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Tobs get twentieth win in 2-1 holiday walk-off
July 5, 2009
Wilson, NC — The Wilson Tobs celebrated the fourth of July in style thanks to a pitching staff that’s returning to form, and Dale Cornstubble’s long walk-off RBI-single to centerfield to score Zach Johnson and give the Tobs a 2-1, 10-inning win over the Wilmington Sharks in front of a 2009 record crowd of 4,232 fans at Fleming Stadium Saturday night.
The Tobs (20-12) have reached the 20-win mark on the season. This is the earliest the Tobs have reached the 20-win mark since the Tobs have joined the Coastal Plain League. The previous earliest mark was July 17 when the 2004 Tobs accomplished the same feat.
A pitching duel between Wilson’s Trent Howard and Wilmington’s Daniel Cropper was to be expected, and the matchup lived up to expectations with each pitcher going more than seven innings and each allowing a single unearned run in the ballgame.
What may not have been expected, perhaps, were the defensive lapses by each team which led to the other’s successes, including the Tobs’ eventual victory.
With two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, an error by Sharks shortstop Jesse Bosnik extended extended an inning that saw the Tobs lace two singles, the latter of which was an RBI-single by Johnson, the Tobs leader in RBI. It was one of five defensive miscues the Sharks made on the night.
Even with the miscues, Wilmington’s defense made some spectacular plays to keep the game tied. With two on and nobody out in the eighth, catcher Allen King made a bare handed catch a foul bunt by Bryant Lopez to kill a Tobs rally. Left-fielder Michael Rooney, who had made an error earlier in the game, ended the frame by making a great running catch into left-field foul territory to end the inning.
In the eighth, Wilmington got their run on an RBI-double against Tobs reliever Brennan Dobbins in an inning that was extended by an Ellis Lowe error to tie the score at one.
In the tenth, Johnson drew a leadoff walk and after being sacrificed over to second on a Lopez bunt, advanced to third on a Sharks throwing error by the normally-reliable Greg Bachman to put runners on second and third. After an intentional walk of pinch-hitter Rob Folsom, catcher Dale Cornstubble, who was in jeopardy of having his batting average fall below .200, crushed a 3-1 fastball from Sharks reliever D.J. Nordquist over the head of center-fielder Trevor Willis for a game-winning RBI-single to score Johnson and win it 2-1.
Jason Sullivan (5-0) pitched two scoreless innings in relief for the Tobs to pick up his team-best fifth win of the season. Nordquist (1-1) picked up the loss for the Sharks, his first of 2009.
The Tobs take on the Florence RedWolves for the first time in the second half on Monday, July 6 beginning at 7:05pm. The Tobs will be celebrating Monday, July 6: Legends of the Tobs Series Giveaway at the ballpark, honoring former Tobs head coach and current Barton Bulldogs boss, Todd Wilkinson with a special hand-crafted artist-rendered baseball going to the first 500 fans into Fleming Stadium. Don’t forget, you can hear every pitch of the 2009 Tobs season with the Voice of Wilson Tobs Baseball, Dan Hasty, live on WUBN 106.9-FM.
The Wilson Tobs are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its thirteenth season, the Coastal Plain League 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. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.
Contact:
Dan Hasty
252-291-8627
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