Martinsville, VA - The Tri-City Chili Peppers heated up throughout their double header against the Martinsville Mustangs on Friday night. After dropping the first game 5-4, the Chili Peppers came back with a 7-3 win in game two.

Similar to what they did last night against the Tobs, the Chili Peppers took an early lead in the first game of Friday night’s double header. Despite having only one hit in the first inning, a double by Virginia Tech’s Lucas Donlon, Tri-City was able to put up two runs to put themselves on the scoreboard.

Also like the performance against Wilson last night, this lead didn’t last long. The Mustangs put up two runs of their own in the bottom of the first to tie things up.

The Chili Peppers’ offensive success did not follow them to the top of the second, during which they batted three up, three down. Luckily, starting pitcher Connor Handy (University of New Orleans) held the Mustangs in the bottom of the inning to maintain the tie.

The Tri-City bats picked back up some in the third. Ethan Iannuzzi (Randolph Macon College) hit a single as the first batter of the inning and later scored for a 3-2 lead. An error aided Martinsville in reclaiming the lead in the bottom of the third. They put up two runs to make the score 4-3.

The offense for the Chili Peppers continued to be hot and cold throughout the game. The team batted three up, three down again in the fourth inning. The Mustangs took this opportunity to advance their lead with another run.

Both teams made a pitching change for the fifth inning, though Martinsville’s new pitcher was unable to prevent Tri-City from scoring. Riley Motley (PHCC) started the inning off right with a double, and his speed allowed him to make his way back to home regardless of the lack of offensive activity otherwise.

Coastal Carolina’s Colin Yablonski took the mound in the bottom of the fifth and held Martinsville, not allowing any hits or runs.

The deficit for the Chili Peppers was only one run entering the sixth, and although Greg Ryan of Longwood hit a single, the team was unable to rid of this deficit. Yablonski prevented the Mustangs from scoring again in the sixth to keep the score 5-4.

The Chili Peppers looked to retake the lead in the final inning of the shortened game. Once again, the team had a single, this one from Kasten Furr (University of New Orleans), but failed to bring him around the bases. Game one of the double header ended in a 5-4 Tri-City loss.

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Heading into game two, Tri-City was unable to get their bats moving. The team batted three up, three down in the top of the first. Reed Garland (FDTCC) started on the hill for the Chili Peppers and didn’t allow any runs in the first inning.

The first Chili Peppers hit of the game was a single by Conner Butler of Roanoke College in the top of the second, but Tri-City failed to get on the scoreboard. The Mustangs had the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Mars Hill’s Kyle Jenkins really kick started the Chili Peppers offense in the third inning, hitting a double that allowed Furr, who walked earlier in the inning, to score. Just after Furr rounded the bases, Brandon Eike (UNC) hit a single that brought Jenkins around for a 2-1 lead.

Throughout the night, the Chili Peppers struggled to hold on to a lead. The third inning of game two was no different. A balk allowed a Mustangs run to score to tie the game at two.

Tri-City had their best offensive performance of the game in the fourth. A single by Butler brought in a run by Willie Havens (Elon), who reached first base on an error in his at bat. Butler scored thanks to a two-run home run by Derek Bender of Coastal Carolina. The three runs that the Chili Peppers put up in the top of the fourth gave them a 5-2 lead. Garland held Martinsville in the bottom of the inning to maintain this lead.

The Chili Peppers home runs didn’t stop in the fourth. Eike hit a home run in the fifth to put another run on the scoreboard for the team. Vanderbilt’s Kenny Mallory Jr. also put up a run after his single in the inning to advance the Tri-City lead to 7-2.

Ned Ruffin (William & Mary) came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth, allowing only one hit and no runs. For the first time Friday night, it looked as though the Chili Peppers may hold on to their lead.

Longwood’s Michael Dolberry had the only Tri-City hit in the sixth inning, and the team didn’t put up any more runs. Jackson Walker of Franklin Pierce University pitched for the Chili Peppers in the bottom of the inning. Walker served as another example of how the Chili Peppers pitching staff always gets the job done. He didn’t allow any hits or runs, maintaining the five run lead heading into the final inning.

Tri-City batted three up, three down in the top of the seventh, and pitcher Terell Hudson (University of New Mexico) came in to finish off the game. Martinsville was able to put a run on the scoreboard for the first time since the third inning in the seventh as they fought to come back. However, the one run they put up wasn’t even close to enough. The Chili Peppers pulled off a 7-3 win.

The Chili Peppers will now return to Shepherd Stadium to face off against the Asheboro Zookeepers tomorrow night.