Peninsula (25-8, 8-3 second half) held off a late-inning comeback from Tarboro (17-7) to win the exhibition 7-6. The victory and stats do not count towards Coastal Plain League numbers, though.

For 2 1/2 innings the ballgame was tied 3-3, but the Pilots overcame the offensive hump in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to their spark-plug right fielder Alden Mathes.

Mathes chopped a grounder to second base and, for the second time in the game, first baseman Zack Mallia ranged too far away from his position and the Richmond Spider was able to reach on an infield single.

Third baseman Carson DeMartini followed that up with a sharp single to center field, moving Mathes to third.

Next batter — first baseman Erik Stock — laced a two-RBI double that short-hopped the wall in left-center field to give the Pilots their first lead of the game at 5-3.

A frame later, Peninsula added two more on DeMartini’s two-RBI double that stayed fair down the right-field line, rattling around in the corner to score center fielder Elijah Lambros and pinch-hitting second baseman Ethan Hunter to extend the lead to 7-3.

DeMartini finished 3-for-5 with two doubles, runs and RBIs.

That proved to be the difference as Tarboro battled back for three runs in the final two innings on two RBI groundouts and a single from pinch hitter Jackson Cherry to make it 7-6.

Right-hander Joe Buckendorff — who was making his Pilots debut Saturday — induced a five-pitch pop out to first baseman Jay Cassady in foul territory.

The Pilots have an off day Sunday and are back on the road Monday to take on the Mustangs at Hooker Field at 7 p.m. Peninsula enters the contest 2-0 against Martinsville on the season with the last contest clinching the first half June 26 with a 5-3 victory.