Updated July 23 2017
Forest City captured a huge pair of wins on the road against High Point-Thomasville on Sunday night.
The Owls (26-15, 7-7) won both seven-inning games of the doubleheader, handing the HiToms (25-17, 12-3) their first back-to-back losses of the second half.
Game 1:
Forest City fell behind early as High Point scored a run in the 1st against Owls starting pitcher Alex Moore (Eckerd).
Moore walked in a run with the bases loaded to put the HiToms up 1-0 before getting out of the jam moments later.
After the 1st, the game entered a weather delay. There was no rain, but lightening in the area prevented the game from continuing for almost two hours.
As the game resumed, the first Owl that came to the plate was Chris Chatfield (South Florida). Chatfield tied the game with a solo homerun (7) to right to make it 1-1.
Following the weather delay, Kaleb McCurry (Mars Hill) took over for Forest City on the mound.
McCurry was outstanding, tossing six scoreless innings, allowing two hits, while fanning four High Point batters.
In the 5th, the Owls took their first lead on an RBI sacrifice fly by Tyler Miller (Anderson). Hunter Parker (East Tennessee State), who tripled moments before, came in to score, making it 2-1.
McCurry sent the HiToms down in order in the 7th, capping off the win with a diving catch by Chatfield in left for the final out.
Following the win, Forest City had to shift their focus to game two, which followed 30 minutes after game one.
Game 2:
The Owls carried their momentum from game one immediately into game two, piling on seven runs in the first two innings.
High Point starting pitcher Robby Casey (Pitt CC) only lasted one inning, as he surrendered three runs in the opening frame of the contest.
Seth Hoagland (Iona) launched a two-run homerun (3) to left, to put the Owls up 2-0. Moments later, Chris Chatfield (South Florida) followed suit with a solo blast (8) as Forest City hit back-to-back homeruns for the first time of the season.
On the mound, Forest City looked to left-hander Danny Poidomani (Stevens Institute). He pitched five innings on the hill, surrendering three runs on five hits, while striking out six.
The HiToms got one run back in the bottom half of the 1st, as Mason McClellan (Columbus State) doubled to bring in a run to score.
Forest City responded in the 2nd, putting up four runs on one swing of the bat. AJ Wright (UMBC) hit a grand slam (3) to left, making it 7-1 Owls in the 2nd. The four run blast is Forest City’s first grand slam of the season.
High Point added one run in the 2nd and 3rd to make it 7-3, but Poidomani cruised through his final two frames before handing the ball to the bullpen in the 6th.
In the 4th, Forest City made it 8-3 as an error brought in Tyler Miller (Anderson) to score after a fly out by Hoagland.
Landon Whitson (Lenoir-Rhyne) took over for Forest City on the mound, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
In the 7th, the Owls added one last insurance run on an RBI groundout by Chase Barbary (Western Carolina) that brought in Carson Jones (Lander) to score.
Whitson sent the HiToms down in order in the bottom half of the inning to give Forest City a 9-3 victory, capping off a doubleheader sweep against High Point-Thomasville.
The Owls return to action tomorrow on the road against the Gastonia for a doubleheader. Game one is a resumption of a rain out last Tuesday, as the contest will start in the 4th, with Forest City on top 3-0.
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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