WINSTON-SALEM — The Carolina Disco Turkeys celebrated Independence Day by hosting Southern Collegiate Baseball League rival the Uwharrie Wampus Cats on July 4.
Long before the post-game fireworks filled the sky, baseball fans were treated to the resounding crack of a wooden bat echoing through David F. Couch Ballpark. Thursday’s game featured a combined 16 runs on 21 hits — nine of which were extra-base hits.
The teams were tied 4-4 after three innings, though more than two hours had passed due to a weather delay. The Turkeys got a leg up on the Wampus Cats by scoring once in the fifth inning, then put the game away with a 5-run seventh inning that featured a grand slam from Blaize Johnson.
The Turkeys quieted a late comeback attempt by the Cats to cement their 10-6 victory.
The Disco Turkeys roster is made up of college baseball stars ranging from Couch Ballpark’s very own Wake Forest to schools such as Penn State, Southern Illinois and Dordt University in Iowa. Two locals were featured in the Turkeys victory: Kolby Watson and Beau Callahan.
Watson is a 2023 North Surry graduate currently playing for UNC-Asheville. Watson finished with one hit, one RBI, one stolen base, one run scored and earned one base on balls. Watson also caught two fly balls and made a diving catch while playing center field.
Beau Callahan is a 2023 Elkin graduate currently playing for Dordt University. Callahan pitched one inning for the Turkeys, during which time the southpaw threw one base on balls and allowed one run on two hits.
Chase Locklar earned the win on the mound for the Disco Turkeys. Locklar pitched seven innings, during which time he threw six strikeouts, two bases on balls, and allowed four runs on nine hits.
How it Happened
Carolina was the first team on the board in Thursday’s Southern Collegiate Baseball League game.
Dakota Doll got things going in the second inning with a line drive to right field that earned him a double. Doll moved to third by tagging up on a flyout, then scored when Brian Oakley hit a grounder to left field.
Watson was up next and hit a fly ball that landed just inside the left-field line. The perfectly placed hit scored Oakley and put Watson on second, then Aaron Herbst singled to bring Watson in for the Turkeys’ third run.
Uwharrie battled back and scored just before the weather delay. Leadoff batter Luke Chantry singled before Carolina picked up back-to-back outs in the light drizzle. That drizzle then turned to a downpour as Taj Bates crushed a line drive to center field to make it 3-1.
The game was halted with Nick Morris’ at the plate. When things picked back up an hour later, Morris earned a base on balls before both he and Bates scored on a 2RBI double hit by BJ Williams. Bryson Bebber scored Williams later in the inning to give the Wampus Cats their first — and only — lead of the game.
Uwharrie scored four runs on four hits in just the third inning. Carolina responded by tightening up its defense and allowed just one Uwharrie player to get on base across the next four innings.
The Disco Turkeys quickly tied things back up in the bottom of the third. Jacob Smith singled, then Johnson hit the fence in left-center field to bring Smith back to the plate.
The Turkeys went scoreless in the fourth before getting back in the driver’s seat in the fifth inning. Carolina’s first three batters earned bases on balls. Johnson, who finished the night with seven RBIs, hit a sacrifice fly to score Smith, but this would be the Turkeys only run of the inning. The Wampus Cats prevented further damage by turning a double play following the sacrifice fly.
The Disco Turkeys made up for their missed opportunities in the fifth inning by scoring five runs in the seventh.
Leadoff Max Gustafson was walked, went to second base on a wild pitch then scored on a double from Smith. Bases were loaded after back-to-back walks to set Johnson up for his grand slam. Johnson faced an 0-2 count when he hammered his homer that increased the home team’s lead to 10-4.
Johnson’s grand slam was the Disco Turkeys final hit of the evening.
The Wampus Cats cut into the lead by scoring once in the eighth inning, then made the Turkeys sweat it out in the final inning by loading the bases with no outs. Pitcher Carter Benson struck the next batter out, but a passed ball allowed Colton Penner to cross the plate and make it 10-6. Benson followed with another strikeout, then Watson caught the game-ending fly ball in center field.
Carolina improved to 13-11 overall and 10-1 at home.
Pitching
Wampus Cats
No. 20 (Name not listed on roster) — 5 IP, 1K, 6 BB, 0 HBP, 8H, 5R
Thomas Rosario — 1 IP, 0K, 1 BB, 0 HBP, 0H, 0R
Colton Penner — 2 IP, 3K, 3 BB, 0 HBP, 2H, 2R
Disco Turkeys
Chase Locklar — 7 IP, 6K, 2 BB, 0 HBP, 9H, 4R
Beau Callahan — 1 IP, 0K, 1 BB, 0 HBP, 2H, 1R
Carter Benson — 1 IP, 2K, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 0H, 1R
Scoring
Wampus Cats — 004 000 011 — 6
Disco Turkeys — 031 010 50X — 10
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