Tarboro put together a pair of four-run innings late, Cam Greenway continues to mash the ball, and relief pitcher James Strohbush worked four solid innings on the mound as the River Bandits eased past the Fuquay-Varina Twins 13-4 in a nondivisional game of the Old North State League on Tuesday night at Tarboro Municipal Stadium.
The win enabled Tarboro, which was coming off a 9-7 loss at the Edenton Steamers on Monday, to improve to 24-10 overall. The River Bandits were 10-8 in the Northeastern Division, trailing the Steamers (11-5, 23-7) and New Bern Southpaws (11-6, 18-11) going into the final week of the regular season.
Tarboro was scheduled to play at the Kinston Wingmen on Wednesday evening.
Greenway got the Bandits’ offense started with his third home run of the season, a two-run shot over the left centerfield wall that gave Tarboro a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Tarboro starting pitcher Brody Mangold struggled with walks in the first two innings. He issued four of them and two of them scored in the top of the second on a two-run double that tied the game at 2-all.
The River Bandits regained the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the second frame. Van Cisle led off by reaching on an error. Two outs later, Joseph Eichelberger drew a walk and Brady Holloway delivered a clutch single to right to plate Cisle.
The Twins had chances to tie it in their next two at-bats but had runners in both innings tagged out in rundowns between third and home.
The River Bandits made it 5-2 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Jalil Everette led off with an infield single and advanced to third on a single from Eichelberger. Eichelberger stole second, the throw got threw to the outfield and Everette scored. After a walk to Holloway and a bloop single by Greenway loaded the bases, Ryan Yaroshuk’s sacrifice fly brought in Eichelberger.
Fuquay-Varina got a run back in the top of the fifth inning against the third Tarboro hurler, Dawson Wiggins. The Twins used a double, a walk and two singles to pull within two at 5-3.
Tarboro had an answer in the bottom of the fifth.
With one out, Cisle doubled to center and moved to third on an infield single by Regan Bernard. With two outs, Eichelberger walked, Holloway singled home Cisle and Bernard and Greenway smacked a deep single to right field to plate Eichelberger and Holloway to make it 9-3.
The River Bandits put together another big inning in the bottom of the eighth.
Greenway led off with his second homer of the game (and fourth of the season), a solo shot, to make it 10-3. Greenway finished the contest 4-for-4 with three RBI and raised his batting average from .372 to a sparkling .393.
Yaroshuk walked and scored on a double from Brayden Buckner, and Buckner came around when Jaxon Masterson reached on an error. Masterson made it all the way to third on the errant throw and then scored on a wild pitch.
Strohbush entered the game in relief of Wiggins in the top of the sixth and was highly effective.
He retired the first nine batters he faced, six via strikeout, before issuing a walk to lead off the ninth. A wild pitch and two groundouts led the Twins’ final run.
Buckner, Holloway and Cisle each added two hits for the River Bandits while Yaroshuk, Bernard, Everette and Eichelberger provided one hit each.
MONDAY’S GAME
Edenton 9, Tarboro 7
The River Bandits looked on their way to a divisional win after taking a 7-2 lead with four runs in the top of the seventh inning at Hicks Field. But the Steamers had other plans, as they rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh and five in the eighth to secure the victory.
Brett Rogers (two RBI) and Brayden Buckner led Tarboro with two hits each, while Ryan Fluharty (home run, two RBI), Jaxon Masterson, Joseph Eichelberger and Cam Greenway added one hit each.
The Bandits used four pitchers in the contest: Cole Molina (five innings, two earned runs, six hits, one strikeout), Carter Mills (0.2 innings, one hit, four earned runs, one strikeout), Oliver Kerns (one inning, one hit, one strikeout) and Trip Brown (1.1 innings, two hits, three earned runs, one strikeout, four walks). Brown was saddled with the loss.
UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday at home against the Kinston Wingmen (7 p.m.)Friday at home against the Edenton Steamers (7 p.m.)Saturday at home against the Clayton Clovers (7 p.m.)Sunday at the New Bern Southpaws (5 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. Completion of suspended game, regular game)Monday at home against the Edenton Steamers (7 p.m.)
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