Holly Springs Hands Asheboro its First Defeat

Ting Stadium – June 6th, 2026

HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. – The Asheboro Zookeepers suffered their first loss of the 2026 season Saturday night, falling 8-4 to the Holly Springs Salamanders at Ting Stadium.

Despite the setback, the Zookeepers showed flashses of the offensive firepower that had fueled their undefeated start, scoring in four separate innings and collecting seven hits. However, Holly Springs capitalized on timely hitting and aggressive baserunning to hand Asheboro its first defeat of the summer.

Asheboro struck first in the opening inning. Daniel Stephens worked one of his two walks of the night before eventually coming around to score, giving the Zookeepers an early 1-0 lead.

The Salamanders answered in the second inning, pushing across three runs to take control. Asheboro chipped away with single runs in the second and third innings, cutting the deficit to 3-3 and keeping the game within reach.

Josh Martinez continued his strong start to the season at the plate, finishing with two hits, an RBI and two runs scored. Reggie Sharpe added a hit, a run scored and an RBI while Chazz Grossington contributed an RBI sacrifice fly. Will Oates also crossed the plate for Asheboro and reached base three times via two walks and a hit.

The game remained close until the fifth inning when Holly Springs created separation. The Salamanders plated four runs in the frame to turn a one-run contest into an 8-4 advantage.

Asheboro threatened throughout the night but struggled to capitalize on opportunities, leaving 12 runners on base. The Zookeepers drew six walks and put traffic on the bases consistently but were unable to find the big hit needed to erase the defecit.

On the mound, McCall Biemiller struck out seven batters over three innings in his start. Carter Fogal followed with a scoreless inning of relief before Reilly Byers and Takuma Sato combined to finish the game.

Holly Springs was led offensively by Ethan Belk, who collected three hits, including a home run and drove in three runs. Mason Dean added three RBIs, while the Salamanders used seven stolen bases to pressure Asheboro throughout the contest.

Although the loss ended Asheboro’s perfect start to the season, the Zookeepeers continued to battle until the final out and showed the resilience that has defined their early-season success. With the first loss now behind them, Asheboro will look to regroup and begin a new winning steak in its matchup against the Martinsville Mustangs on Monday, June 8th at 6:30 p.m.