Sharks Ride Tsunami of Success, Defeat Florence 6-1
July 31, 2014 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Wilmington Sharks News Release
Wilmington, NC - The Wilmington Sharks (23-29) would mash eleven hits as they picked up their third consecutive victory after defeating the Florence RedWolves (35-17) on Thursday night as they try to push their way into the Coastal Plain League's Petit Cup Playoffs. This week, the Sharks have defeated the Peninsula Pilots, the number one seed from the CPL East, as well as topping the number one seed from the CPL West Thursday.
Sam Foy led the offensive onslaught going 3-4 with a double and an RBI, scoring a run of his own. Also in the game, Michael Montville knocked his sixth round-tripper of the year and has homered in back-to-back games for the first time all summer. Foy and Montville weren't the only active bats Thursday night.
Wilmington's offense hit the ground running in the first when designated hitter Kevin Husum knocked a double to right field, scoring Steven Linkous from first for the game's first run. Things would progress quietly until the top of the fourth inning, where emotions would run high.
RedWolves left fielder Joseph Bialkowski smoked a ball to Shawn Sanders at second, who dove to his right and threw out Bialkowski from the seat of his pants on a close play at first. Florence head coach Blake Maxwell stormed across the diamond to give umpire John Durante a piece of his mind. Maxwell was livid, towering over Durante, and was tossed from the game without much hesitation. He would retreat to the dugout, continuing to argue his case non-verbally by throwing bats, balls, and helmets onto the playing field. The game would pause briefly until the equipment was removed from the side of the diamond.
The Sharks would ride this momentum into the home half of the inning as Jacob Milliman issued a free pass to Nate Moorhouse, bringing up Wilmington slugger Michael Montville. With a 2-1 count, Montville sat on a fastball and unleashed a behemoth over the fence in right center field to put the Sharks up 3-0.
The offense was far from finished, as the Sharks picked up two more runs on RBI singles from Sam Foy and Shawn Sanders in the sixth off Florence reliever Frenando Pinillios.
Jon Olczak produced a gem of a game on the hill Thursday night. The righty would go eight complete innings, allowing just a single run on five Florence hits, striking out six batters in the process.
Trusty Sharks closer Kyler Stout continued to be a force to be reckoned with in the ninth inning, striking out the side. Stout now has 44 strikeouts in 24.2 innings of work, and an ERA of 0.38
Wilmington hits the road for a contest with the Wilson Tobs Friday before returning home Saturday for the last meeting between the two teams for the final home game of the regular season.
Coastal Plain League Stories from July 31, 2014
- Marlins Swept in Twin Bill with SwampDogs - Morehead City Marlins
- Blowfish Close out "The Cap" with a 4-2 Victory - Lexington County Blowfish
- Dogs Sweep Twinbill with Marlins - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Sharks Ride Tsunami of Success, Defeat Florence 6-1 - Wilmington Sharks
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