Pilots Defeat SwampDogs
July 20, 2016 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Peninsula Pilots News Release
HAMPTON, Va. - The Peninsula Pilots triumphed 10-5 over the East Division Fayetteville Swamp Dogs in a tit-for-tat battle on Wednesday night at War Memorial Stadium. The Dogs (12-26, 3-9) jumped on the board in the first with a leadoff homerun by Suffolk native Kieton Rivers (Coastal Carolina), but the Pilots (27-13, 8-5) matched Fayetteville in the second inning. Darian Carpenter (VCU) drew a walk and was moved to third by a single through the right side by Kyle McPherson (JMU). Logan Augustine (Lincoln Memorial) then reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Carpenter.
After the Dogs put up two more runs in the top of the third, the Pilots battled back with an RBI single up the middle by Joe Poduslenko (Seton Hall), scoring Shepherd, who was hit by a pitch.
LHP Welby Malczewski (Auburn) took the hill with two outs in the third inning to relieve Caleb Evans (Liberty). After retiring the final batter of the inning, Malczewski shut the Swamp Dogs down for four consecutive innings, providing some vital relief for the Pilots to tie the game once more. Chris Gau (Jacksonville) led off with a double down the left field line and was quickly singled home by Shepherd in the fifth inning. Kurt Sinnen (Old Dominion) and Carpenter both added two more singles, but the Pilots' fifth inning threat stopped there.
The bottom of the seventh sealed the deal for the Pilots, as four runs were added to the board. Sinnen led off with a solo bomb over the right field wall. Poduslenko reached on a bunt single and Carpenter drew a walk for the second time of the night setting up McPherson's two-run double. McPherson advanced to third on a balk from Courtney Mack (Catonsville) and added the seventh run on a single from Augustine.
The Dogs did not go down without a fight, adding a pair of two-out runs to the board and closing the gap 7-5. Michael Bell (Georgia) doubled down the right field line, advancing Logan Corrigan (JMU) who reached on a walk. Hunter Morris (Eastern Illinois) singled up the middle, scoring both runners.
The Pilots made short work of their mere two run lead, outdoing the Dogs in the bottom of the eighth with three runs of their own. Sinnen, proving to be the offensive frontrunner of the game, slapped a double to a vacated left field to score both Gau and Shepherd. Poduslenko echoed Sinnen with the second double of the half inning, scoring pinch runner Connor Sorge (Central Missouri) and increasing the Pilots' cushion to five runs.
RHP Joel Taylor (Southeastern Missouri State) closed the game in the top of the ninth. A shaky outing did not cause him to lose his composure, as he finished the inning and the game with the bases loaded and no runs earned. Supported by the depth of the Pilots bullpen, Malczewski evened his record to 2-2 on the season.
The Pilots will face the Edenton Steamers for another home game on Thirsty Thursday for Jersey Night, where Pilots fans are encouraged to wear their favorite jerseys to the ballpark. For more information regarding the season, please visit www.peninsulapilots.com. For up to the minute details on Pilots Baseball be sure to "Like" us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @PeninsulaPilots. Use the #PilotsNation to spread the word about the Pilots!
The Coastal Plain League is the nation's premier summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 20th season in 2016, the CPL features 16 teams playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had nearly 1,300 alumni drafted and 87 of those - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut; while another notable alum - Russell Wilson - won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com and follow us via Twitter @CPLBaseball.
• Discuss this story on the Coastal Plain League message board...
Coastal Plain League Stories from July 20, 2016
- Pilots Defeat SwampDogs - Peninsula Pilots
- Fish Win Third Straight - Lexington County Blowfish
- Sharks Pitching Stifles Marlins Offense - Wilmington Sharks
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
