Grabe's Return Sparks SwampDogs to Victory Over Marlins
Published on June 4, 2011 under Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Fayetteville SwampDogs News Release
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The SwampDogs beat Thomasville without him, but against Morehead City, third-year player Eric Grabe made sure to let everyone know he was back.
Grabe delivered an RBI triple, and RBI double, and scored what proved to be the winning run in the bottom of the seventh as the SwampDogs remained the CPL's lone undefeated team by beating Morehead City, 6-5, in front of a packed house at J.P. Riddle Stadium on Saturday night.
The SwampDogs improved to 4-0 on the season. Morehead City fell to 2-4.
With one out in the fifth inning and Fayetteville trailing by two, Grabe drove a ball down the rightfield line that went for a triple and scored Dillon Checkal. Shawn Pleffner followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game at 4.
Then in the seventh, Grabe again went opposite field off of Marlin reliever Adam Norton (0-1) with Cody Davis at second, driving home the go-ahead run. He then came around to score as Pleffner delivered his team-high fifth RBI with a single to center to give the SwampDogs a 6-4 lead.
The Marlins got one run back in the eighth, but Davis came on to close out the game with a scoreless ninth for the save, helped out by a game-ending double play. Cody Kent earned the win, his first as a SwampDog.
Fayetteville scored first for the first time all season when Davis led off the bottom of the first inning with a solo homerun. They added to their lead with a run in the fourth, but it would be short lived.
SwampDogs starter Frank DeJiulio threw four scoreless innings in his first appearance with the team, but ran into trouble with two outs in the fifth. He issued back-to-back-to-back walks to the top three in the Marlin order, before Zach Stephens drilled a 1-1 fastball deep over the leftfield wall for a grand slam and a 4-2 lead.
But Eric Grabe was in the lineup for the SwampDogs tonight. And now the SwampDogs are 4-0.
The SwampDogs and Marlins will change venues for a rematch tomorrow in Morehead City, with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. Fayetteville's next home game will be Monday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Wilmington Sharks. Gates open at 6 p.m., with first pitch set for 7:05 p.m.
Coastal Plain League Stories from June 4, 2011
- Grabe's Return Sparks SwampDogs to Victory Over Marlins - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Steamers earn 2-1 victory - Edenton Steamers
- Second Time's The Charm For Owls vs. Gastonia - Forest City Owls
- Wilson Drops another Game to Edenton - Coastal Plain
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