by James Stanley, Wilson Tobs Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting
WILSON N.C. – The Wilson Tobs (4-3, 1-3 CPL) snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday night defeating the Tri-City Chili Peppers (2-4) 6-1 at Historic Fleming Stadium in their CPL home opener.
Dusty Baker (Mount Olive) put the Tobs on the board 1-0 in the 3rd when he drove in Braedon Blackford (Purdue-Ft. Wayne) on an RBI double.
Wilson added a run in the bottom of the 4th to lead 2-0 on a Riley Cameron (Wheeling University) double that drove in Jared Carr (Shepherd).
Tri-City responded with a run in the top of the 5th to trail 2-1 on a solo homerun by catcher Willie Havens (Elon). Havens’ homerun broke up a no-hitter bid by Tobs starting pitcher Jake Lewis (Eastern Kentucky) that he carried through the 4th inning on eight strikeouts.
Zach Hogueisson (Tennessee Wesleyan) drove in Carr in the 6th inning to extended Wilson’s lead 3-1.
The Chili Peppers threatened to score in the top of the 8th when Tobs reliever Dawson Smith (Kaskaskia College) dealt a walk to Lorgan Jarvis (Belmont) to load the bases with two outs. Steven Worley (Mount Olive) came out of the bullpen to relieve Smith and got Carson Jones (Virginia Tech) to ground out to end the frame. Worley finished the night with 0.1 innings pitched on way to receiving the hold.
With two on and no outs in the bottom of the 8th, Riley Jepson (UT-Tyler) walked to load the bases. Hogueisson followed by driving in two insurance runs on a double to put the Tobs in front by four runs. Jepson scored the final run of the night on a throwing error by Tri-City third baseman Ben Williamson (William & Mary) to give Wilson a 6-1 lead.
Lewis earned the win for the Tobs pitching 5.0 innings on 10 strikeouts. He allowed one run that was earned on two hits and two walks.
Hogueisson finished the night 2-4 with three RBIs.
Chili Peppers starting pitcher Jonathan Draheim (University of Mary) took the loss giving up two runs on five hits in 3.2 innings pitched.
Next up, the Tobs hit the road on Sunday to take on the Holly Springs Salamanders at 5:40 p.m. ET. Fans can stream the game on FloBaseball.TV or listen to the road game for free on Mixlr by clicking here.
The Tobs return home on Tuesday, June 8 to take on the Peninsula Pilots at 7:00 p.m. ET. Come out to the ballpark for the first All You Can Eat Tuesday of the season and Fan Favorite Trivia. Gates open at 6.
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.