Owls Topple Mustangs in a Shutout Show

The Forest City Owls defeated the Martinsville Mustangs in a shutout show, Saturday night at McNair field.

Princeton’s RHP Tom Chmielewski started and finished the game pitching all nine innings handing out 9 strikeouts and only giving up three hits. The Owls defense was close to a picture-perfect night ending with only one error, given up by second basemen Brennan Rozell.

Chmielewski retired 13 batters in a five inning stretch. His streak was snubbed by a walk to Mustangs catcher, Matt Malone in the seventh inning. By the seventh, the previous pitches started to tarnish on Chmielewski’s arm. He noted after the game all he thought from the seventh inning on was, “next pitcher”.

With his grit, Chmielewski tacked on another win on the mound being the only Owls pitcher to touch rubber all night.

On the offensive side the Owls put on quite the show. Ending the night with 10 hits and seven runs. Dixie State catcher, Hank Dodson hit Forest City’s first triple of the season, to send Clemson’s Blake Wright and Appalachian State’s Luke Drumheller in to set the Owls up by four runs to start the sixth inning.

Mustangs had little to no luck only having three hits on the night, with four errors as well. Owl’s veteran and Appalachian State senior Kendall McGowan scored on an error from second baseman Eliot Dix. Dix dropped his catch and missed a tag out on UNC Charlotte’s Will Butcher to send McGowan in to increase the Owl’s lead.

The first two runs of the night belong to Central Florida’s Gephry Pena who was walked in by Drumheller in the first inning and batted in by Butcher in the second.

UNC Charlotte’s Cam Fisher was caught stealing in the sixth inning. Fisher attempted to take third but when he hit the bag his ankle rolled off the wrong way.

“I thought it was broken,” said the right fielder.

After a brief checkup the ankle was deemed to just have been rolled. Fisher would come back out and finish the game in style with the rest of his team.

Owls keep a big win in Forest City shutting out the Mustangs 7-0. Forest City is now 5-10 in the record books. Martinsville is 7-8. The Owls will face Lexington County Blowfish Monday night in McNair Field in hops to start a win streak.