Zookeepers Steal Fifth-Straight Win Behind Eighth Inning Rally

McCrary Park – June 4th, 2026

Asheboro, NC – The Zookeepers welcomed the Martinsville Mustangs for a Thirsty Thursday matchup that did everything but disappoint.  22 total hits, 15 total runs, and six lead changes between the two squads left McCrary Park bumping.

Both starters came out dealing to open the game as Martinsville’s Trey Ludy (Radford) and Asheboro’s Ben Shepherd (USC Aiken) recorded scoreless first innings.  Shepherd and the Zookeepers budged first, though, as the Mustangs grabbed the first run and lead of the game off a sac-fly from Zach Kourous (Meryhurst) in the Top of the Second.  Meanwhile, Trey Ludy delivered two innings of three-up, three-down baseball to preserve a 1-0 lead for the Mustangs.

In the bottom of the third, a 6-9 part of the order that had a combined .089 AVG coming into Thursday night combined for two runs behind Damwoo Kim’s (New Mexico Military Institute) leadoff single, Reggie Sharpe’s (Michigan State) follow-up double, and Brady McGuire’s fielder’s choice, which scored two runs to make it a 2-1 lead for the Zookeepers.

Shepherd was relieved in the third by Joseph Yamamoto (North Greenville), and after a scoreless third, he returned for the fourth.  The Zookeepers’ one-run lead didn’t last long, as the Mustangs tagged on another four runs in the top of the fourth thanks to two triples, a double, two singles, and a walk to make it 5-2 Mustangs.

The Zookeepers, who came into Thursday night with a run differential of +26, showed off their hot bats immediately after the Mustangs’ comeback.  Another four runs from the bottom of the order off of base hits from Sylas Boris (Lenoir-Rhyne), Wyatt Bush (UNCG), Reggie Sharpe, and Daniel Stephens gave the lead right back to the Zookeepers in a 6-5 game through 4.

Max Whitmer (Georgetown) entered the game in relief for the Zookeepers in the fifth inning and allowed three hits and a run to the first three batters he faced before getting some defensive help from his Catcher, Kim, who made a great catch in foul territory, and his Right Fielder, Cameron Austin (USC Aiken), who made a routine catch midway down the right field foulline and threw out a tagging Cayden Mitchell (Arkansas) at home.  The double play prevented any more damage and left the game tied at six.

After a lead-off single in the top of the sixth, an RBI triple from Jack Roveniti (Villanova) gave the Mustangs the lead again.  With one away and a runner on third, Whitmer rebounded with a strikeout before conceding a hard-hit ball down the first base line, which was met by the diving glove of First Baseman Wyatt Bush, who flipped the ball to a covering Whitmer to end the inning and keep the game at a 7-6 lead for the Mustangs.

Martinsville’s Zak Derrick (Walters State CC) threw two innings of relief for the Mustangs and shut down the Zookeepers, allowing only one hit.  He would be replaced in the seventh by Charlie Jarrell (Hill), who would throw a scoreless seventh, but then was met by an eight-inning rally of back-to-back one-out singles by Jackson Hood (UNCW) and pinch-hitter Josh Martinez (UNCW).  After hitting Reggie Sharpe to load the bases, pinch-hitter Will Oates (Shippensburg) went behind 0-2 before working the count to 2-2 and dribbling a ball to short.  Walt Jones (Arkansas) recorded the out at second, but Carrington Aaron’s (Radford) throw was off the mark at first and ended up in the Zookeepers’ dugout to bring in Hood and Martinez to take the lead 8-7.

The Zookeepers turned to Carlos Gomez (Campbellsville) to close the game out in the top of the ninth.  Gomez struck out the first two batters that he faced before walking Walt Jones and putting the tying run on first.  After jumping out to a 1-1 count in the next at-bat, Jones attempted to steal second, but previous pinch-hitter Josh Martinez fired a perfect throw to second to beat Jones and end the game.

Ian Anderson, who threw two innings of no-hit baseball and four strikeouts across the seventh and eighth innings,earned the win, while Gomez’s relief efforts earned the Save.  Martinsville’s Charlie Jarrell was charged with the loss after the eighth-inning comeback.

The Zookeepers are home again June 5th for their Friday night matchup vs the Forrest City Owls at 6:30 P.M.