Brannon, Quattlebaum Lead Owls to Victory in 2010 Opener
May 27th, 2010The Forest City Owls (1-0) opened their 2010 season the same way they ended last year- with a win at McNair Field. The Owls won their third straight Coastal Plain League opener against their rivals, the Gastonia Grizzlies (0-1), with an 8-3 victory Wednesday night in front of an announced crowd of 2,119.
Before the game, last year’s Petitt Cup Championship team was honored with Head Coach Matt Hayes presented with a championship banner. It was not long after that the Owls got their offense going. First basemen Dusty Quattlebaum, who totaled five RBI in the game, singled into right field in the first past the diving glove of Gastonia first basemen Justin Dunning, to give the Owls a 2-0 lead. They would not look behind the rest of the night. Forest City rattled off five straight two out hits, including a two run double by Quattlebaum, in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 6-0. Quattlebaum would the final hitter that Gastonia starting pitcher Tyler Lehman faced.
Not to be overlooked by his offensive counterparts, Owls starting pitcher Phillip Brannon tossed eight innings allowing only one earned run and six hits, while striking out seven to get the win. The right hander seemed to get better as the game progressed, amassing five strikeouts in his final three innings of work. Jeremy Fant from Rice came into the game in relief to pitch a scoreless ninth, striking out two before inducing a groundout to first to end the ballgame.
Right fielder Konstantine Diamaduros, the reigning Coastal Plain League’s top hitter from last season, added an RBI single in the fifth, while Forest City’s first two hitters in their lineup, Marty Gantt and Reed Harper, combined to score five runs. Diamaduros also added a web gem in right field to his line, making a diving catch in right field to rob Gastonia catcher Zach Luevanos of a hit. For the Grizzlies, centerfielder Adam Taylor went 1-3, scoring two runs, while left fielder Bryon McKoy delivered an RBI single in the sixth.
Forest City improves to 17-7 all-time against Gastonia, having won 11 of the past 13 matchups against the Grizzlies. The season series between the two, known as the Silver Cup in honor of their shared owner in Ken Silver. The Owls have won the season series the past four seasons, going back to when the franchise was in Spartanburg as the Stingers.
The Owls travel to Thomasville tomorrow to square off against the HiToms at 7:00 pm, with southpaw Nick Lomascolo slated to take the hill for the Owls.
The Forest City Owls are the defending Pettit Cup Champions of the Coastal Plain League. Celebrating its 14th season, the Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The CPL gives players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts.
