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Defensive woes send the Owls packing

Discussion in 'College Baseball' started by Carolina Vipers, Jul 25, 2013.

  1. Carolina Vipers

    Carolina Vipers Junior Member

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    Apr 16, 2013
    By Brian Meadows
    The Statesville Owls kicked it around Tuesday night and got the boot.
    Eight infield errors contributed to four unearned runs as the Carolina Vipers of Matthews pulled off an upset in the first round of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League playoffs, 5-1, over the third-seeded Owls.
    The sixth-seeded Vipers (15-22) advanced to Wednesday's semifinals where they will play at the defending champion Ballantyne Smokies (21-12), seeded second.
    Statesville's season ended at 19-17 and miscues were the primary culprit.
    "Tough to end on that note," Owls coach Ryan Smith said. "It leaves a sour taste in your mouth."
    Michael Trombino tossed five innings for the win. The Catawba right-hander held the Owls scoreless. He surrendered seven hits and struck out seven.
    Brennan Daniels was the hard-luck loser. The Vipers scored four unearned runs in five innings against Daniels, who limited them to four hits and a walk while striking out five.
    A four-year Owls member, Daniels left the mound early in the sixth inning to a standing ovation from the partisan home crowd, and he tipped his hat to them on his way to the dugout for the final time of his SCBL career.
    Aided by three errors, the Vipers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning despite only one hit. Tyson Simpson had an RBI single. They padded their lead in the third inning with a pair of runs. Neither were earned, as Statesville committed three more errors.
    "They definitely helped us out with those," Vipers designated hitter Daniel Massey said.
    Massey, who helped Statesville pick up its first SCBL playoff win last summer, finished 2-for-5 at the plate against his former club. His solo home run in the seventh inning off Owls reliever Clint Howell extended the Vipers' advantage to 5-0.
    "That was nice," Massey said. "I hadn't really done well against them this year."
    A microcosm for the team. The Vipers lost five of their six regular-season meetings with the Owls but found a way to get the job done when it counted most.
    Colby Dishmond's sacrifice fly in the eighth broke up the shutout but it was too little too late for Statesville.
    The Owls compiled 10 hits. Not many were timely. They stranded eight base runners in scoring position.
    "Give a lot of credit to their pitching," Smith said. "They bent but didn't break."
     

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