Colonial Heights, VA- The Tri-City Chili Peppers advanced to a 2-0 record and first place in the Eastern Conference of the Coastal Plain League with a 5-2 win over the Holly Springs Salamanders.

The Salamanders went into Saturday night’s game undefeated with a 2-0 record. The Chili Peppers were 1-0 with an opening night win over the Martinsville Mustangs. Holly Springs won all four of the two teams’ matchups last season, but Tri-City didn’t let that discourage them coming into the matchup at Shepard Stadium on Saturday.

“I want to execute when called upon and win,” Michael Dolberry said before the game.

Dolberry had a strong offensive performance on Thursday and was confident he could perform similarly at the plate in the Salamanders game. He didn’t disappoint. The Longwood outfielder went 2-3 on Saturday with a walk, a single, and a long homer over the center field fence.

“It felt good to get it out of the way,” Dolberry said about his first run of the season. “I don’t have to worry about it or think about it. I can just play loose and be myself.”

This was not the only home run of the game. Returning Chili Pepper Brandon Eike did his job at the plate as the designated hitter, also going 2-3 with a walk, a single, and a home run.

“It felt good to get back out there,” Eike said. “He’d just come back with another high knuckleball and I knew I had to make a play.”

The Tri-City bullpen also contributed to the win over Holly Springs. Starting pitcher Connor Handy pitched five innings for the Chili Peppers, allowing three hits and the only two runs of the game. Handy pitched one inning for Tri-City against Holly Springs last year, with no hits or runs. Nick Woolfolk, Alec Riles, Conner Schumann, Troy Shepherd, and Eli Parks came out of the bullpen to finish things off for the Chili Peppers.

“Another strong start from our starter Connor Handy,” head coach James Beirlein said. “After the second inning where we gave up two, we didn’t give up any more. I think Handy threw very strong again, and our bullpen came in and shut it down.”

With this 5-2 win, the Tri-City Chili Peppers remain undefeated and beat out the Salamanders for first place in the East. The team is looking to continue this success as the season progresses.

“We’re going to keep playing and be who we are,” Beirlein said. “We have a great group of guys and really good athletes.”