Outer Banks Swinging Mullets Grind Out Win Against Yorktown Coconuts - 6/11

The Mullets proved victorious against the visiting Yorktown Coconuts 9-6 on Thursday night. The game was lathered with free passes, with the Mullets allowing 16 walks from the pitching side of things. Despite this, they were able to collect timely outs in the field and escape jams when necessary. With this being their first of ten consecutive games, coach Mikey Reynolds decided to make this a bullpen game for the team. The Coconuts saw seven different pitchers, with no one throwing more than two innings.

Dylan Huntley opened up the game for the Mullets, going one and two-thirds innings and allowing two runs. His fastball showed a lot of life, but he narrowly missed on a few close pitches. The Coconuts did a great job all night working the count and making Mullets pitchers throw it in the zone. Logan Metters earned the win, going two no-hit shutout innings while walking four. Outer Banks also saw scoreless innings from Caleb Allen, Aidan De Leon, and Isaac Miles. Sidewinder Alex Blackmon came in the eighth to extinguish a Coconuts rally, earning his third save of the year with two shutout innings. 

The Coconuts jumped out to a 2-0 lead with an RBI groundout and an RBI walk in the first and second innings, respectively. They would say goodbye to this lead as slick-fielding Second Baseman Smith Dickinson said goodbye to a baseball, launching it out to left-center to tie the score at two. 

The score stayed knotted at two until the fifth, where the Mullets found some unique ways to score. Colby Smart drove in a run without the bat, leaving his shoulders, as his two-out walk gave the Mullets the lead. Gabe Kelley drove a liner up the middle, which took a favorable bounce off the outstretched arm of Coconuts' pitcher Jacob Lawrence, and allowed Kelley to reach first with an infield hit. A balk by Lawrence would give the Mullets a third run in the inning, making it 5-2.

Fast forward to the seventh inning, where Smart would drive in his second run of the night with a liner up the middle. The DH pieced together a great night, collecting two hits, two stolen bases, and two RBI. Later in the inning, Shortstop and leadoff hitter Jose Ruiz used his speed on the bases to snag home after the catcher failed to throw out Smart at second base. An error in the outfield would give the Mullets two more runs, giving them a comfortable 9-2 lead.

The Coconuts snuck back into the game in the eighth, as they took advantage of five free passes in the inning and a two-run single by number nine hitter Jake Mutter. Yorktown only collected three hits on the night, but the sixteen walks issued by the Mullets gave them enough baserunners to plate six runs. 

Blackmon’s sinking submarine fastball proved once again to be a problem for opposing hitters, as he thwarted Yorktown’s rally in the eight, and threw a one-two-three ninth inning to close out the game for Outer Banks.

Final Score: Outer Banks: 9 Yorktown: 6