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Tobs complete grand comeback on Richmond’s pinch hit slam in ninth

July 5, 2008

Florence, SC — It seems like every night, a new hero emerges for the Wilson Tobs. Saturday night, in the most dramatic way possible, the hero was Jared Richmond. Down by three runs in the top of the ninth, Richmond cracked a pinch hit grand slam in the top of the ninth inning at American Legion Field, elevating the Tobs to a 9-8 victory over the Florence RedWolves. The exciting comeback put the Tobs at a perfect 5-0 in the second half, and they are now 17-15 overall. Wilson continues to own the best record in the second half. Florence dropped to 21-9 overall, and the first half champions are just 1-3 in the second half.

Paul Novicki picked up the victory in relief, tossing perfect eighth and ninth innings. RedWolves reliever Tio McLean took a tough loss. McLean had been outstanding from the sixth inning on, but simply lost it in the ninth. He walked three batters before Richmond pinch hit for Packy Elkins and lofted a high fly ball down the left field line. The ball hooked inside the left field foul pole and sent the Wilson bench into an uproar.

“Anytime you’re down in the late innings by more than a run, you really just want to get the tying run to the plate,” said an elated Jeff Steele after the win. “Fortunately tonight we were able to get to that point, and Jared really delivered with a big hit for us as well as himself. Coming off the bench in the late innings is tough, but he (Richmond) got it done tonight.”

Wilson got off to a great start against Florence’s Steve Grife. In the top of the second, the Tobs got on the board when a Chris McGhee RBI single scored Justin Parks with the game’s first run. Then the rains came, and the contest was delayed for almost ninety minutes. When it resumed, the Tobs plated another run in the inning on Ross Steedley’s sacrifice fly to deep center field, scoring Packy Elkins.

Left hander Ryan Byrd, going for his first win as a Tob, ran into trouble in the last half of the third. Herman Petzold and Jamie Walczak led off with back to back singles, and Blake Walker laid down a perfect bunt toward third base. Matt Sanders’ throw was errant, allowing Petzold to score and moving Walczak to third. The RedWolves would tie the game on Barrett Kleinknecht’s RBI sacrifice fly to center, scoring Walczak.

Byrd and Grife would exchange zeroes until the RedWolves broke through for a big bottom of the fifth inning. The RedWolves would bat around in the frame, and Byrd was only able to record one out. Myckie Lugbauer ripped a three run triple into the right field corner, and Keon Graves was the last batter Byrd would face. Graves sent him off with a rude goodbye, drilling a two run homer over the left center field fence, giving Florence a 7-2 lead.

Brandon Brinson and Paul Bertuccini would combine for the next 2 2/3 innings of work, allowing just one more run in the seventh, as Florence scored on a sacrifice fly from Walczak. Against left hander Logan Munson, the Tobs answered back immediately in the top of the sixth inning with three runs. Cam Freeman drew a walk with the bases loaded, scoring Derek Simmons. Kevin Weidenbacher drove in Packy Elkins with a sac fly, as Munson was removed in favor of McLean. Matt Sanders smoked McLean’s first pitch to right field for an RBI hit, before McLean would settle down for the next 2 1/3 frames.

“Those guys in the bullpen came in and gave us a chance to win,” Steele said. “When you have pitchers that are able to keep you in the game after you’re down, it motivates the hitters to fight back to turn it into a ball game again. We made it a respectable game, then had the one big hit in the last inning.”

Heading into the ninth, Wilson was down three runs. McLean began the inning with a walk off Matt Sanders. After Chris Henderson struck out, McLean then issued free passes to Justin Parks and Derek Simmons, bringing the go ahead run to the plate. That set the stage for Richmond’s grand slam down the left field line. During Wilson’s last trip to Florence, they fell victim to a late inning home run into the short porch down the left field line. This time it was the first place Tobs taking advantage of the friendly confines.

“The three guys ahead of me did a great job getting on base,” Richmond said with a smile. “I was looking for a fastball early in the count to hit because he (McLean) has such a nasty splitter. I got one up in the air and took advantage of the short porch in left. It’s definitely the most exciting hit I’ve ever had.”

The Tobs were jubilant after the contest, which lasted close to five hours. Wilson has won six straight, and eight of their last ten overall. A team that struggled earlier in the season with situational hitting now seems to come through in the clutch when it matters most. Wilson’s last loss came on Saturday, June 28th in a 6-2 defeat at Fayetteville. The Tobs have a three game lead in the CPL South Division over the other four teams, all of whom have 1-2 records. Their manager continues to stress how loose and relaxed the team has been during the streak.

“Winning in general makes it easier on everyone,” Steele said. “These guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now. We have good pitching night in and night out. The plate discipline has been great. The key, timely hits that we are finally getting are the difference makers between wins and losses.”

Wilson will head to Buck Hardee Field on Monday night to take on the Wilmington Sharks after a well-deserved off day Sunday. Left hander Alex Meyer (Georgetown) will make his second start of the season for the Tobs. In his debut, Meyer struggled a bit with his control and took a loss at Fayetteville last weekend. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 PM with the Sharks, and radio coverage will begin at 6:45 PM on WUBN 106.9 FM with Eric Kopp. The Tobs return home Tuesday night as they host the Fayetteville SwampDogs on Regency Athletic Club Night at Historic Fleming Stadium.

The Wilson Tobs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its twelfth season, the Coastal Plain League features 14 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. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

Contact:
Eric Kopp
252-291-8627