Updated July 17 2017
The Asheboro Copperheads made the Hi-Toms work a little harder Monday night, but in the end the visitors from High Point-Thomasville won their ninth straight game to remain unbeaten in the second half of the CPL season.
The Hi-Toms (9-0, 22-14) built a five-run lead early, then held off the Copperheads in the late innings to claim a 6-4 victory at McCrary Park. Asheboro got the winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, but a soft grounder to second with two aboard ended the game.
It was not only the ninth straight overall win for the Hi-Toms, but their third straight against the Copperheads. The two teams will finish off a rare four-game set Tuesday night at Finch Field in Thomasville.
The Copperheads (3-7, 14-24) trailed 4-0 until catcher Vito Friscia (Hofstra) smashed a solo homer in the last of the fifth to cut the deficit to three, but the Hi-Toms came right back for a pair in the top of the sixth to make it 6-1. From there, Asheboro began to chip away, scoring two in the seventh and one in the eighth. Friscia had another RBI on a single and Caleb Webster (UNC Greensboro) brought another in with a SAC fly to make it 6-3. Derek Perry’s RBI single in the eighth made it 6-4, but the Copperheads left the bases full and in the ninth stranded two more runners.
After pounding 10 home runs in the first two games of the series, the Hi-Toms hit only one Monday night, but it was a two-run homer in the third by DH Evan Edwards (NC State) that made it 4-0.
Friscia and first baseman Kirby Lambert (Pfeiffer) had two hits each for the Copperheads.
The Hi-Toms used six pitchers, with Chase Martin (Lamar) getting the win after working out of the seventh-inning jam. Starter Bryce Tassin (SE Louisiana) went six innings and took the loss for the Copperheads. Leon Hunter (NC A&T) came out of the bullpen to pitch three scoreless and hitless innings for Asheboro, striking out five.
David Camp
Phone:(336) 460-7018