Owls Walkoff vs. Thomasville, 7-6
July 23, 2011 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Forest City Owls News Release
FOREST CITY, N.C. - Dusty Quattlebaum (Gardner-Webb) played the hero tonight at McNair Field, providing the walkoff RBI single that rocketed the Forest City Owls to victory over the Thomasville Hi-Toms, 7-6. The Owls improve to 10-8 in the second half and 26-19 overall, while the Hi-Toms fall to 12-7 in the second half and 26-21 overall. Thomasville now owns a 1 ½ game lead over Forest City in the West Division standings.
The Owls sent ace right-hander Seth Cutler-Voltz (Virginia Commonwealth) to the mound. Cutler-Voltz struggled, allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits in six innings, recording three strikeouts and one walks. Thomasville called on Kyle Barbeck (Missouri), who worked five innings and gave up six runs on ten hits, striking out three batters and walking two.
D.J. Thomas (N.C. State) turned in a strong performance out of the Forest City bullpen. Thomas tossed the last three innings of the ballgame, striking out seven batters and allowing one run on one hit. Thomas finished with his third victory of the season. Thomasville's Cole Sturgeon (Louisville) took his first loss of the summer.
The Owls exploded out of the gates in the first inning. Danny Canela (N.C. State) doubled to center field, scoring Konstantine Diamaduros (Wofford). In the following at-bat, Craig Manuel (Rice) singled to right field, bringing Canela home. Forest City led 2-0 at the end of the first inning. The Hi-Toms would tie things up with a pair of runs in the top of the second, when Garrett Koster (Elon) doubled home Patrick Koontz (UNC Asheville) and Jacob Fisher (Southeastern Louisiana).
The Owls scored a run in the bottom of the fourth on Michael Basil's (Indiana) RBI double, leading to an explosive fifth inning. Facing a 3-2 deficit, Thomasville scored three runs, starting with Brock Hebert's (Southeastern Louisiana) RBI single that plated James Harris (Wake Forest). Three at-bats later, Fisher smoked a double into right field, sending Tanner Mathis (Ole Miss) and Hebert racing across the plate. The Hi-Toms took a 5-3 lead at the game's halfway point.
Forest City answered with its own trio of runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Owls kicked off the inning with three straight singles, loading the bases with nobody out. Newcomer Justin Britt (Southeastern CC) lofted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Reed Harper (Austin Peay) from third. Two at-bats later, Jordan Betts (Duke) laced a double down the left field line, sending Canela home and tying the game at 5-5. The Owls took the lead on Basil's infield single that scored Manuel. The Owls finished the fifth ahead 6-5.
Thomasville would deadlock the proceedings in the top of the eighth. Koster crushed a leadoff home run off Thomas, setting the stage for drama in the bottom of the ninth. Sturgeon took the mound for Thomasville in the ninth inning, walking Canela to lead things off. Cameron Conner (N.C. State) came on to pinch run for Canela and advanced to second on Manuel's sacrifice bunt. On the next at-bat, Britt reached on a throwing error by Hi-Toms SS Stephen Carmon (USC Aiken). With runners on the corners and one out, Quattlebaum stepped up to the plate. The Owls 1B rocketed a line drive into left-center field, sending Conner home and clinching the victory for Forest City.
Canela, Manuel, Betts, and Basil each had two hits for Forest City. Koster went 3-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs for Thomasville.
The Owls and Hi-Toms will square off again tomorrow night at Thomasville. First pitch at Finch Field is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
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Coastal Plain League Stories from July 23, 2011
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