The Asheboro Zookeepers took on the Wilson Tobs for the final time this season on Saturday night as the Tobs defeated the Zookeepers 2-1 at McCrary Park.

Owen Simmons, an incoming freshman at Longwood University, made his first start of the Coastal Plain League season and went six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. He pitched five consecutive scoreless frames to close a strong outing. 

Wilson struck early on and scored two runners in the top of the first inning thanks to a sacrifice groundout from Elias Stevens and an RBI single from the clean-up man Chase Waddell.

The Zookeepers tacked on one of their own in the fourth inning thanks to a wild pitch from starter Connor Caporale that allowed Cooper George to score from third. The remainder of the game would be a pitcher’s duel, with neither team bringing in another run. 

Asheboro left 11 runners on base and left the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth innings. The three combined runs were the fewest in a ZooKeepers game since Asheboro fell 2-1 against the Holly Springs Salamanders on July 4. 

Jaden Stockton and Taylor Grubbs, who made his debut with team against the Tobs, threw three scoreless innings in relief of Simmons. The two runs in the opening inning were the only ones that scored on the night for Wilson .

The Zookeepers will look to bounce back tomorrow as they face the Salamanders on Sunday at Ting Stadium for their third game in a six-day stretch of consecutive contests. You can catch Austin Crume and Graeme Simpson on the call with first pitch scheduled for 5:40 p.m. on the ZK Baseball Radio Network on Mixlr.

Written by Austin Crume