HiToms come close but fall 7-5 at Martinsville:Daniel Frey on the CPL Trail

HiToms come close but fall 7-5 at Martinsville
fromo Daniel Frey with HPT HiToms Baseball

Martinsville, Va. – The High Point-Thomasville HiToms (22-13) put runs on the board but the Martinsville Mustangs (16-17) answered every rally and hung on late as the HiToms fell 7-5 on the road.

The Mustangs drew first blood on a RBI single sent up the middle by Vince Augustine in the bottom of the second inning.

A scary play in the bottom of the fourth brought in the next Mustang run as Drew Frederic and Steven Bower (2-3) collided down the third base line on a bunt by Luke Mangieri. The collision resulted in a run-scoring double for Mangieri. Frederic was all right but Bower was taken out of the game on the mound and Austin Gardner was brought in out of the bullpen after the play to make his 2016 Coastal Plain League debut.

With two runners in scoring position Jacob Long pushed across another run on a groundout and Chandler Seagle followed that up with an RBI knock of his own. After four innings, the Mustangs grew out to 4-0.

The HiToms finally got a hold of the Mustangs starting pitcher Dallas Deavers (1-1) in the top of the fifth on a double to dead center by David Fry. The smash scored one run but Danny Sullivan was thrown out after he was caught rounding third base. Up next, Myles Kutscher delivered the ball into the gap for an RBI double cutting the Mustangs lead in half 4-2.

In the top of the sixth, Hunter Slater connected on a two-out base knock to center trimming the Mustang advantage to one but the HiToms would eventually leave the bases the loaded.

The Mustangs made the most of a double play ball as it plated another Martinsville run in the bottom of the sixth. Two more insurance runs were added in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI triple by Long and a Chandler Seagle RBI double.

The HiToms trailed 7-3 heading into the ninth inning and they would not go quietly. David Fry pulled a single to left driving in Slater off of reliever Preston Szuch and he was the last batter Szuch faced.

Carter Varga was summoned out of the bullpen with one out and balked in another run but recovered to record the game ending strikeout as the Mustangs took it 7-5.

The HiToms head to Holly Springs tomorrow, July 17 with a first pitch set for 5:40 p.m. against the Salamanders.