HiToms hustle past RedWolves 4-1
Florence, S.C.– The Florence RedWolves (24-27) only mustered two base runners since the third inning as High Point-Thomasville (28-23) kept chipping away in a 4-1 HiToms victory to snap a three game losing skid.
The first pitch from Florence was delayed roughly 40 minutes due to rain fall that came down around the time of the national anthem.
The HiToms drew first blood right away in the opening inning on a slashing single to right by Danny Sullivan.
Defensive replacement Nate Wierzgac poked a run-scoring single of his own this time to left that evened up the score at one run apiece in the bottom of the third.
1-1 was the tally until the top of the fifth when Eric DeJesus rolled a single to right field that went under the glove of Wierzgac out there bringing around Cesar Trejo to break the tie.
A two-out double by Carson Jackson sparked the HiToms in the top of the sixth as Trejo brought him in on a flare that fell in between a couple of RedWolves. Allan Beer (3-2) didn’t get much help in the field over his six innings of work.
Hustle was the name of the game again in the HiTom half of the seventh as Marc DiLeo let the ball skip into right field off of his glove. DeJesus turned on the jets and scored from second base on a nice slide at home.
Austin Gardner (2-1) continued to be spectacular on the mound fooling the Florence batters whose last hit came in the third inning. In eight innings of work, Gardner surrendered only four hits, one run and struck out five hitters.
Well over 100 pitches, the HiToms turned to Logan Welch to shut the door and pick up his fifth save of the season. Welch did just that with a runner in scoring position as he fanned Kody Ruedisilli on a check swing.
The HiToms face Savannah for the first time tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Thomasville at Finch Field.