Zookeepers Stay on Top of the West Division
The Zookeepers found their bats again in a game that featured 12 runs and nine extra-base hits, including two RBI triples for Brady McGuire, all for the Zookeepers.
Asheboro, N.C. – The Zookeepers welcomed the Macon Bacon for a Sunday Night Western Division matchup. The Bacon came into the game 2.5 games behind the first-place Zookeepers, and the two teams were a part of four total teams that were all within 3 games of first place. (High Point Thomasville 0.5 games behind, Boone 1 game behind, Macon 2 games behind, Forrest City 2.5 games behind)
Caydon Laird started for the first time this season for the Zookeepers in the late Sunday game. The relief pitcher had fans fooled as to his non-starting role, though, as he opened the game with a hitless one-run first two innings pitched and allowed only one baserunner in the first seven batters that he faced. It was a leadoff walk to start the second that put the Bacon’s Nicholas Richardson on base. After an error on a throw to check the runner at first, Richardson was advanced to third on a fielder’s choice before also scoring on a fielder’s choice.
After the final out of the top of the second, the rain, which had been falling steadily for the first inning and a half, picked up and forced the crew chief to call a rain delay that lasted just over 30 minutes.
Trailing by one run, the Zookeepers came out of the rain delay with some hot bats. A leadoff single for Cazz Grossington was followed up by a double from Cameron Austin to put runners on third and second with none away. Bacon starter Devin Miller rebounded with a strikeout before Sylas Boris drilled a ball to left-center field that scored Grossington from third, and on the relay, Cameron Austin was thrown out at home. The Boris RBI double tied the game at one.
Miller gave up his first hit of the game to the leadoff batter in the third, but then retired three straight to cap off his start at 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.
The Zookeeper bats stayed hot going into the bottom of the third as Daniel Stephens hit a leadoff solo shot to left field that gave the Zooks their first lead of the game. Miller then walked Brady McGuire for the second time of the game, and two pitches later, a double from Wilmis Castro would bring McGuire in to score. Two batters later, Grossington added his second hit of the day as he drove in Castro with an RBI double. The three-run third inning gave the Zookeepers a four-to-one lead over the Bacon.
Bryce Smith came in to relieve Laird in the fourth and would end up totaling three innings of one-run baseball. He gave up a single to the first batter he faced, but Smith rallied and retired seven straight batters, including four straight strikeouts over the course of three innings.
While Smith was dealing, the Zooks continued to supply insurance runs. In the fourth, Daniel Stephens added on to his solo homer with a one-out triple before Brady McGuire went back-to-back with Stephens for a triple of his own. Wilmis Castro then picked up his second RBI of the day on a single to right field and extended the lead to 6 for the Zookeepers in a 7-to-1 game.
In the fifth, Cameron Austin reached third on an error by the Bacon left fielder, and then came in to score on a wild pitch to Sylas Boris. Following the wild pitch, Bacon reliever Johnathon Sosnowski walked Boris and Sharpe before Brady McGuire hit his second triple of the night to drive in two runs and make it a 9-to-1 game.
Reggie Sharpe started the sixth off with a double; he stole his second base of the night and eventually came in to score on a wild pitch to make it 10-to-1.
In the seventh, the Zookeepers added on their 11th and 12th runs off of a throwing error from the Bacon catcher that made the game 12 to 2, and the Zookeepers walked it off in the seventh via the 10-run rule.
After the 12-2 win, the Zookeepers advance to 17-10 and stay atop the West Division. The Zooks return to McCrary Park Wednesday night for an exhibition game at 6:30 before a Thursday doubleheader versus the Florence Flamingos.