Owls Top Pilots for 8th Victory in a Row
June 25, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
Hampton, VA- A two and half hour rain delay couldn't cool down the hottest offense in the Coastal Plain League. The Forest City Owls erupted for five runs in the first inning, en route to a 9-6 win over the Peninsula Pilots on Monday night. The game was pushed back due to heavy rains that fell in the early evening hours and the resulting work that needed to be done to get the field playable.
Five of Forest City's six runs came with two outs in the 1st inning. Gunnar Heidt was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. After T.J. Sutton flied out, Heidt advanced to second base on a groundout by Nate Chong. Then, the fireworks started to go off when Alex Close doubled down the right field line, scoring Heidt. Stephen Tarkenton was hit by a pitch and Bryan Aanderud followed with a double, scoring Close. Will Chandler polished off the frame with a three-run homer to right field, his second long ball of the season.
The Pilots refused to go away however, scoring runs in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings. Drake Thomason surrendered the first four runs to Peninsula, with two of them coming as unearned runs. Dimitri Kourtis made his first appearance with the Owls out of the bullpen, and gave up a run in the 6th inning that cut Forest City's lead down to one.
Peninsula threatened again with the bases loaded and just one out in the bottom of the 7th inning. Jason Driver came on and got a gift double play on a failed safety squeeze attempt from D.J. Martinez. Ryan Welke made the catch for the Owls, then doubled up the runner at third base to end the inning.
Forest City went without a hit from the 2nd until the 8th inning. Justin Bryan and Nick McQuail added RBI singles in that inning to put the Owls back up by four. Peninsula picked up a run in the 8th, setting up Nate Cudney who pitched a perfect 9th inning for his first save of the year. Close's 1st inning double extended his hit streak to nine games, the longest by an Owl in 2012.
The Owls road trip continues tomorrow with in Edenton with a battle of the two first-place teams in the Coastal Plain League. 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 51 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 June 25, 2012
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