By: Sammy Johnson
The Pilots lost to the Morehead City Marlins tonight 7-4 at War Memorial Stadium. The Pilots showed fight in the eighth inning, tying the game with an RBI double. However, the Marlins came back to score four runs in the top of the ninth inning to pull away with it. Dunaway, Manias, and Starke all had multi-hit games for the Pilots today.
An RBI double by the Marlins kicked off the scoring as they went up 1-0 in the second inning. Mason Dunaway (JMU) hit a two-out RBI single to score Hunter Cole (Howard College) evening the score 1-1. Cole stole second base in the inning, recording his ninth stolen base of the year, leading all Pilots.
Catcher Cohen Wilbanks (Georgia Gwinett) got his first start of the season tonight. He started off strong, recording a caught stealing in the top of the third inning.
Morehead City re-took the lead in the top of the fourth inning with an RBI single that deflected off the glove of a diving Justin Starke. They extended the lead later in the inning on a sacrifice fly to deep right field. In the bottom half of the inning, Aaron Manias (Howard College) hit an RBI single just out of reach of the diving left fielder to cut the Marlins’ lead in half, 3-2.
Mason Dunaway got his second hit in the fifth inning with a single to center field. Later in the inning, a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Wilbanks moved him all the way to third base when he noticed that no one was covering the bag.
An RBI double by Justin Starke (VMI) on a beautifully executed hit-and-run tied the game up 3-3 in the eighth.
The Marlins took the lead in the top of the ninth inning with a bases-loaded walk, but they weren’t done there. A two-RBI double and a passed ball gave the Marlins a four-run cushion, going up 7-3.
The Pilots got one run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI double by Trey Morgan, but that’s all they were able to get, as the game ended 7-4 Marlins.
Starting pitcher Sam Rochard had a decent outing in his first start for the team, giving up three earned runs over his four innings. Nick Willard (Liberty) pitched his first innings for the Pilots after Rochard. He showed good stuff in his debut, only giving up one hit and no earned runs in his two innings of work.
The Pilots are back in action on the road tomorrow, as they face the Holly Springs Salamanders in their first matchup of the season.