Clams lead. Thompson added the icing on the cake when he absolutely crushed a ball from Regan high and deep into the night for a three-run home run, his ninth of the season, and a 9-3 Steamers lead. Thompson finished with four RBIs, he now has 39 on the season, good for second in the CPL.
Peninsula came back with four runs in the top of the fourth to chase Peterson. He ended with three and two-thirds innings on the mound, allowing five hits and six runs. He walked four and struck out three.
Bradon Reitano slapped a two-run single to right field to cut the lead to 9-5 Steamers in the fourth and Alex Close followed with an RBI double to close the gap to 9-6. Jordan Negrini then reached on an error that scored Close for a 9-7 Steamers lead.
That was as close as the Pilots got as Andrew Nelson (St. Catharine College) came in and picked up his first save of the season for a scoreless seventh inning. David Hart (University of California "" San Diego) earned the win for two scoreless innings in relief, he is now 1-0 and Regan took the loss for Peninsula, falling to 2-3.
Edenton travels to Columbia tomorrow and then Asheboro on Sunday before coming back to wrap up the 2013 regular season schedule on Monday August 5th at home against the Peninsula Pilots.
Edenton with the double header sweep improves to 38-10 overall and 18-4 in the second half. Peninsula falls to 33-20 overall and 19-7.
Along with Kirsch's record setting night Nick Thompson etched his name in the Steamers franchise record book by taking his 39th and 40th walks of the season to set a new franchise standard.
Coastal Plain League Stories from August 3, 2013
- Sharks Come up Short in Extras Agianst Marlins - Wilmington Sharks
- SwampDogs Secure Playoff Berth - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Marlins Stay Hot, Win Third Straight with 9-6 Victory over Sharks in Wilmington - Morehead City Marlins
- Clams Swallow Pilots in Double Header Sweep - Edenton Steamers
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