COLUMBIA, S.C. - The National CPL All-Stars strung together five runs on five hits in the top of the sixth inning to break a seesaw battle and defeat the American CPL All-Stars by the score of 9-3 Tuesday night at Capital City Stadium in Columbia, S.C.



The National squad jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Thomasville’s Kyle Roller (East Carolina) singled down the right-field line to score Thomasville’s Chris Swauger (The Citadel) and Asheboro’s Rob Lyerly (Campbell).



The American team, however, would answer in time, scoring three runs over the first three innings to take a 3-2 lead.



In the bottom of the first, Fayetteville’s Dominic Altobelli (Illinois) doubled down the line in right and then later scored off a single to left by Frank Pesanello (Northeastern) of Petersburg. An inning later, National starter Justin Lilly (Campbell) of Outer Banks) gave up a pair of singles and walked one to load the bases for the American squad. Another walk to Gastonia’s Zac Kennedy (NW Shoals C.C.) would bring in Brett Mieras (Creighton) of Martinsville to make it 2-2.



New Bern pitcher Chris Gloor (Quinnipiac) came in to start the third and retired the side rather quickly. The 6-6, 260-pound lefty would go on to pitch two innings of hitless baseball, while striking out three.



The American All-Stars would take the lead in the bottom half of the third when Brian Conley (Towson) of Edenton connected on a one-out single through the right side and then advanced when Mike Lyon (Northeastern) of Petersburg reached first on an error by the third baseman. Conley and Lyon would move up to second and third on a passed ball, and Conley would later score the go-ahead run when Mieras reached on an error by the shortstop.



In the top of the fifth inning, Edenton’s Tony Kostelnik (Point Park) led off with a single to second. He later advanced to third on a double by Wes Hobson (Appalachian State) of Gastonia and scored off a groundout double-play by Florence’s Nick Liles (Western Carolina) to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the fifth, Peninsula’s Michael Bowman (VMI) pitched a hitless inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced to later pick up the win for the National team.



The National squad would then score the game’s last six runs in the sixth and seventh innings to close the door on the American team.



Thomasville’s Rich Poythress (Georgia) led off the sixth with a walk and then scored off a triple to left-center field by Edenton’s Kevin Mattison (UNC-Asheville). Kyle Bowley (USC-Upstate) of Spartanburg then hit a ground-rule double to right to score Mattison. Another base hit, this time by Thomasville’s Richard Jones (The Citadel), advanced Bowley to third. Jones stole second before Brent Weiss (George Mason) of Wilmington singled to center field and later advanced on the throw to score both Bowley and Jones. Hobson singled to left next, scoring Weiss to give the National All-Stars a 8-3 advantage. They would tack on one more in the seventh when Bowley singled up the middle to score Poythress from second.



After the game, the League honored the Rawlings Offensive and Defensive Players of the All-Star Game. Bowley took home the Rawlings Offensive Player trophy after going 2-for-3, with a ground-rule double two RBIs and a run scored. Meanwhile, Hodges was selected as the Rawlings Defensive Player of the Game. The 6-2, 190-pound junior righthander exhibited strong command and pitched one inning, surrendering only one hit, while walking none and striking out one.



The Coastal Plain League is the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league, now in its 10th season. Featuring 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, the CPL is certified by Major League Baseball, and gives college players the chance to refine their skills with wooden bats during the summer months. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

original

——-