Blowfish Win With Stunning Rally

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – The Columbia Blowfish (12-16) ended the first half of their CPL season with a win of epic proportions over the Morehead City Marlins (15-13).

The Blowfish had been stymied by Marlins starter Ben White (Temple) all night, but finally found their stroke at the plate in the ninth. Nick Abrahamson (Virginia Commonwealth) led off the inning with a double, then Taylor Black (Kentucky), Shawn Glover (Erskine), Ryan McCormick (Millersville) and Nick Orvin (Citadel) followed with consecutive singles to bring the Blowfish within five. Columbia shortstop Chase Vergason (Florida Atlantic) followed with a double to plate Orvin and McCormick and made it a three run game.

After Vergason stole third, Branfy Arias (Tusculum) grounded a ball to Marlin third baseman Zack Borenstein (Tennessee Tech). Vergason broke for the plate, and Borenstein's throw sailed to the backstop, allowing Arias to advance to second.

The Marlins then turned to closer Thomas Girdwood (Elon), but he could not stop the rally. He walked Bryan Hill (Union) and Black to load the bases. Glover then came through with his second hit of the inning, a bases clearing double, to put the Blowfish on top 10-9. Glover took third on the throw home. After a Ryan McCormick (Millersville) walk and Orvin was plunked, Vergason walked in yet another run to cap a 10 run ninth.  

White was dominant early and often, striking out seven in six innings pitched. He allowed just three base runners through his first five innings. He allowed just one unearned run off a wild pitch while scattering two hits.   

This one appeared to be all Morehead City after the second inning. Chris Schaffer (N.C. State) led off the inning with a groundball hit to the right side of the infield, but third baseman David Greene (Citadel) could not handle the ball. Zach Borenstein (Eastern Illinois) reached on a fielder's choice that retired Schaffer. Borenstein then stole second and reached third on a throwing error by Glover. He scored on a Brian Litwin (Duke) single, then moved to second on single off the bat of Luke Smierciak (Florida Gulf Coast). Both runners advanced in a double steal, then scored on a 2 run single by left fielder Matt Ciraco (LeMoyne) to put the Marlins ahead 3-0.

It then looked as if the Marlins had put this one well out of reach in the bottom of the seventh. Ciraco continued his excellent night with a lead-off triple, then scored easily on a Justyn Carter RBI single that got past the diving Black because the Blowfish infield was drawn in. After a well-executed hit and run put runners on the corners, Chad Oberacker (Tennessee Tech) lofted a sacrifice fly to right that scored Carter on a close play at home that brought the game to 5-1. Morehead City then tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the eighth to move the score to 9-1 before an epic comeback by the Blowfish erased the deficit.

The Fish first got on the board in the top of the sixth. Orvin reached first on a throwing error, then stole second. He was caught in a rundown on a groundball hit back to White, and was retired, though Chase Vergason reached on the play. He advanced on a Greene single, and then moved to third on an infield single by the resurgent Hill. Vergason then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1 at the time.

NOTES: The ten-run 9th by the Blowfish was the most runs they have scored in an inning since August 1st, 2007… Tucker Hawley made his first start of the season. He had appeared in an earlier game as a reliever… Ciraco made an outstanding sliding catch in left field to end the fifth inning. He finished the game 3-4… The game featured 8 stolen bases between the two teams, including Branfy Arias' league-leading 22nd… The Blowfish return home Friday July 2nd to take on the Fayetteville SwampDogs in the first of three games in three consecutive days. Fireworks will follow all three games and all college students will be admitted free with school ID.