Fayetteville Moves into First Place Tie with 8-6 Win Over Columbia
June 27, 2011 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Fayetteville SwampDogs News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The Fayetteville SwampDogs rallied from an early five-run deficit and defeated the Columbia Blowfish, 8-6, on Monday night at J.P. Riddle Stadium..
Alex Belew (1-1) earned his first victory as a SwampDog, relieving starter Dom Macaluso with two outs in the fifth inning and throwing two scoreless innings, walking one and striking out two. Mike Hebert finished off the seventh and threw a scoreless eighth, and Cody Davis closed the door in the ninth with two strikeouts for his fifth save.
The win moved the SwampDogs into a tie for first place with the idle Florence RedWolves. The two teams will meet for the final time in the first half of the season tomorrow night in Florence, with just three games remaining for each team in the race for the CPL South division title.
The Blowfish scored the first five runs of the game in the first two innings, all off Macaluso. But Fayetteville (15-10) rallied in the fourth, sending ten men to the plate and tying the game behind a two-run double from Nick Crucet and an error by Blowfish starter John Long.
Long had allowed six runs - five earned - on five hits and five walks before arguing a base-running play and ultimately being ejected by base umpire Randy Rosenberg in the bottom of the sixth inning. His younger brother Jake Long (0-1) came on in relief and allowed the eventual winning run, taking the loss.
Columbia (7-17) also saw Chase Vergason get ejected by home plate umpire Justin Amit for questioning a called third strike from Belew in the top of the seventh.
Matt Orloff finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored for the SwampDogs, while Dillon Checkal went 2-for-3 with two walks and two stolen bases.
The SwampDogs visit Florence and Wilson before wrapping up the season's first half at home against Edenton on Thursday. It's the fourth annual Green Night, and the first 500 fans will receive a reusable tote bag courtesy of Fayetteville PWC, FAMPO, and Restore Warehouse. Gates open at 6 p.m., with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
Columbia - 1 4 0 - 0 1 0 - 0 0 0 - 1 6 1
Fayetteville - 0 0 0 - 5 0 2 - 0 1 X - 2 8 0
W - Alex Belew (1-1)
L - Jake Long (0-1)
S - Cody Davis (5)
The Fayetteville SwampDogs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, entering their 11th season in the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 15th season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The CPL gives college players a chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had more than 930 alums drafted and 44 alums make their major league debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on facebook (at www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via twitter (at cpleague).
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Coastal Plain League Stories from June 27, 2011
- Owls Stumble vs. Petersburg, 2-0 - Forest City Owls
- Fayetteville Moves into First Place Tie with 8-6 Win Over Columbia - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Tobs Undone by Four Errors in 11-8 Loss to Pilots - Wilson Tobs
- Grizzlies Set for Team USA Baseball - Gastonia Grizzlies
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