Miscues Doom Pilots against Salamanders
July 23, 2016 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Peninsula Pilots News Release
HAMPTON, Va. - The Holly Springs Salamanders defeated the Peninsula Pilots 14-6 on Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium. The two teams battled back and forth before the Salamanders scored ten runs in the final three innings to run away with a convincing 14-6 victory over the Pilots.
Continuing the season-long trend of scoring first, the Pilots used a single run in the first inning. Joe Poduslenko (Seton Hall) led off the inning with a double to left-center. Poduslenko stole his 14th base of the season and came around to score on an errant throw by the Salamanders' catcher.
Holly Springs quickly knotted the game at one apiece with a run of their own in the second inning. Back-to-back singles by Danny Sheehan (San Diego State) and Cody Roberts (North Carolina) and an error set up runners on the corners with no outs. Harlan followed with a single through the right side to plate the first run of the game for the Salamanders.
The Salamanders took the lead in the fourth when four consecutive two-out walks allowed the visitors to take their first lead of the game.
The lead did not last long as the Pilots tied the game on a RBI single by Connor Sorge (Central Missouri). Back-to-back singles by Logan Augustine (Lincoln Memorial) and Charlie Cody (Virginia) set up a sacrifice attempt by Hunter Taylor (South Carolina). Taylor laid down a beautiful bunt towards third base and the Salamanders elected to get the lead runner but Augustine beat the throw to load the bases. Sorge followed with a single to right field to plate Augustine but two runners were called out trying to advance an extra base.
In the fifth inning, the Pilots took advantage of aggressive base running to take the lead. Poduslenko singled through the left side to lead off the fifth inning. Kurt Sinnen (Old Dominion) was hit by a pitch and Nick Walker (Old Dominion) drew a walk to load the bases. Darian Carpenter (VCU) lifted a fly ball to shallow right field but Poduslenko showed off his aggressiveness and it paid off as he beat the throw home to give the Pilots a 3-2 lead.
The Salamanders grabbed the lead with two runs in the sixth inning. Two consecutive hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases and the Salamanders executed a triple steal including one by Matthew Schmidt (Texas) to tie the game at three apiece. An error allowed another Salamander to score to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.
Peninsula clawed back in the sixth with three runs to retake the lead. Taylor reached on a two-base throwing error to lead off the inning. Sorge laid down a bunt and beat it out to put runners on the corners. Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) followed with another bunt single to tie the game at four. A double steal proved beneficial as Poduslenko took advantage of a drawn-in infield to perfectly place a single to right-center to score two and give the Pilots a 6-4 advantage.
Holly Springs would not back down quietly as Roberts led off the seventh inning with a triple to right-center before scoring on Brady Harlan's (Texas) single up the middle to cut the deficit to one. A single and an error set up a sacrifice fly by Brandon Riley (North Carolina) to tie the game at six. An infield single by Dillon Stewart (UNC Greensboro) scored Conlin Hughes (Penn State) to give the Salamanders a 7-6 lead. Sheehan broke the game open with a bases clearing double to left field to put the Salamanders ahead by four.
Holly Springs added two more runs in the eighth inning with a RBI single by Riley and a RBI double by Stewart to put the Salamanders up 12-6. The visitors tacked on two more runs in the ninth on a fielder's choice and a ground out.
After an off day on Sunday, the Pilots host High-Point Thomasville on Monday night for Liberty Night. 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!
The Coastal Plain League is the nation's premier summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 20th season in 2016, the CPL features 16 teams playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had nearly 1,300 alumni drafted and 87 of those - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut; while another notable alum - Russell Wilson - won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com and follow us via Twitter @CPLBaseball.
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Coastal Plain League Stories from July 23, 2016
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