BLUEFIELD, W. Va. — Six Stripes players posted multiple-hit efforts and the squad scored in five consecutive innings as it closed out the series with an impressive 11-4 victory over the Stars on Thursday night at Bowen Field in Bluefield, W. Va.
Eight Stripes players combined for a summer-high 16 hits, including three hits each from Daniel Susac (Arizona) and Kevin Parada (Georgia Tech).
It was Dylan Beavers (California) who stole the show though, finishing 2-for-2 with three runs scored, three RBIs, two stolen bases, and a home run in the sixth that put the bow on the victory.
The balanced offensive performance was even more impressive considering the Stripes entered the contest on a 21-inning scoring drought.
For the Stars, Caden Grice (Clemson) launched his first longball of the summer, blasting one to dead-center over the batter’s eye in the second.
Despite the loss on Thursday, the Stars were the overall winners of the 11-game series, which included a tour of all 10 Appalachian League stadiums, finishing with a record of 7-4.
KEY MOMENTS
- It was the Stars who scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the opening inning after Robert Moore (Arkansas) doubled, moved to third on a groundout and then scored on an RBI single by Gavin Cross (Virginia Tech).
- The Stripes got the run back in the following frame though when Beavers was hit by a pitch and promptly raced around the bases to even the game on a triple down the right-field line by Drew Gilbert (Tennessee)
- That was the beginning of a back-and-forth battle over the next few innings as the Stars immediately answered with Grice’s two-run shot in the second.
- In the top of the third, the Stripes brought the game back to a deadlock with Ethan Long (Arizona State) and Susac both knocking in runs with back-to-back singles.
- The Stars actually escaped further damage in the inning thanks to a strong throw from Cross in center that cut one run down at the plate and another runner getting caught stealing to end the frame.
- That momentum carried over into the home half of the third as the Stars moved back out in front, 4-3, on an RBI single by Brooks Lee (Cal Poly).
- From there it was all Stripes as they outscored the Stars, 8-0, over the final four innings of play.
- Brock Jones (Stanford) came through in the fourth with the eventual game-winning RBIs as he plated two with a triple down the right-field line.
- In the fifth, a wild play on a wild pitch that bounced well away from the plate allowing baserunners to score from both second and third.
- A four-run sixth inning put the game out of reach with Sean McLain (Arizona State) scoring on a base hit by Susac just three batters before Beavers went yard with his three-run bomb to seal the win.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- The 16 hits for Stripes were a summer high, doubling their previous best of eight on both July 3 and July 7.
- The 11 runs were also a team-high, topping the seven runs it scored on July 3.
- With another RBI on Thursday, Cross now has 13 RBIs in 11 games which ranks as the most for either team. He has now driven in a run in four consecutive games and five of the last six.
- Cross also leads the team with a .455 batting average and 15 hits and is tied with Jacob Berry (LSU) for the team lead with four home runs.
- Robert Moore (Arkansas) scored once on Thursday upping his team-high in runs scored to 10 for the summer.
ON DECK
- The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will return to Cary, N.C., where it will play three games against the professional team which is set to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The two teams will first square off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 18, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.
