GASTONIA, N.C. – Gastonia’s Dean Miller singled home pinch-runner Jake Hoover with the winning run as Gastonia won the opening game of a three-game series with High Point on Tuesday night at Caromont Health Park.
The win pushed the Gastonia Baseball Club two games in front of High Point in the South Division race for the first half pennant. Gastonia is now 33-15 while the Rockers fall to 31-17. Each team has 15 games remaining in the first half.
Tied at 6-6 after nine innings, the Rockers were able to push a run across in the top of the 10th. Gastonia took advantage of the “ghost runner” at second as Justin Wylie laid down a sac bunt to put Hoover at third. Miller then singled to right to score Hoover with the winning run.
Gastonia took a 1-0 lead in the first when High Point starter Jonah Scolaro loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a hit batter. Eric De La Rosa then drew a walk to force home Kevin Watson, Jr. for the first run of the game.
Gastonia’s lead grew to 2-0 in the second when Jack Reinheimer belted a solo homer with two outs.
The Rockers got on the scoreboard in the third when D.J. Burt reached on a throwing error by Gastonia second baseman Justin Wylie which left Burt at second. Martin Figueroa then singled to center to bring Burt around and pull the Rockers to within a run a 2-1.
Scolaro retired the first two hitters he faced in the third then allowed back-to-back solo homers to Marc Flores and Wylie as Gastonia pushed its lead to 4-1.
In the fourth inning, Gastonia put runners on second and third before High Point called on Zach Muckenhirn out of the bullpen. He allowed a sac fly to Jake Gatewood as the GBC increased its lead to 5-1.
Scolaro struggled for the first time this season, allowing seven hits, four walks and five runs in 3.1 innings of work.
High Point cut the deficit to 5-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth. The Rockers loaded the bases when Connor Owings drew a walk, Brian Parreira singled and Evan Edwards was hit by a pitch. Ben Aklinski then lined a single back up the middle to score both Owings and Parreira.
The contest became a one-run game in the sixth when Zander Wiel homered, his 11th of the year, to leave the Rockers trailing 5-4. Gastonia’s Josh Stowers drew a walk from Muckenhirn in the bottom of the sixth and eventually scored on a sac fly by Gatewood to give Gastonia a 6-4 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Evan Edwards smacked a two-out single to set the scene for Aklinski to tie the game with a homer to left, his 10th of the year.
Garrett Schilling (L, 0-1) too the loss as he pitched the 10th inning. Gastonia’s Gabe Klobosits (W, 2-3) earned the win with one inning of relief work.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 7 pm on Wednesday at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park.
