Sharks fall to Catawba Valley in exhibition matchup
Published on July 21, 2011 under Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Wilmington Sharks News Release
The Wilmington Sharks stepped out of Coastal Plain League action on Thursday night to take on the Catawba Valley Stars in an exhibition contest. The Sharks treated the game as an off day for seemingly every regular, as they fell by a 10-2 score.
The different-looking Sharks offense tallied only three hits in the game, while the interesting defensive configurations saw four errors.
The game's final tally saw four position players pitch and three pitchers play the field, four if you include starting pitcher Mat Batt's at-bat in the ninth.
Alex Freedman, the Sharks normal second baseman, was the designated hitter and had two at-bats, finishing 0-for-2, before exiting. Kenny Bryant started in center field before moving to left field later in the game, and he tallied one hit as part of a 1-for-3 night that saw him exit after seven innings.
Aaron Preston was one of the only Sharks regulars to play the entire game, finishing 1-for-4, but he finished the game on the mound in the ninth as the final Wilmington pitcher of the night.
Scott Coleman tallied one hit on the night, a double in the second inning, that drove home the Sharks first run.
Eric Mayers, part of the Sharks catching rotation, played three positions in the contest, starting behind the plate before pitching 2-1/3 innings and finishing the night in right field. At the plate he finished 0-for-4, but on the mound he struck out four Catawba Valley batters.
K.J. McAllister was another Shark to see time in the field and on the mound before his night was complete. He finished 0-for-1 at the plate, but allowed only five hits over three innings of work on the mound while picking up a strikeout.
A couple pitchers, Chris Dula and Tommy Houmard, fared well at the plate throughout the night. Dula, who played left field and third base, finished 0-for-2 but drew a walk and scored, while Houmard, playing shortstop and centerfield, was 0-for-1 with two walks on his statline.
Stephen Vaughan, another Sharks pitcher, came into the game in the eighth and played left field the final two innings, drew a walk in his only plate appearance.
The Sharks scored the night's first run in the second inning when Emilio Pagan walked before scoring from first base on Coleman's double to left-center one batter later.
After Catawba Valley scored two runs in the fourth inning, the Sharks tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Dula and Houmard reached on back-to-back walks with two outs before McAllister put a ball in play that was an error by the Catawba Valley second baseman that allowed Dula to score from second base.
The sixth inning was the big inning for Catawba Valley, as they scored five runs as 10 batters came to the plate and they tallied two hits and were aided by two Sharks errors.
For good measure, Catawba Valley added three runs in the ninth on three hits and a Sharks error to provide the final score.
The Wilmington Sharks jump back into CPL play Friday night when they host the Fayetteville Swampdogs in a pivotal game in the South Division standings. The Sharks came into Thursday a half game ahead of Fayetteville in the division but kept the same record with the exhibition. Fayetteville won at home against Florence to jump the Sharks and take a half game lead going into Friday night.
Friday night's game will also be McDonald's McJersey McAuction Night at the Shark Tank where the Sharks will be auctioning off every players jersey on the main concourse and online via the link at the top of the team's homepage, http://wilmingtonsharks.com/, with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina.
It will also be Yeungling Flash Drive giveaway night as the gates open at 6 p.m. with first pitch scheduled for 7:05.
Coastal Plain League Stories from July 21, 2011
- HiToms use 11 innings to down Owls - High Point-Thomasville HiToms
- Blowfish Lose Offensive Battle to Marlins - Lexington County Blowfish
- Wilson Prevails in Slugfest - Wilson Tobs
- Sharks fall to Catawba Valley in exhibition matchup - Wilmington Sharks
- Fayetteville Snaps Losing Streak with 8-1 Win over Florence - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Ryan Mathews Breaks Tobs Single-Season HR Record - Wilson Tobs
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