Owls Blank the Blowfish to End Losing Streak
July 12, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
Forest City, NC- The Forest City Owls can start tomorrow's road trip with a good feeling. The Owls snapped a season-worst five-game losing streak, beating the Columbia Blowfish 2-0 on Thursday night. Alex Close finished 0-for-3, but scored Gunnar Heidt twice to account for all of Forest City's offense. Four pitchers combined to blank Columbia, who hadn't played since beating the Owls in Forest City last Saturday.
After a perfect 1st inning from Nick Lomascolo, Heidt led off with a base hit to left field. The shortstop stole 2nd base and advanced to 3rd on a wild pitch, allowing Close to deliver him with a sacrifice fly. In the 3rd inning, Kurt Seiders reached on an error to start the frame. Heidt grounded into a fielder's choice and then moved to third on a base hit by Bryan Aanderud. Close came through once again with an RBI groundout to put the Owls up 2-0.
Lomascolo ran into some trouble in the 6th inning. The lefty walked Michael Wilson to lead off the inning, then gave up a base hit to Graham Saiko, advancing Wilson to third. Gabriel Loweree flied out to right, intending to score Wilson. However, Justin Bryan gunned down Wilson at the plate, leading to Columbia manager Brian Buscher's getting ejected from the game for arguing the call. Lomascolo finished off the inning and ended up with his third win of the season.
Jason Driver, Hunter Privette and Jake Padgett each pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. Padgett picked up his 5th save of the year in the victory. Columbia managed just five hits on the night against the Owls quartet of arms. Saiko collected three of them, including the team's lone extra-base hit, a double in the 4th inning.
The Owls head out on their second East Coast trip of the season, starting tomorrow night in Morehead City. Forest City's next home game will be a Mighty Dollar Monday game on July 16th against the Gastonia Grizzlies. 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 52 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 July 12, 2012
- Five Run Ninth Leads to 7-6 Walk off Win (7/12/12) - Wilmington Sharks
- Offensive Explosion Powers Tobs - Wilson Tobs
- Owls Blank the Blowfish to End Losing Streak - Forest City Owls
- Blowfish Fall to Owls; Return Home Friday - Lexington County Blowfish
- Steamers Shut-out in Peninsula - Edenton Steamers
- Dogs at Redwolves Postponed - Fayetteville SwampDogs
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