HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C.
The Holly Springs Salamanders outlasted the Edenton Steamers 14-10 in a slugfest Tuesday night at the North Main Athletic Complex.
The Salamanders jumped out first to a 6-0 lead as they got hits from Tripp Shelton (Junior, UNC-Greensboro) and a three-run homerun from Austin LaFollette (Redshirt-Freshman, UNC-Wilimington). The Steamers then got hits from Connor Kopach (Redshirt-Junior, Southern Illinois) who had a RBI double and James Battley (Redshirt-Junior, Illinois-Springfield) who also had an RBI double to make the score 8-6.
The Salamanders then clawed their way back as they got huge hits from Austin LaFollette who doubled to make the score 8-7, Jack Conley (Sophomore, N.C. State) who doubled to make it 8-8, Josh Hollander (Sophomore, Kent State) whose sacrifice fly allowed the Salamanders to take the lead and Zach Piazza (Sophomore, Limestone College) who double to make it 10-8. The Steamers would make it close as one of their batters got hit by a pitch to make it 10-9 but it was the closest that they would get as the Salamanders would pull away after that. The Salamanders would pull away to make the final score of 14-10 stand as they got their final runs from an error, RBI groundout and single.
The Salamanders pitching would hold after the Steamers made it 8-6, as they got shutout innings from Andrew Gnazzo (Freshman, Princeton) who pitched one inning, Kameron Winburn (Junior, NC Central) who pitched two innings and Michael Hope (Sophomore, Shippensburg)
who pitched the ninth and final inning. These three pitchers scattered two runs over the span of the final three innings to secure the 14-10 victory.
The Salamanders are back in action tomorrow against the Wilmington Sharks. First Pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Buck Hardee Field in Wilmington.
The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 19th season in 2015, the CPL features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. The CPL has had over 1,200 alumni drafted and 79 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 Twitter @CPLBaseball.
Contact:
Joel Pennington
Phone:
(919) 249-7322