Updated August 06 2017
Martinsville welcomed in High Point-Thomasville tonight in front a packed house at Hooker Field. With the Mustangs hosting their annual Community Giveback Night along with Strikeout Cancer Night, Martinsville defeated the HiToms 9-7. The game featured some early fireworks from the Mustangs offense that hit three consecutive home runs in the first inning.
Dylan Spacke made the start for the Mustangs. After pitching against the HiToms in two previous games, Spacke tried to bounce back with a strong performance.
In the first inning the HiToms took a 1-0 lead after a couple of hits. The RBI single came from Mason McClellan.
The Mustangs responded in the home half of the first against Riley Isenhour (4-2). A one-out double by Matt Berler set up Keaton Weisz who singled to tie the game. The hit by Weisz also extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
Zach Michalski followed with a single and that brought up Lee Sponseller who had yet to homer at Hooker Field this summer. Sponseller, who was playing in his last game of the summer got a pitch from Isenhour and drove it over the left field wall for a three-run shot. Sponseller finished a triple shy of the cycle.
Zach Weatherford was next for the Mustangs. The redshirt sophomore from Wright State took Isenhour over the left field wall on a line shot to make it 5-1. Josh Smith followed with a deep fly ball over the head of the right fielder Kip Brandenburg. The ball bounced away from Brandenburg and Smith came all the way around for an inside-the-park home run. The three consecutive home runs made it 6-1 Martinsville.
Spacke surrendered a run in the third inning but nothing more and the Mustangs led 6-2.
In the fourth inning Martinsville got a one out double from Berler and then an RBI triple from Weisz to make it 7-2. The Mustangs added another run after a sacrifice fly from Zach Michalski.
The HiToms would answer with three runs in the fifth inning. A two-run double by Evan Edwards scored Howard and Brandenburg to make it 8-4. Spacke finished with four innings while allowing five earned runs.
Patrick Orlando took over with nobody out but limited the damage to just one run after getting EP Reese to ground out.
Orlando (2-1) went 2.1 scoreless innings while holding the HiToms without a hit. Coach Higginbotham went back to his bullpen in the seventh with Edwards coming to the plate.
The lefty out of Faulkner, Preston Szuch got Edwards to ground out and went on to throw 1.2 scoreless innings for the Mustangs.
Martinsville added a run in the seventh after an error by HiToms reliever Zach Dinkins. That run proved to loom large as High Point-Thomasville mounted a rally in the ninth.
Martinsville led 9-5 in the ninth but after a couple of hits and an error by the Mustangs, the HiToms found themselves with the go-ahead run at the plate. Freshman Connor Riley didn’t break and was able to get Tyler Niemann to line out to third for the final out. Riley earned his second save of the season.
With the win Martinsville went to 22-31 while High Point-Thomasville saw their record drop to 29-23.
Martinsville travels to Holly Springs on Sunday before wrapping up the season against Savannah on Monday in Martinsville.
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:Nathan Loprete
Phone:5404244426