by James Stanley, Wilson Tobs Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting
WILSON, N.C. – The Wilson Tobs (3-0) capped off Memorial Day Weekend with a 7-2 win over the Fuquay-Varina Twins (1-1-1) on Sunday night at Historic Fleming Stadium.
Trevor Nicholson (Eastern Illinois) started on the mound for the Tobs. He finished the night facing the minimum while striking out three Twins in 2.0 innings pitched.
Wilson drew first blood in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Travious Ford (Barton College) led off the frame with a single. With one out, Bradeon Blackford (Purdue-Ft. Wayne) drove in Ford with a sacrifice fly and put the Tobs up 1-0.
During the next at-bat in the 3rd with a 1-2 count to Dylan Scaranda (Barton College), Twins starting pitcher Trey Deutsch (UNC-Greensboro) left the game with an injury. Deutsch finished the night pitching 2.2 innings and allowing one run on three hits. He was replaced by Fuquay-Varina reliever Peyton Brown (Campbell University).
Despite being no-hit through the first five innings, the Twins tied the game 1-1 in the 5th on a Jordan Daphney (Brunswick CC) RBI groundout to second base off Tobs reliever Zach Grace (Iona College).
Wilson responded in the bottom of the 5th by plating six runs to take a 7-1 lead. Scaranda started the two-out rally by stroking a bases-loaded single into right field that scored Chase Wullenweber (Tusculum) and Logan Eickhoff (Eastern Illinois). Zach Hogueisson (Tennessee Wesleyan) followed with a walk to re-load the bases and Logan Keller (Navy) cleared the bases with a double to extend the Tobs lead to five. Riley Jepson (UT-Tyler) capped off the six-run frame by driving in Keller from second base on a single to right field.
Matt Kavanaugh (Nova Southeastern) pitched the 6th inning in relief for the Tobs and carried the combined no-hitter through the frame on a pair of strikeouts.
Twins third baseman Jordan Montgomery (Catawba Valley CC) broke up the Tobs bid for a combined no-hitter in the 7th inning with an infield single off Blake Helmstetter (Iona College).
Fuquay-Varina plated one run in the 9th inning on an RBI single by Jacob Raybe (North Carolina Central), but came up short 7-2.
Grace finished the night pitching 2.0 innings on way to earning the win. He allowed one run on no hits and two walks while recording two strikeouts.
Brown took the loss for the Twins giving up six runs on five hits in 2.0 innings of work.
The Tobs open Coastal Plain League play against the Tri-City Chili Peppers on Monday night at 6:00 p.m. in Colonial Heights, Virginia. Fans can stream the game on FloBaseball.TV or listen to the Tobs road radio broadcast on Mixlr by clicking here.
The Tobs return home to Historic Fleming Stadium on Thursday, June 3 against the Tri-City Chili Peppers at 7:10 p.m. Come out to the ballpark to enjoy $1 select beer on Thirsty Thursday as well as Whirligig and Chamber Night. Chamber members can purchase pre-ordered tickets for $2.
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.