Owls Advance to Petitt Cup Semifinals
August 6, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
Forest City, NC- Two plays made all the difference in Monday night's deciding Game 3 between the Forest City Owls and the Asheboro Copperheads. Both just happened to be errors by the Copperheads defense, leading to five unearned runs and a 5-4 Owls win. Forest City wins the first round series two games to one and advances to play the Fayetteville Swampdogs in the Petitt Cup semifinals.
Asheboro was staked to a three run lead before the Owls even came to bat in the bottom of the 1st inning. Ryan Hander struggled in the start for Forest City, allowing three runs on a hit and six walks in just two-thirds of an inning. Nate Cudney came on and struck out Ford Wilson with the bases loaded to keep the deficit at three.
The Owls offense took over as Kurt Seiders reached on a throwing error by Alex Tomasovich to start the bottom of the 1st. Bryan Aanderud followed with a walk to put runners on first and second. After a fly out, Alex Close also drew a free pass, loading the bases. Will Chandler struck out, but Luke Tollison hit an infield single to score a run and Dykota Spiess followed with a line drive to right field, tying the game.
In the bottom of the 5th, the Owls snapped the 3-3 tie thanks to another miscue by the Asheboro defense. This time it was by the pitcher, Brent Moore, on a grounder hit by Close with runners on first and third. T.J. Sutton came in with the go-ahead run. Tollison later lined a comebacker off Moore to score what would be the winning run for Forest City.
Wilson brought the Copperheads back within a run by blasting a solo homer off Cudney to start the 7th inning. The Owls' lefty rebounded though and retired the next three in order, eventually earning the win with six and one-third innings of relief. Drake Thomason and Jason Driver each allowed a hit, but kept Asheboro off the board in the 8th and 9th innings respectively to seal the win.
The Owls will take tomorrow off before hosting Game 1 of the semifinals against the Fayetteville Swampdogs at McNair Field on Wednesday. Fayetteville beat Forest City at McNair Field 5-1 in the only game played between the two teams this season. Call 828-245-0000 to order tickets or stop by the ticket booth at McNair Field. If you can't make it in person, you can listen to the action live via WebPass through the Coastal Plain League website at www.coastalplain.com.
The Forest City Owls are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 16th season in 2012, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the 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 over 1,000 alumni drafted and 53 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 (@cpleague).
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Coastal Plain League Stories from August 6, 2012
- Owls Advance to Petitt Cup Semifinals - Forest City Owls
- 2012 Season in Review - Morehead City Marlins
- Season Ends in Playoff Sweep - Wilmington Sharks
- Comeback Falls Short In Playoff Loss - Wilmington Sharks
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