Colonial Heights, VA - The first Coastal Plain League opening night at historic Shepard Stadium resulted in a 3-0 shutout win for the Tri-City Chili Peppers, the first shutout in franchise history.
The Chili Peppers were hot against in-state rival the Martinsville Mustangs on Thursday night. The team, under the direction of new head coach James Bierlein, recorded two runs in the first inning for an early lead.
“3-0 shutout, what more can you ask?,” Bierlein said. “Our hitters scored early and our pitchers kept it from there.”
Another Chili Peppers run came in the third to extend the Tri-City lead. Though he never rounded all of the bases on Thursday night, the Chili Peppers offense was greatly aided by Longwood shortstop Greg Ryan. Ryan went 2-3 with a walk in his at bats in the Mustangs matchup, with 2 hits and an RBI.
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Ryan said. “I was just looking for a pitch to hit, not trying to be too picky, just something I can drive.”
The opening night Chili Peppers win could not have been achieved without the stellar pitching performance of starting pitcher Hayden Snelsire. The Randolph-Macon right-handed pitcher pitched six innings for the Chili Peppers on Thursday night, allowing only two hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
“I went out there and tried to give it my all,” Snelsire said. “It ended up working out for me tonight.”
With the 3-0 shutout win, the Chili Peppers maintained a perfect opening night record. Last season, they defeated the Wilson Tobs 10-8 in Wilson for an opening night win.
Tri-City was supposed to finish off their series against the Mustangs in Martinsville with a Friday night matchup. The team was determined to mimic their opening night performance for their first road game. However, the game ended up being cancelled due to weather.
“The expectation is to go back and get another win,” Bierlein said before the cancellation. “I really feel confident in what we have playing for tomorrow.”
The new Chili Peppers players are looking to have a successful season, aided by the electric crowd at Shepard Stadium.
“The atmosphere tonight was really special,” Snelsire said. “I hope that that continues throughout the season.”
Returning Tri-City player and Longwood first baseman Hunter Gilliam shared similar sentiments about the crowd at Chili Peppers games.
“The environment in this stadium is pretty unbelievable,” Gilliam said. “I’m fired up to be back.”
The Tri-City Chili Peppers will return to their beloved fans at Shepard Stadium on Saturday night for a faceoff against the Holly Springs Salamanders. The Salamanders also won their opening night game against the Morehead City Marlins 8-5. Saturday night’s game, which will follow the team’s Fan Fest from 11:30-1:00, is a Memorial Day celebration that will end with a fireworks show.
A Chili Peppers team under new leadership with a plethora of new talent pulled off a strong opening night win, and will look to carry this success into the rest of the season.
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