Tyler and Sharks Take Command of Generals, Win 6-1
May 30, 2015 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Wilmington Sharks News Release
Wilmington, NC - It was a game in which everything seemed to be going the way of the home team. The Petersburg Generals (1-3) fell to the Wilmington Sharks (2-2) by a score of 6-2 behind a phenomenal pitching performance by Cody Tyler (1-0) and an offense paced by Nick Rotola and Joe Bialkowski.
Cody Tyler (Wichita State) took the mound Saturday night for the first time in a long time following his recovery from the dreaded Tommy John surgery last spring, but appeared to be in mid-season form. Tyler would coast through 5.1 innings of work, striking out 11 Petersburg batters, holding the Generals off the scoreboard while yielding just a pair of base this.
"I just took the mound knowing I had to keep a positive mindset," says Tyler, "Coach Parker and I decided early that my off-speed pitch wasn't quite working tonight, so we kept hammering the strikezone with fastballs - working in some off-speed here and there, but ultimately, it was my fastball that was working for me."
The Generals' lone run came in the seventh off Corey Herndon, in relief of Cody Tyler.
Offensively, the Sharks picked up where they left off from Friday's victory in Morehead City. Nick Rotola (Oral Roberts) and the Wilmington Sharks would give Stephen Brooks (0-1) a tough time in the early goings of Saturday evening's game. Rotola singled on Brooks' first pitch of the game, before stealing his first of three bases. Brooks would walk Hayes Nelson (Longwood), and give up an RBI single to Alex Destino (S. Carolina) - Destino now has hits in three consecutive outings.
Troubles for Brooks continued in the first inning when Joe Bialkowski (Georgetown) would sit on a fastball, smoking one into right field to score Nelson easily. While facing the next batter, John Fallon (Harvard), Brooks would balk - scoring Destino and moving Bialkowski up to second, who would later move up to third on a wild pitch. Fallon poked one backside to score Bialkowski and collect an RBI. The carousel would continue when Brooks would issue free passes to Mark Gonzalez (Erskine College) and William Robbins (Francis Marion) before Coach Laney would remove Brooks from the ballgame.
Petersburg reliever Connor Alford had better luck than Brooks, allowing just a single hit in 3.1 IP, striking out three Sharks. Petersburg would roll Siweck, Busby, and Hinton out of the bullpen by night's end.
The Sharks would pick up insurance runs in the fifth and seventh. In the fifth, Nelson singled, stole a base, and was knocked home by Bialkowski, who tallied two RBIs of the evening. The last run would be collected in the seventh following a Nick Rotola single, two stolen bases, and an error on the Petersburg second baseman.
Wilmington Sharks take their rest Sunday before hosting the Morehead City Marlins for the first Belly Buster Monday of the year, during which fans can eat all they can from the concession stand for $10 on top of their ticket.
Coastal Plain League Stories from May 30, 2015
- Tyler and Sharks Take Command of Generals, Win 6-1 - Wilmington Sharks
- Tyler and Sharks Take Command of Generals, Win 6-1 - Wilmington Sharks
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