Updated June 16 2017
The Peninsula Pilots mounted a late rally but fell short as they dropped a 6-4 contest to the Edenton Steamers on Friday night at Historic Hicks Field.
The Pilots (11-4) trailed by five runs in the ninth inning before a furious rally brought the Pilots back into the ballgame. Back-to-back solo home runs by Drake McNamara (Southern Indiana) and Kieton Rivers (Coastal Carolina) started the inning to cut the deficit by three. After a pitching change, the Pilots were down to their final out before Drew Delsignore (Mercyhurst) kept the inning alive with a double. After a walk to Jonathan Embry (Liberty), Matt Schneider (Mercyhurst) brought the Pilots within two with a single to right. Chris Lehane (Jacksonville) followed with a walk to load the bases but a strikeout ended the game.
Billy Wilson (Loyola Marymount) gave the Steamers (9-7) an early 4-0 lead with two-run home runs in both the first and second inning.
In the fifth, the Steamers tacked on a run with a RBI single by Chris Williams (San Jose State) to go ahead 5-0.
After six innings of being held off the scoreboard, the Pilots put together a string of hits to plate their first run. Kieton Rivers (Coastal Carolina) knocked a two-out double and came around to score on a RBI single by Scott Dubrule (Jacksonville).
Jason Agresti (Binghamton) hit a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to push the lead back to five.
On the mound, Taylor Varnell (Oral Roberts) got the call to start for the Pilots against their arch-rivals. The left-hander gave up four runs in three innings and struck out five to fall to 0-1 on the season. Nolan Flachofsky followed with a scoreless inning before giving the ball to Nick Spadafino (Delaware). The right-hander gave up two runs and struck out five in three innings of work. Nathan Eaton (VMI) followed with a scoreless eighth inning.
Kelvan Pilot kept one of the CPL’s strongest offense quiet by only allowing two hits and striking out three over five innings. Pilot moved to 2-0 on the season with the strong outing.
On Saturday night, the Pilots will host Wilmington for Father’s Day Game and our $10,000 prize giveaway night!
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. Also, be sure to download the Peninsula Pilots mobile app available for both iPhone and Android users! 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 22nd season in 2018, the CPL features 16 teams playing in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL has had over 1,450 alumni drafted and 111 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 Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @CPLBaseball..Contact:Taylor Sherrill
Phone:757-245-2222