by James Stanley, Wilson Tobs Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. – The Wilson Tobs (13-12, 3-2) fell 4-1 on the road Friday night to the Holly Springs Salamanders (16-12, 3-3) at Ting Stadium.

Wilson starting pitcher Matt Kavanaugh (Nova Southeastern) allowed Holly Springs to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st on an RBI groundout to shortstop off the bat of Cash Young (Georgia College) that plated Caleb Denny (Oral Roberts).

The Tobs took Kavanaugh off the hook for the loss by tying the game 1-1 in the top of the 3rd off Salamanders starting pitcher Braydon Tucker (Indiana) when Drew DeVine (Western Michigan) drove in Brainy Rojas (East Stroudsburg) on an RBI groundout.

In the 6th inning, Holly Springs jumped on Tobs reliever Paul Sullivan (Iona) with three consecutive hits to start out the frame. Baxter Halligan (Point Loma Nazarene) capped off the hit parade by driving an RBI double to left-centerfield that gave the Salamanders the lead 2-1.

Alex Barker (Monmouth) drove in two insurance runs to extend Holly Springs’ lead to 4-1 in the 8th when he blasted a two-run homerun to right field.

Hunter Stevens (Mount Olive) slammed the door in the 9th for the save on a pair of strikeouts to secure the 4-1 win for the Salamanders.

Andrew Davis (Oral Roberts) got the win for Holly Springs pitching 3.1 shutout and one-hit innings in relief on seven strikeouts.

Sullivan took the loss for Wilson allowing three runs in 3.0 innings pitched on six hits.

The Tobs return to the road on Saturday to take on the Morehead City Marlins in a double header at Big Rock Stadium. Both games of the twin-bill will run seven innings with game one starting at 5:00 p.m. ET and game two to follow 30 minutes after the completion of the first game. Fans can stream the doubleheader on FloBaseball.TV or listen to free radio coverage on Mixlr by clicking here.

The Wilson Tobs enter their 25th season as a founding member of the Coastal Plain League. The upcoming season for the Tobs will see community outreach, increased participation in helping the less fortunate, a Pettit Cup Championship team, and more exciting entertainment than ever before. We would like to dedicate each successful season to the Wilson Community, Coastal Plain League Organization, Host Families, Corporate Partners, and the Dedicated Fans.

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.