ZooKeepers Outlast Pilots in Extras to Cap Dramatic Road Win

War Memorial Stadium – June 21, 2025

The Asheboro ZooKeepers secured a thrilling 6–5 extra-inning victory over the Peninsula Pilots on Saturday night in Hampton, Virginia. After trading blows throughout the night, Asheboro broke through with the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and locked things down on the mound to seal the win.

Pilots Strike First, ZooKeepers Respond

Peninsula jumped ahead quickly with solo home runs from Carlos Pena and Scotty Young in the first inning, taking a 2–0 lead. Asheboro chipped away in the second and third, plating runs on an RBI single from Davis Germann and a sacrifice fly from Jake Griffith.

After the Pilots reclaimed the lead in the fifth, Asheboro answered with two in the top of the frame, including another RBI knock from Griffith and a run-scoring single by Cooper McKenzie. That made it 4–3 ZooKeepers heading into the late innings.

Late-Inning Tension and Extra Frames

The Pilots tied it with a two-run seventh, but Asheboro kept fighting. Seojun Oh’s RBI groundout in the seventh briefly put the ZooKeepers in front before Peninsula pulled even again in the bottom half.

Tied 5–5 in the 10th, the ZooKeepers capitalized on an error and two walks to load the bases. Sal Laimo came through with a clutch RBI grounder to give Asheboro the lead once more.

On the mound, Gavin Marley and Mason McDaniel combined for three scoreless innings to close the door, with McDaniel earning the save after a perfect 10th.

McDaniel was called into the ballgame after Marley went out with an apparent elbow injury, with a full count, one out, and runners on second and third.

Final: ZooKeepers 6, Pilots 5 (10 innings)

With the win, Asheboro improves to 12–5 on the season, surviving a back-and-forth contest that featured 19 combined strikeouts and 15 walks. The ZooKeepers showed patience at the plate, drawing 10 free passes on the night while holding Peninsula to just five hits.

Next Game:

📍 Asheboro ZooKeepers at Tri-City Chili Peppers
📅 Sunday, June 22 – 5:50 PM at Shepherd Stadium
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