Hampton, VA – The Tri-City Chili Peppers hit the road to face off at the Peninsula Pilots on Saturday night. Despite a slow start, the Chili Peppers pulled off a 6-5 comeback win.

The Chili Peppers bats were off to a slow start on Saturday, with the team batting three up, three down in the first. Hayden Snelsire (Randolph Macon College) started on the hill for Tri-City and gave Peninsula the same fate as his own team in the first, pitching three up, three down.

Virginia Tech’s Lucas Donlon started the second inning successfully for the Chili Peppers offense with a single. Hunter Gilliam (University or Kentucky) followed up this hit with a single of his own. However, Tri City failed to score again in the second. The Pilots also started to hit in the second, but Snelsire held them to keep the game scoreless.

Kasten Furr of the University of New Orleans hit a double for Tri City in the third but was left on base. An error put a Peninsula batter on first base in the bottom of the third, and he later scored to give the Pilots a 1-0 lead.

The Chili Peppers didn’t put up any hits or runs again in the fourth. Despite not putting up any hits in the bottom of the inning, Peninsula added a run to their score after a batter was walked.

Tri City had another hit in the fifth by Connor Butler (Roanoke College) but remained scoreless. The Pilots bats kept moving in the fifth with three consecutive hits that allowed them to put up two more runs for a 4-0 lead. Rider University pitcher Danny Kirwin came in to limit the damage in the rest of the inning and didn’t allow any more hits or runs.

The Chili Peppers batted three up, three down again in the sixth. Two hits and a walk brought in another run for Peninsula.

Butler had a single for the only Tri City hit of the top of the seventh. Ned Ruffin (William & Mary) took the hill in the seventh for the Chili Peppers, not allowing any hits or runs.

The Pilots pitching staff struggled in the eighth, walking four straight batters to walk in the first Chili Peppers run. A grand slam by Gilliam brought the other walked runners around to tie the game at five. After hitting a single and a balk that advanced him to second, Ethan Iannuzzi (Randolph Macon College) was able to score thanks to a putout by Derek Bender (Coastal Carolina University) to put Tri City on top for the first time in Saturday’s matchup.

Catawba Valley Community College’s Troy Shepherd pitched three up, three down in the bottom of the eighth to keep this new found Chili Peppers lead.

Tri City didn’t put up any more hits or runs in their final plate appearance in the ninth. Eli Parks (Howard College, TX) came out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth to protect the small lead. Peninsula started the bottom of the ninth off with a double, but were unable to score, giving the Chili Peppers a 6-5 comeback win.

The Chili Peppers will return to Shepherd Stadium tomorrow for another matchup against the Pilots.