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Mustangs pull off doubleheader sweep over HiToms
Mustangs' Derrick Hopkins (45) gets a high five from a teammate after he hit the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one against Thomasville on Saturday at Hooker Field. (Bulletin photo by Mike Wray)
The Martinsville Mustangs won game 1 of a double-header Saturday against the Thomasville HiToms 3-2 in seven innings to improve its record to 4-2 in the second half of the season, then took a tie game into extra innings in game 2.
From the start of game 2, though, the Mustangs looked set to continue their success from the night’s first game.
A sacrifice bunt from shortstop Aaron Stubblefield and a sacrifice fly from Nick Ferdinand got Martinsville on the board in the third inning, scoring Adam Pendleton. And with two outs left, center fielder Ian Harvey followed it up with a shot up the middle to drive in another run for a 2-0 lead.
Thomasville tied it up in the fourth inning with a double from Preston Overbey, knocking in two runs, then took the lead two batters later with a double from Aaron Attaway.
But Martinsville quickly responded in the bottom of the fourth.
Ryan Bull reached first safely on an infield shot, but the throw to first base was high, allowing designated hitter Derrick Hopkins to advance home, an extra base, safely.
The Mustangs held Thomasville scoreless in the top of the ninth, but failed to manufacture any offense of their own. Stubblefield legged out an infield shot up the middle to lead off the bottom of the ninth and stole second base, but the Mustangs couldn’t drive him home.
In the tenth inning, the Mustangs held. They picked up two early outs then notched the third by throwing out Thomasville’s Robert McIntosh stealing second.
John Faircloth led off the tenth inning with a laser past the second baseman, who mishandled it running in. Derrick Hopkins followed with a bunt down the first baseline, deftly placed for him to outrun the first baseman’s tag. Adam Pendleton laid an equally well-placed bunt between the pitcher and the third baseman to load the bases with no outs.
Then the Mustangs blew it with a line-out to the pitcher, a strikeout and a groundout to second to end the inning.
Martinsville walked-off with another win in game two to complete the sweep. In the bottom of the 10th, Aaron Stubblefield hit an RBI single for the win
The Mustangs were able to complete the comeback and avoid extra innings in game 1, however, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a walk-off win.
Runs came at a premium in the Mustangs’ game 1 win against the HiToms. Both teams tended to hit into untimely double-plays to spoil their chances.
But when the Mustangs needed it most, they scrounged together the runs they needed to win. Martinsville took the lead in the third inning with a sacrifice fly from second baseman John Faircloth. But Thomasville battled back, scoring a run in the fourth inning with its own sacrifice fly. Then outfielder Greg Harrison launched a bomb over left-center field for a 2-1 lead.
The Mustangs rallied in the seventh, and final, inning with two timely doubles from Faircloth and Derrick Hopkins – each with two outs remaining.
The two shots were nearly identical, deep lasers to left-centerfield.
Dylan Wolchik picked up the win for the Mustangs after he pitched a scoreless seventh inning in relief, while Thomasville’s Henry Faucheux blew the save and picked up the loss.
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