HAMPTON, Va. (July 18, 2022) – The Peninsula Pilots scored five times in the fourth inning and cruised to their third win in the last four games with a 10-3 victory over the Tri-City Chili Peppers on Monday night at War Memorial Stadium.

Six different Pilots recorded one hit and seven scored at least one run for the Pilots. Meanwhile, the pitching trio of Vincent Bashara (Old Dominion), Nate Varnier (William Peace) and Samuel Rochard (Central Arizona) kept the Chili Peppers in check for much of the night.

The Pilots had half of their hits in the fourth inning. Trey Morgan (VMI) led off the inning with a walk and Cole Stanford (Lenoir Rhyne) followed with a single. Morgan scored on a Tri-City error for the game’s first run. Robbie Petracci (South Alabama) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Lincoln Ransom (Old Dominion) followed with an RBI double.

Ty Swaim (VMI) capped the inning with a run-scoring single to bring Ransom home.

Petracci tacked on an RBI double and scored on a run-scoring single by Tevin Tucker (West Virginia) in a three-run Pilots’ sixth that extended the lead to 8-1.

The Chili Peppers scored two in the top of the seventh to cut the lead to 8-3, but the Pilots answered back with two more in the bottom of the seventh. Ransom was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in one run, while Bryce Safferwich (Florida Southern) scored on a double play for the last run of the frame.

Bashara, making his first start of the summer for the Pilots, worked four innings and gave up just two hits and one run while striking out five. He did not walk a batter. Varnier pitched the next three innings to earn the win. Rochard closed the game out with two scoreless frames, his fourth straight appearance out of the Pilot bullpen without allowing a run. He struck out two.

Harrison Povey (Florida Gulf Coast) scored three runs and Safferwich two for the Pilots. Petracci and Ransom both had two RBIs.

The Pilots are back home Wednesday night to face the Wilson Tobs at 7 p.m.