Nine runs in the opening two innings propelled the Asheboro ZooKeepers to their fourth straight Coastal Plain League victory on Friday night. The Zooks went on to win 11-0 in seven innings on the road against the Boone Bigfoots.
After Cooper George and Owen Blackledge made it 2-0 in the first with RBI singles, Asheboro scored seven runs in the second, the most runs for the team in any inning this season. Blackledge, Jared Beebe, Jay Dillard and Todd Hudson all had RBIs in the inning as the Zooks batted all the way around the horn.
Up 9-0 entering the third inning, Ethan Snyder, Asheboro’s starting pitcher, went to work. He kept the Bigfoots scoreless for six innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while punching out nine Boone batters. The nine strikeouts tied Jacob Dienes for the most strikeouts by an Asheboro pitcher in a single outing. Snyder’s 29 strikeouts this season lead the team.
Jake Holland put the Zooks in position for a run-rule victory in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI double that scored Jarrett Pokrovsky. The Zooks tagged on another insurance run in the seventh.
Drew Siegner took over for Snyder in the bottom of the seventh. After an opening walk, Siegner delivered two fly outs and closed out a run-rule victory with a strikeout.
This is the second time in three games the ZooKeepers have won via the run rule after their 14-3 victory over the Forest City Owls on Wednesday. This was also the third straight game Asheboro has scored double-digit runs, as the Zooks are averaging 11.7 runs per game.
Eight of Asheboro’s nine starters registered a hit on the night, combining for 11 hits. The team’s three hits surrendered were the fewest since allowing just two in a win against the Martinsville Mustangs on June 24.
The ZooKeepers return home to continue their run of six games in six days on Saturday when they host the High Point-Thomasville HiToms at 7 p.m. on Superhero and Latino Heritage Night. The Zooks will also host the Mustangs on Sunday for Faith Night at 5 p.m.
Written by Jacob Kisamore