Errors Doom Pilots
July 5, 2016 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Peninsula Pilots News Release
HAMPTON, Va.- The Peninsula Pilots fell to the Petersburg 10-9 Tuesday night in a game that featured four home runs between both teams on a hot night at War Memorial Stadium. Darian Carpenter (Virginia Commonwealth) excelled at the plate for the Pilots, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs, two runs, and a home run. Will Shepherd (Liberty) also had a good game, batting 2-for-4 and scoring three runs.
In an otherwise uneventful top of the first inning, Sammy Miller (Longwood) provided Petersburg with some offense. After two consecutive fly-outs, Miller popped a solo home run over the left field wall to give the Generals a 1-0 lead.
The Pilots countered with a run of their own in the first inning. After walking, Shepherd rounded the bases from first on a double down the right field line from Carpenter, tying the game at 1-1.
The Generals continued their power hitting in the second inning. On the very first pitch of the inning, Chandler Corley (Armstrong State) launched the second Petersburg home run of the game over the right center field fence. The next three Generals were retired in order, with Petersburg taking a 2-1 lead.
Petersburg scored yet again in the third inning. Diamyn Hall (Grambling State) reached second base on a Pilots throwing error, then advanced to third base on a fielder's choice from Ryan Cox (Kutztown). Miller plated Hall in the next at-bat with a single up the middle.
The Pilots came back with another couple of runs in the bottom of the third inning. Logan Augustine (Lincoln Memorial) led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch, a scary play in which the pitcher hit Augustine in the side of the head. Augustine would be okay, but was removed from the game for the sake of caution with Joe Poduslenko (Seton Hall) taking his place as a pinch runner. A single to the shortstop from Shepherd advanced Poduslenko to second base, and then a double steal by the two Pilots put runners in scoring position. Capitalizing on the no-out advantage, Carpenter batted in Poduslenko on a sacrifice fly to right field, and Devin Mahoney (Saint Louis) scored Shepherd on a ground out to second base, tying the game back up at 3 runs apiece.
For the fourth consecutive inning to start the game, the Generals scored a run. After reaching on an error, Corley advanced to third base on a double from Christopher Hicks (Winthrop). Chase Simmons (Lubbock Christian) plated Corley in the next at-bat with a one-out sacrifice fly to center field, making the score 4-3.
The Pilots tied it up again in the fourth inning. Charlie Cody (Virginia) led off the inning with a walk, advanced to second base on a fielder's choice from Hunter Taylor (South Carolina), and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. Cody crossed home on a fielder's choice to the third baseman from Josh Close (Liberty), knotting the game at 4-4.
The home team took the lead for the first time in the fifth inning. Shepherd reached base by hitting a one-out double to left center field and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. With Shepherd at third, Carpenter walked and stole second base to put two men in scoring position. Kyle McPherson (James Madison) then tripled home both runners on a hard-hit ball down the left field line. Cody plated McPherson for the third run of the inning on a double off the center field wall, giving the Pilots a 7-4 lead.
Petersburg got back on the scoreboard in the sixth inning. After walking, Corley reached second base on a fielder's choice from Adam Bauer (Murray State) and advanced to third base on an error. Simmons then plated Corley on a sacrifice fly to right field, cutting the Pilots' lead to 7-5.
Finding the scoreboard for the sixth time in seven innings, the Generals crossed home four times in the seventh inning. Hall reached base on a leadoff walk, and he scored all the way from first on a Cox double up the left field line. Cox then scored from second base after a Pilots error on a Corley ground ball. Bauer gave Petersburg the lead in the following next, blasting a towering two-out, two-run home run over left field, giving the Generals a 9-7 lead.
Petersburg reached double-digit runs in the eighth inning. After singling to right field, Simmons advanced to third base on a Pilots throwing error. Hall then batted in Simmons on a sacrifice fly to left field, making it a 10-7 game.
The Pilots made it interesting in the ninth inning, but ultimately fell short. Poduslenko reached base on a one-out infield single to put one Pilot on base. With two outs, Carpenter roped a two-run home run over the left field foul pole to make it a one-run game. Mahoney then ripped a double over the left fielder and advanced to third base on a throwing error. With the tying run 90 feet from home, Petersburg struck out the last Pilots' batter to finalize the score at 10-9.
The Pilots are off on Wednesday, but host Wilmington for Couples Night and Thirsty Thursday on Thursday. For more information regarding the season, please visit www.peninsulapilots.com. For up to the minute details on Pilots Baseball be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PeninsulaPilots. Use the #PilotsNation to spread the word about the Pilots!
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Coastal Plain League Stories from July 5, 2016
- Fish Fall to Owls on Road - Lexington County Blowfish
- Errors Doom Pilots - Peninsula Pilots
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- Six Pilots Named to 2016 CPL All-Star Game - Peninsula Pilots
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