(HOLLY SPRINGS, NC) – On a sold out opening night at Ting Stadium, every fan got their money’s worth in baseball excitement. However, it was the Morehead City Marlins that came away victorious in a hard-fought ballgame.

Morehead City won Sunday night’s ballgame 7-4 in 10 innings, a game that had no shortage of late heroics. With the Marlins leading 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, left fielder Carter Williams (NC Central) and first baseman CJ White (Gardner-Webb) hit back-to-back doubles to cut the deficit to 4-3 and put the tying run at second base. Two batters later, catcher Jack Goertzen (Shippensburg) hit a game-tying triple to right center that put the potential winning run just 90 feet away with one out. Follwing Goertzen’s triple, a groundout to the drawn in infield and a flyout to left ended the threat to send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the tenth, new CPL rules came into play. Morehead City began the inning with runners on first and second (referred to as the “international tiebreaker rule”) and a Holly Springs throwing error on a bunt play led to the go-ahead run scoring to give the Marlins a 5-4 lead. Two more runs would cross in the frame to make it a 7-4 game, and the Salamanders were unable to mount a second rally in the bottom half.

Morehead City improved to 3-1 following the road win, and the Salamanders dropped to 1-3, their third straight defeat.

Holly Springs will take Monday off before two straight games at Ting Stadium. Tuesday’s contest welcomes the Wilmington Sharks to town for a 7:00 first pitch, and on Wednesday the Salamanders welcome the Edenton Steamers for a 7:00 start.