Updated July 29 2017
On Saturday, the Tobs earned a split of a doubleheader with the Morehead City Marlins, moving to 7-14 in the CPL second half and 16-33 overall on the season.
Game one was picked up in the top half of the fifth inning, as the suspended game from July 4th was resumed. Morehead City led the game 9-3 in the top of the innings, and would go on to win the ballgame by an 11-6 score.
Ted Stuka (UC San Diego) was on the mound for the Tobs, as the fifth inning resumed with the bases loaded and nobody out. Stuka managed to get out of the inning allowing only one run. The right-hander would pitch the remainder of the ballgame for the Tobs, going five innings, and allowing only one run in the fifth and one in the top of the eighth. Stuka allowed five hits across five innings, striking out three and walking four.
Offensively, the Tobs added three runs after the suspension of the game on Saturday. Nick Kitzmann (UC San-Diego) led off the bottom of the fifth with a double down the right field line, and the next man up Brady Lloyd (ECU) doubled in Kitzmann, making it a 10-4 ballgame.
In the seventh, the Tobs added a run when Kitzmann was hit by a pitch with one out, and four batters later, after another hit batsmen and a walk, Jake Holtzapple (UNC) drew a walk with the bases loaded, scoring the Tobs fifth run and making it a 10-5 score.
In the eighth, the Tobs got their final run of the ballgame, when Josh Ladowski (UNC) hit his first home run of the year, a solo shot to right field, to make the score 11-6.
—
In game two of the doubleheader, the Tobs got a complete game for the second time in five games, as Jakob Ryan (George Mason) went the distance (seven innings), allowing only one run on three hits, striking out two and walking three. The only run of the game for Morehead City scored in the top of the sixth inning, when Marlins shortstop Nick Podkul (Notre Dame) walked to lead off the inning. After stealing second base and advancing to third on an interference call against Tobs’ second baseman AJ Hunt (NC A&T), Podkul came across on an RBI groundout from Daulton Weeks (USC-Aiken) to make it a 3-1 ballgame. Ryan picked up the win in game two, moving to 3-2 on the season.
Offensively, game two was the Dawnoven Smith show. Smith (NC A&T) drove in all three Tobs runs on the night to push his RBI total to 19 for the season. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the game still scoreless, Smith launched a two-run homer to left off of Morehead City starter Nolan Clenney (NC State) to give the Tobs a 2-0 lead. With his fifth home run of the year, Smith avenged last night’s home run not counting at Peninsula, as Friday his home run was hit after the last completed inning (fifth inning) came to a close.
After the homer, Smith wasn’t done. In the bottom of the fifth, with runners on first and second, Smith hit a soft liner through the right side of the Marlin infield, scoring Andre Nnebe (Santa Clara) to extend the Tobs lead to 3-0.
The Tobs are off Sunday, and will begin a three-game road trip Monday, first with a visit to Morehead City to take on the Marlins from Puck O’Neal Field at Big Rock Stadium. First pitch Monday is set for 7pm.
The Wilson Tobs enter their 21st season as an original member within the Coastal Plain League for the 2017 summer. The upcoming season for the Tobs will see an expanded community outreach effort, increased participation in helping the less fortunate and more exciting entertainment for the Wilson Community. We would like to dedicate each successful season to the Wilson Community, Coastal Plain League Organization, Host Families, Sponsors Partners and the Dedicated Fans throughout the city of Wilson. The Wilson Tobs have played host to over 100 alumni taken in the draft and have produced a dozen players who have gone on to play in the MLB, including Cy Young & MVP winner Justin Verlander. For more information on the Wilson Tobs, visit our website www.wilsontobs.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:- Will Hibbard
Phone:252-291-8627