Owls End Road Trip on the Right Foot at Martinsville
June 17, 2011 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
MARTINSVILLE, VA. - The Forest City Owls defeated the Martinsville Mustangs, 3-2, Friday night at Hooker Field. The Owls improve to 10-7, while the Mustangs drop to 6-9. The season series is now tied at 2-2. The Owls finished 2-1 in their 3-game road swing.
Forest City's Ryan Hander took the mound for his third start of the season. The Nebraska righty performed admirably, throwing 6 2/3 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, striking out eight batters and issuing two walks. Hander earned his second win of the season.
Martinsville turned to right-hander Jake Lambert for the third time this summer. Lambert tossed seven innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits, striking out one hitter and walking one as well. Lambert took home his second defeat of the season.
Neither pitcher allowed a hit until the third inning. Hander ran into some trouble in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with one out. Mustangs 3B John Faircloth lofted a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing home CF Ford Wilson and giving Martinsville an early 1-0 lead.
The Owls broke up Lambert's perfect game in the top of the fifth inning. After two consecutive singles to lead off the frame, Owls LF Michael Bishop slapped a routine comebacker to Lambert, who promptly threw the ball out of the reach of Faircloth at third base, allowing 1B Dusty Quattlebaum to score. In the next at-bat, catcher Craig Manuel blooped a single into left field, plating RF Axel Johnson and Bishop. The Owls snatched a 3-1 lead after five frames.
Martinsville cut into the Owls' lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. With two outs and a runner on second base, SS Brad Vance scraped a grounder to third. Owls 3B Jordan Betts was unable to play the tricky hop and the ball escaped past him and into left field. Mustangs LF Shaun Ball hustled home, slicing the Mustangs' deficit down to 3-2.
Ryan Tezak relieved Hander in the seventh inning, pitching 1 1/3 innings of no-run, no-hit ball. Colby Suggs entered the game in the ninth inning with a one-run lead for his first shot at a save this season. Suggs struck out the last two Martinsville batters to earn his first save of the 2011 campaign.
Quattlebaum, Johnson, and Manuel were the Owls to muster a hit tonight. All three Owls hits came in the fifth inning. Manuel finished with two RBIs. Martinsville 2B A.J. Nunziato went 3-for-5.
The Owls return to Forest City tomorrow night, when they will face the West Division-leading Asheboro Copperheads, who possess the CPL's best record. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 PM at McNair Field.
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