Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
Stangs win, 9-1
Thursday, July 23, 2009
By CHASE YOUNG - Bulletin Sports Writer
Starting pitcher Nick Squeglia allowed only one hit in six innings of work, and the Martinsville Mustangs got a 9-1 win over the Gastonia Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Hooker Field.
The victory also set a franchise record of eight consecutive home wins for Martinsville.
“Let’s have an all-star break every week,” joked Mustang skipper Barry Powell. “Great pitching and timely hitting. It was great to come back and play. It was a great night for everyone.”
Squeglia (3-2 record) struck out four, walked one, scattered one hit and allowed no runs for the win.
“It felt good,” said Squeglia of the win. “(I) had good defense behind me, slider was working, had a little juice on the fastball. The team came to play, and it was just an all-around good game.”
Ryan LaPensee got the ’Stangs (6-11 second half, 16-28 overall Coastal Plain League) started with an RBI single in the bottom of the third, and John Malloy and Tyler Smith soon followed with back-to-back RBIs to give Martinsville a 3-0 start to the night as the Grizzlies struggled to get the bats going.
“We were just slow offensively, and that puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the field,” said Gastonia head coach Eli Benefield. “I’m happy for these guys (Mustangs), winning eight in a row at home. Anytime a team’s that hot, you’re a little on edge, but my hat’s off to them.”
With a 4-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Phil Cerreto in the bottom of the fourth, the Mustangs added four more runs in the bottom of the seventh as LaPensee doubled for one; Brenden Kelliher pushed across two on a single; and David Christy hit an RBI single of his own before the Grizzlies (9-7, 20-25 CPL) could answer with their lone run in the top of the eighth.
LaPensee led Martinsville offensively, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI.
Cerreto added an RBI for the ’Stangs, as he went 2-for-4. Kelliher helped with two RBI and two runs scored, and Dylan Holton added two runs while going 3-for-4.
Gastonia’s Kurt Frisbee (2-4 record) took the loss. Frisbee struck out four and walked five. He also gave up seven hits and four earned runs in four innings of work.
The Mustangs play at 7:05 p.m. today when they travel to Thomasville.
.jpg)
.jpg)
