Owls Notch 1st Home Win vs. Columbia, 6-4

June 5, 2011 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release


FOREST CITY, N.C. - The Forest City Owls achieved their first home victory of the 2011 Coastal Plain League campaign Sunday afternoon, dropping the Columbia Blowfish, 6-4, at McNair Field.

Brunswick Community College righty Michael Green was given the starting nod at the mound. He threw five innings, allowing three runs on five hits, striking out five batters and walking one. Green earned his first victory of the season. Blowfish reliever Alex Brooks took the loss.

Columbia got the scoring started in the first inning. Shortstop Will Callaway slapped a single to left field that scored center fielder DeMontez Jones. A couple at-bats later, third baseman Tyler Jackson grounded out to short, allowing right fielder Zack Smith to score. The Blowfish wrapped up the first inning ahead 2-0.

The Blowfish struck again in the top of the second. Left fielder Gabe Grammer flied out to center field, bringing home first baseman Robby Assemany. Columbia took a 3-0 lead into the third inning.

The Owls seemed to draw inspiration from an unlikely source. After head coach Matt Hayes was ejected in the second inning for arguing with the home plate umpire, the Owls outscored the Blowfish 6-1. Forest City got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, when first baseman Dusty Quattlebaum's double to right field scored second baseman Hector Crespo. Forest City cut the Columbia lead to 3-1 at the end of the third.

The bottom of the fourth was a fruitful, yet odd, inning for the Owls. Forest City scored all three of its runs without getting a hit. After Blowfish starter Ryan Gunther and reliever Brooks employed a combination of walks and hit batsmen to load the bases, Brooks plunked Owls center fielder Michael Bishop, allowing DH Greg Harrison to trot across home plate. Crespo's grounder retired Bishop at second, yet allowed shortstop Jake Watson to score. In the subsequent at-bat, left fielder Konstantine Diamaduros grounded out to second, bringing home catcher Dan Burant. After an unconventional fourth frame, the Owls led 4-3.

The Owls and Blowfish traded runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Forest City upped its lead to 5-3 in the fifth, when Jordan Betts' groundout to short scored right fielder Axel Johnson. Columbia answered in the sixth, when Crespo's error on Tyler Jackson's grounder allowed Callaway to score. Forest City led 5-4 heading into the seventh-inning stretch.

The Owls got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Johnson hit a single to left field that scored Bishop, although Crespo was thrown out at home plate on the same play.

Adam Izokovic entered the game in the ninth inning, protecting a 6-4 lead. He faced five batters, striking out three, and earned his second save of the season.

Johnson went 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Crespo went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Watson went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Smith and Callaway, who entered the game as the top two leaders in the CPL in batting average, went a combined 3-for-8 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored.

The Owls return to action tomorrow against the Thomasville Hi-Toms. First pitch from McNair Field is scheduled for 7:30 PM.

The Forest City Owls are a member of the Coastal Plain League, entering their 15th season in the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 15th season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 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 800 alumni drafted and 44 alums make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as cpleague).



Coastal Plain League Stories from June 5, 2011


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