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College Sports
Tobs chomp Sharks Mantooth, Hogan, defense combine for 3-2 win to end first half By Michael Lindsay | Daily Times Staff Writer With the first half of their summer collegiate baseball season coming to the end, the Wilson Tobs wanted to give themselves a rolling start going into the second half. But first thing was first, as the Tobs ground out a 3-2 win Monday against the Wilmington Sharks in front of 1,198 fans and their dogs in Fleming Stadium. Ryne Mantooth pitched eight strong innings, the defense played well in keeping the Sharks at bay, and Wilson twice came through with timely hits -- Nick Hogan driving home the winning run in the seventh. "It was a great team win," said Mantooth, a rising senior from Austin Peay State University. "They played great defense behind me, all our runs were with two outs, and that's huge. The guys just did a great job getting some runs, and that's all you can ask for." The Tobs (12-15) halted their two-game skid, ending the first half of the Coastal Plain League schedule eight games behind Florence in the South Division. But, after Sunday's off day, Monday was about gaining steam for the second half. Tied 2-2 in the seventh with two on and two out, Hogan smacked a single off reliever Kyle Deese into right-center field, scoring Matt Sanders (2 for 3, two runs) from second. That gave starter Ryan Vander Tuig (2-1) the loss. Mantooth (3-2) and reliever Brandon Brinson combined to blank the Sharks (14-14). Brinson, a rising senior at Barton College, picked up his second save after retiring the Sharks in order in the ninth. "That hit was a timely hit. You know, we had (Packy Elkins') big two-out hit two innings earlier," said Hogan, a rising senior at Georgia State University. "I was just trying to sit there, and he just kept coming with fastballs. Wilson had eight hits, producing at the right times, something with which it has struggled at times this season. "The guys up and down the order had much more productive at-bats tonight," Tobs manager Jeff Steele said. "Even the little things, just passing on information, what they saw with the pitcher -- we just went about it in a much more professional manner tonight. Eight hits doesn't seem like a lot, but execution is what makes the difference." In the fifth, after Wilson loaded the bases with none out, then grounded into a double play, Elkins sliced a two-run double down the left-field line to 2-0 lead. Mikel Alvarez tied the game, however, in the top of the sixth. With rain pouring down and the Tobs' staff pleading with the umpires to roll out the tarp, Alvarez roped a two-run single to left, scoring runners from second and third. Only then did the teams leave the field for a 36-minute delay. But in the eighth, with a runner on third and no outs, Alvarez and Jason Hagerty grounded out to end the inning. "Alvarez has been doing that all year, coming up clutch for us," Sharks manager Daniel Hersey said of Alvarez's RBI single. "That's the reason why he's in the No. 4 hole. We rely on him a lot, but he can't do it every time. "... They got the timely hit when they needed to and we didn't." Defensively, Wilson broke its errorless streak, committing its first miscue in five games. But that was just a blip in an otherwise stellar performance. Mantooth picked off two runners at second base with less than two outs, Sanders made an outstanding play to end the eighth, and Cam Freeman made a diving catch in left to end the game. Sanders' play was especially key. With the tying run on third, Sanders fielded Hagerty's slow roller to third, bare-handed the pickup and threw to first for the out. "We've talked about timely hits, but those defensive gems are just as important for winning games," Steele said. "We've put the focus on our defense getting better, and we've gone from the last one or two in the league to right near the top. "To me, that's not just a game-saving play, but a game-winning play. If he doesn't come up with it, the tying run scores. If he comes up with it and throws it away, that guy's coming to third base. It was a game-saving and a game-changing play." On the other side, Wilmington once again missed on a golden opportunity. "Our archnemesis -- Matt Sanders," Hersey said. "He kills us with the bat or with the glove. He's done it to us all year. He's a great player, and he just gets it done." The Tobs roll into Fayetteville tonight to start the second half. Wilson lost back-to-back games to the SwampDogs on Friday and Saturday and is 1-5 overall in the season series. But the Tobs aim to erase those memories and start off the second half strong. "Although, we're just going out and playing day-to-day, it's nice to carry it over," Steele said. "Fayetteville's a tough place to play, but hopefully we can find a way to pick up a win and get going on a three- or four-game streak to start the second half. "That's what we need to do, and that's what this group is capable of doing." mlindsay@wilsontimes.com | 265-7807
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