Pilots Hammer Generals 19-2
Published on August 2, 2016 under Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Peninsula Pilots News Release
PETERSBURG, Va. - Behind a 22-hit attack, the Peninsula Pilots hammered the Petersburg Generals 19-2 to win their sixth consecutive game on Tuesday night. The win clinched a guaranteed Pilots (34-16, 15-8) home playoff game in the first round of the Petitt Cup Playoffs on August 10 at War Memorial Stadium. The Generals (14-32, 5-13) dropped its eight consecutive game.
Kyle McPherson (James Madison) paced the 22-hit attack with four hits, two of them being home runs and adding seven RBIs. Charlie Cody (Virginia) added a perfect 5-for-5 day while Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) went 4-for-4 at the dish with four RBIs.
After a scoreless first inning, the Pilots found the scoreboard with two runs in the second inning. With two outs, Franco Guardascione (Jacksonville) singled to right-center followed by a walk to Josh Close (Liberty). Wrighte put the Pilots on the board with a two-run double to right field.
Peninsula tacked on another run in the third inning on a double play ball by newest Pilot, Nathan Eaton (VMI) to score Kurt Sinnen (Old Dominion).
The Pilots scored two more runs in the fourth inning to push the lead to 5-0. Wrighte knocked a one-out single and stole second before scampering home on an error. McPherson hit a solo home run to extend the lead to five.
Devin Hemmerich (Norfolk State) got the start for the Pilots and kept the Generals scoreless over four innings of two-hit ball. The left-hander struck out seven in the stint.
The Generals struck the scoreboard with two runs in the fifth inning. Sammy Miller (Longwood) hit a two-run single to score Reyes and Doyle to cut the deficit to three.
In the seventh inning, the Pilots tacked on another run with a RBI single by Guardascione who scored Cody to take a 6-2 lead.
Three runs in the eighth inning allowed the Pilots to receive some insurance. Wrighte led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a walk by Nick Walker (Old Dominion), who had four on the night. McPherson singled to left to score Wrighte. After two strikeouts, a successful double steal set up a two-run double by Cody for a 9-2 advantage.
The floodgates opened in the ninth inning as the Pilots scored 10 runs in the inning. Four consecutive walks to lead off the inning allowed a run to score. After a pitching change, McPherson greeted the new Generals pitcher with a grand slam over the left field wall. Darian Carpenter (VCU) followed with a solo shot over the left field wall to put the Pilots ahead 15-2. Cody followed with a walk before back-to-back singles by Eaton and Augustine loaded the bases once again. Hunter Taylor (South Carolina) drove in a run with a single and Wrighte followed with a two-run single to push the lead to 18-2. McPherson capped his spectacular night with his seventh RBI of the night, a single to center, to score Taylor for the final run of the night.
Behind a strong offense, the Pilots used a combination of pitchers to record its CPL leading 34th win of the season. Brett Smith (Old Dominion) improved to 5-1 on the season with two innings of two-run ball following Hemmerich. A trio of pitchers followed with scoreless inning to complete the lopsided victory. Alex Mauricio (Norfolk State) struck out two while Welby Malczewski (Auburn) struck out the side in the eighth inning before Michael Parmentier (Norfolk State) struck out one to close out the ninth.
After an off day on Wednesday, the Pilots return action on Thursday night as they host the Generals for a doubleheader beginning at 6:05 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium. 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
Coastal Plain League Stories from August 2, 2016
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