Updated July 21 2017
Forest City and High Point-Thomasville met on Thursday night at McNair Field for a doubleheader clash. The two teams split the seven inning contests, as game two stretched until after midnight. The HiToms (24-15, 11-1) carried a ten game winning streak into the night, still unbeaten in the second half of the season.
Game 1:
Forest City (24-13, 5-5) struggled in game one of the doubleheader, as they were held scoreless throughout the contest.
The Owls looked to Zac Brown (Mars Hill) on the mound. Brown kept Forest City in the game, surrendering two runs in four innings of work.
Unfortunately for Brown, he received no help from his offense. The Owls stranded runners in scoring position in three of seven frames.
The highlight of the game was in the 4th, when the HiToms turned a 5-4-3 triple play to get out of a jam.
High Point starter Clay Young (Catawba) was magnificent on the mound, tossing six scoreless innings while striking out three batters.
Ultimately, Forest City’s offense never got started, as the Owls fell in game one of the doubleheader 4-0. With the win, the HiToms extended their winning streak to 11 games.
Game 2:
Game two lasted three and a half hours, included six pitchers, ten innings, seven runs, 12 hits and 20 men left on base.
The marathon started just after 9:00 p.m. as Owls starting pitcher Charlie Ruegger (Stevens Institute) climbed the hill.
Ruegger tossed five innings, surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out eight batters.
Forest City jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Seth Hoagland (Iona) that drove in Tyler Miller (Anderson).
Hoagland was stranded at third to end the inning, where he was with nobody out in the frame.
In the 2nd, the visiting HiToms took over the lead. First, an RBI single by Tyler Niemann (Morehead State) tied the game at 1-1.
Moments later, Niemann came into score on an RBI groundout by Cole Jackson (Spartanburg Methodist) to make it 2-1.
The HiToms kept their lead until the 7th, where Forest City was down to their final two outs before they tied the game. Joel McDaniel (Appalachian State) hit his first homerun of the year to tie the game at 2-2, sending the contest to extra innings.
In the late innings, Forest City relievers Connor Dailey (Lenoir-Rhyne) and Daniel Kight (North Greenville) took over.
Dailey and Kight both maneuvered out of bases loaded jams in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings to keep the Owls in the contest.
Kight sent the HiToms down in order in the 9th and 10th, setting up late-inning heroics for Forest City in the 10th.
In the 10th, the first two Owls got on base for Chris Chatfield (South Florida). Chatfield launched a three run homerun to right field to win the game for Forest City, 5-2. It’s the first walk-off homerun of the season for the Owls.
“I was just trying to stay relaxed,” Chatfield said. “That last at bat, I was just locked in and trying to get the team a win.”
The win ends an 11 game winning streak for High Point, a league high in consecutive wins this season and a franchise record for the HiToms.
“It was a good bounce-back win,” Owls head coach Matt Reed said. “I couldn’t really ask for more out of these guys. We just have to keep playing the game the way we play and compete.”
Forest City returns to action tomorrow to take on the Martinsville Mustangs at 7:05 p.m. on the road. Tune in for coverage throughout the game on the Forest City Owls Radio Network.
To find out more about 2017 or 2018 Owls Season Tickets, please contact the Owls Office at 828-245-0000 or visit the website at www.forestcitybaseball.com.
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:Zachary Penrice
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