Owls Drop Third in a Row
Published on July 7, 2012 under Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
Forest City, NC- The Forest City Owls lost their third straight game, 9-4 to the Columbia Blowfish on Saturday night. It's the first time all season the Owls have lost three in a row. Graham Saiko hit a two-run double and a two-run homer to lead the Blowfish. With the win, Columbia moves to within a half-game of first-place Forest City in the overall standings.
Stephen Tarkenton homered over the mini-Monster in left field in the bottom of the 4th inning to provide all the offense for Forest City. Tarkenton wraps up the week with a .500 average (13-for-26) with two double, his first two home runs of the season and 5 RBI.
Columbia got started quickly against the Owls' Drake Thomason. The first four Blowfish batters reached on a walk, two singles and a double, giving Columbia a 3-0 lead before the first out was recorded. Gabriel Loweree later scored on a wild pitch to make it a four-run 1st inning. Prior to Thursday night's game the Owls hadn't given up more than three runs in an inning. In their last three losses, it's happened once per game.
After Tarkenton's homer gave the Owls some momentum and cut the lead to one. Columbia stole it right back with back-to-back doubles by Erik Payne and Tre-von Johnson in the 5th inning. Loweree and Johnson added a couple more runs in the 7th inning against Hunter Privette. Loweree hit his first home run of the year, and Johnson added an RBI single to make it 7-3 Blowfish.
After the Owls stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th, Saiko took Nate Cudney deep for a two-run shot, putting Columbia up 9-3. Gunnar Heidt doubled home Justin Bryan in the bottom of the 9th to account for the final score. The Owls finish up their stretch of 19 games in 18 days with a 10-8 record, with the team's exhibition game against Team USA rained out before the game was official.
Forest City has an off day tomorrow. The Owls visit Thomasville for the final time this season on Monday for a special noon game. Forest City plays host to Asheboro on Tuesday with all general admission tickets available for just $2. 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).
Coastal Plain League Stories from July 7, 2012
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- Sharks Score Early, Late as Marlins Fall - Morehead City Marlins
- Owls Drop Third in a Row - Forest City Owls
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