HiToms clip Copperheads 4-3:Daniel Frey on the CPL Trail

HiToms clip Copperheads 4-3
from Daniel Frey with the CPL HiToms

High Point/Thomasville, N.C. – A pair of two-run frames in the fourth and six innings complete a High Point-Thomasville HiToms (22-12) comeback in a 4-3 win over the Asheboro Copperheads (21-13) on Friday night.

“You know Asheboro is going to show up every day to play hard,” HiToms head coach Brian Rountree said. “You want to play somebody that is going to get after you and fight you the whole game like Asheboro.”

The third batter of the game T.J. Nichting blasted a two-run homer to dead center off of HiToms starting pitcher Taylor Sugg to put the Copperheads ahead 2-0 early. Kyle Smith legged out an RBI double in the top of the second as the HiToms fell into an early 3-0 hole.

Ivan Pelaez (1-1) rolled early for Asheboro in his second start of the season (both against HPT) but he wouldn’t keep fooling batters for long.

“I told our guys that we have a lot of game left,” Rountree said. “We had to make sure that from that point on we could stick zeros up and give our offense a chance.”

Gradually, the HiTom bats woke up starting with an RBI double by Teddy Hoffman in the bottom of the fourth. A batter later, Danny Sullivan the walk-off hero from Wednesday night stayed hot by punching an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Sugg lasted four innings before handing the keys over to Brandon Lewis (1-0) who threw two solid innings in relief.

With a storm threatening all night, the HiToms threatened again in the bottom of the sixth and Hunter Slater delivered the singe to knot the game up at three apiece. A little later, David Fry slammed a ball to right field that bounced off the wall scoring the go-ahead run but Sullivan was thrown out trying to score from first base.

Trevor Gay fanned four batters in 1 2/3 innings of work before Ryan Owens picked up the four-out save for his fourth save of the season.

The win marks the ninth team this season that the HiToms have come back from behind victorious.

The HiToms hit the road tomorrow for Martinsville with a first pitch set for 7:17 p.m. at Hooker Field against the Mustangs.