Mustangs Pull Away Early to Defeat Zookeepers 11-5

McCrary Park – July 19th, 2026

By: Camden Hurst

ASHEBORO, N.C.— The Asheboro Zookeepers couldn’t recover from a four-run third inning as the Martinsville Mustangs handed Asheboro an 11-5 loss on Saturday night at McCrary Park.

The Zookeepers struck first in the opening inning when Reggie Sharpe singled and stole second before Brady McGuire drove him home with an RBI single to center field, giving Asheboro an early 1-0 lead.

Martinsville answered in the third, taking advantage of timely hitting to plate four runs. Gavin Nix tied the game with an RBI fielder’s choice before Cole Savage lined an RBI single to right. Zane Barron followed with an RBI double, and Zack DeJesus capped the inning with an RBI groundout as the Mustangs grabbed a 4-1 advantage.

The Mustangs continued to build their lead over the next three innings. Nix tripled and later scored in the fifth before Barron tripled and DeJesus added another RBI single to make it 6-1. Caleb Beals extended the lead to 7-1 in the sixth with a ground-rule double that bounced over the center-field wall.

Asheboro found life in the seventh inning. AJ Malzone launched a solo home run over the right-field wall to trim the deficit before Tyler Peller doubled to left to spark another rally. Sharpe brought Peller home on a fielder’s choice, and McGuire later stole second before racing home on an errant throw to first base, cutting the Martinsville lead to 7-4.

The Mustangs answered once again in the eighth when a balk brought home a run, and they added three more insuance runs in the ninth. Ryan Foody collected an RBI groundout before Brenden Cole walked in a run and a wild pitch allowed another Martinsville runner to score, extending the lead to 11-4.

Malzone led the Zookeepers offensively with three hits, including his seventh-inning home run. Sharpe finished with two hits and an RBI, while McGuire added an RBI single and scored once. Peller chipped in a double as Asheboro totalled nine hits.

For Martinsville, Nix reached base four times and collected three hits, while Baron finished with a double, triple and two RBIs. DeJesus drove in two runs, and Beals added a pair of hits, including his RBI ground-rule double.

Joseph Yamamoto made the start for Asheboro before Chris Troyer provided 4 1/3 innings of relief. Hunter Overstreet earned the win for Martinsville after allowing one run across 4 1/3 innings, while the Mustangs’ bullpen combined to close out the game despite Asheboro’s seventh-inning rally.