The Tobs (20-14) early lead wasn’t enough to hold off the Sharks (18-19) in Wilmington.

Another pitchers’ duel set the tone between Wilson and Wilmington, with Braxton Stewart leading the way for the Tobs. The left-hander tossed six scoreless innings, striking out four and keeping the Sharks off balance throughout his outing.

Wilson broke the deadlock in the sixth with a three-run burst. Matthew Williams reached third on a wild pitch and came home thanks to Carter Murphy. Levi McAllister followed with a sacrifice fly to bring in another run, and Jakhari Howard capped the rally with an RBI single to make it 3-0.

Wilson kept the pressure on as Jack Kail scored on an error by the Sharks’ shortstop, stretching the lead to 4-0. But the Sharks clawed their way back with a run in the seventh and four more to walk it off in the ninth, handing Wilson a heartbreaking 5-4 loss. 

Josh Wise, Carson Everette, Noah Arnett, and Matthew Mariano appeared in relief, but couldn’t hold off Wilmington’s late surge.

The Tobacconists are back in action against the Tri-City Chili Peppers at Historic Fleming Stadium on Saturday night. It will be Beach and Baseball Night with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m.