Tobs’ skid deepens at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — The Wilson Tobs have hit the doldrums, listlessly foundering amid a losing streak that reached five scheduled games Friday with an 11-5 loss to the host Martinsville Marlins.

The loss, the Tobs’ fifth of the week that includes a 4-1 win over the Tri-City Chili Peppers that started Sunday and was completed Thursday, left Wilson 5-5 and three games behind the Peninsula Pilots atop the East Division in the second half of the Coastal Plain League season. The Tobs, 20-14 overall, will host the West Division Mustangs on Saturday night at Fleming Stadium. Martinsville, 21-12 overall, inched up to 6-3 in the second, just a game behind leader Lexington County.

The start of Friday’s game at Hooker Field between the teams with the second-best overall record in their respective divisions started nearly an hour late due to rain. The Tobs offense started even later with just one run in the first five innings. By that time, the Mustangs were ahead 3-1 and added three more run in the bottom of the sixth before breaking open the contest in the eighth with five more runs.

The Tobs only had seven hits but six were doubles, including two by second baseman Jack Kail, who leads the CPL in that category with 13. Kail doubled in third baseman Jared Beebe, who walked and stole second to lead off the fourth for Wilson.

Martinsville scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to go up 3-1, chasing Tobs starter Brady Pacha (0-1) in the process. Pacha gave up three runs, two earned, on five hits and four walks, half of the Tobs’ total of bases on balls.

Wilson got one run back in the top of the sixth when Beebe’s two-out double plated teammate Chase Waddell, who had been hit by pitch, but the Mustangs answered with three runs off relievers Ethan Wilford and Marshall Whitmer in the bottom of the sixth.

Cooper Morgan, the second of five Martinsville hurlers to see action, picked up the win with three innings. He gave up two earned runs on four hits and two walks.

Kail doubled and raced home on a single by left fielder Hector Candelas in the seventh for Wilson, which added two runs in the ninth when first baseman Cole Robinson swatted an RBI double and later scored on Waddell’s groundout.

Kail and Candelas each had two of Wilson’s hits while shortstop Enrique Wood was 3 for 4 to lead Martinsville. Owen Prince and Hayden Friese each drove in two runs for the Mustangs, who won their fifth straight.

Score by innings:

Tobs 001 001 102 — 5

Mustangs 010 203 05x — 11

W-Cooper Morgan (2-0) 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO. L-Brady Pacha (0-1) 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO.

LEADING HITTERS — Wilson: Jack Kail 2-5, 2 2Bs, R, RBI; Hector Candelas 2-4, 2B, R, RBI; Cole Robinson 1-5, R, RBI; Jared Beebe 1-2, 2B, R, RBI. Martinsville: Owen Prince 2-4, R, 2 RBIs; Hayden Friese 1-2, R, 2 RBIs; John Rittenhouse 1-5, R, RBI; Craig Kenny 1-4, 2 RBIs; Enrique Wood 3-4, 2 R; Corey Adams 1-3, 2 R, 1 RBI.

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