Sweet start to second half

FAYETTEVILLE -- During the long grind of the summer collegiate baseball season, it's hard to point to one game as more significant than the others.

But Tuesday night's 9-0 shellacking of the host Fayetteville SwampDogs might be pretty hard for the Wilson Tobs to top.

The first 2008 win for the Tobs in J.P. Riddle Stadium was the first game of the second half of the Coastal Plain League season.

Wilson, which ended the first half 12-15 and in fourth place in the South Division, posted back-to-back victories for just the fifth time this season. Tuesday's victory margin matched a season high.

Steven Evans earned his first victory in a Tobs uniform in impressive fashion. The 6-foot-4 left-hander from Liberty University went the distance to throw the first nine-inning shutout for Wilson this season. Tim Adleman went seven innings in a rain-shortened 1-0 win at Wilmington on June 15.

Evans (1-2) was brilliant as he gave up just three hits and walked one while being backed by three double plays turned by the Wilson defense.

Left fielder Cam Freeman of East Carolina University made nice catches in the third and fifth innings for the Tobs.

Evans would have all the run support he needed in the second inning as four Tobs in a row drilled singles against SwampDogs starting pitcher Kevin Quackenbush.

Shortstop Packy Elkins' one-out single started the onslaught before Freeman and Nick Hogan laced run-scoring singles. Chris Henderson then lined a two-out double to left-center field to put Wilson ahead 4-0.

Quackenbush (2-2), who entered with an 0.54 ERA, gave up another run in the fourth, his final inning.

Against reliever Chris Patterson, Elkins launched his first home run of the season with one out in the fifth to put Wilson ahead 6-0. Henderson singled with two outs in the seventh, then scored on Justin Parks' triple. Parks had two RBIs, giving him a team-high 18.

The Tobs padded their lead with a pair of runs in the ninth against reliever Carter Jurica. Cody Hawn doubled home Henderson and Chris McGhee of Louisiana State University collected his first RBI as a Tob with a sacrifice fly.

Nick Fleece had two of the three hits for Fayetteville (0-1), which finished second in the first half in the South Division season.

The Tobs look for just their second three-game winning streak tonight when they host South first-half champion Florence (S.C.). First pitch in Fleming Stadium is scheduled for 7:05.