Martinsville, VA - After five straight losses, the Tri-City Chili Peppers pulled off a 7-4 win in Friday night's away matchup against the Martinsville Mustangs.
The Chili Peppers were unable to get themselves on the scoreboard in the first inning with no hits or runs. Cole Bramhall (Howard College, TX) started on the mound for Tri City and allowed four runs in the first for a 4-0 Mustangs lead.
Willie Havens (Elon) and Hunter Gilliam (Longwood University) kicked off the second inning with back to back singles. A walk followed by a putout scored Havens for the first Chili Peppers run of the game. Bramhall redeemed himself in the bottom of the inning by preventing Martinsville from advancing their lead.
The third inning also had a promising start for the Chili Peppers with three consecutive singles by Kasten Furr (University of New Orleans), Kyle Jenkins (Mars Hill) and Avery Neaves (University of Lynchburg). These three hits allowed Tri City to put up two runs to lessen their deficit to one. The Mustangs batted three up, three down to end the inning.
The Chili Peppers batted three up, three down in the top of the fourth, and Martinsville batted three up, three down for the second inning in a row for a quick fourth inning. Tri City had no hits or runs in the fifth. The Mustangs had one hit, but didn't score while James Draughn (Franklin Pierce University) was on the mound in the bottom of the fifth.
Longwood University's Michael Dolberry hit a home run in the sixth to tie the game at four. Martinsville failed to score, keeping the score 4-4.
Furr and Havens both had their second hit of the night in the seventh. These hits, as well as a walk and two errors, allowed the Chili Peppers to score two runs for their first lead of the game. William & Mary's Mike Weidinger took the hill in the bottom of the inning and got the first two outs, but was then replaced by Wyatt Stanley (Randolph Macon College) to finish off the inning.
Dolberry and Furr continued to be a strong offensive force for Tri City in Friday's matchup, with singles in the eighth that aided in a run scored for a 7-4 Chili Peppers lead. Stanley remained at the mound in the eighth, and held the Mustangs to only one hit and no runs.
Tri City had two singles in the ninth by Dolberry and Hunter Gilliam (University of Kentucky), but weren't able to score. Martinsville was also unable to score in the final inning, resulting in a 7-4 Chili Peppers win.
The Chili Peppers will return home tomorrow to face off against the Morehead City Marlins