The Wilmington Sharks gained some breathing room in the CPL South Division standings on Friday night when they defeated the Fayetteville Swampdogs 6-5, marking the first time the Sharks have defeated Fayetteville in Wilmington this summer.

With the win, the Sharks push one game up on Fayetteville and now sit 1-1/2 games ahead of Morehead City after the Marlins lost at Columbia Friday.

Jake Mayers' solo homer was the difference in the Sharks' win Friday night.

The Sharks transformed into the Wilmington McSharks for the game, wearing special jerseys that were auctioned off during the game with the proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina.

Against Fayetteville, the Sharks used a Jake Mayers solo homer in the bottom of the seventh to take the lead in what proved to be the game winner.

The Sharks had two players tally two-hit nights, Mayers and Aaron Preston, as they only had six hits as a team in the win.

The Sharks opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning before seeing Fayetteville tie the game in the top of the fourth. Wilmington answered with two runs in both the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings before seeing Fayetteville rally back and tie the game in the top of the sixth, paving the way for Mayer’s homer.

Sharks starter Mat Batts fared well through 5-2/3 innings, striking out five, but could not get the final out of the sixth and he gave up a four-run lead and was lifted.

In the third, Preston led off the inning with a walk before advancing around the bases and scoring two batters later on Justyn Carter’s single.

After Fayetteville tied the game in the top of the fourth, the Sharks regained the lead when Preston knocked a two-out, two-run double that scored Mayers and Scott Coleman.

The Sharks extended their lead in the fifth, scoring two runs off of zero hits as they were aided by Fayetteville errors, passed balls, wild pitches and a balk that brought a run in. However, the Sharks left the bases loaded to end the inning.

Fayetteville answered with four runs in the top of the sixth on four hits and one Sharks error to tie the game at 5-5 before Mayers knocked his solo homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh that just cleared the wall in left-center field.

Chris Dula (1-1) earned the win for the Sharks in 1-1/3 innings of relief as he struck out three of the four Fayetteville batters he faced.

Ross Whitley struck out one batter as part of a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his seventh save of the season.

The Wilmington Sharks stepped out of Coastal Plain League action on Thursday night to take on the Catawba Valley Stars in an exhibition contest. The Sharks treated the game as an off day for seemingly every regular, as they fell by a 10-2 score.

The different-looking Sharks offense tallied only three hits in the game, while the interesting defensive configurations saw four errors.

The game’s final tally saw four position players pitch and three pitchers play the field, four if you include starting pitcher Mat Batt’s at-bat in the ninth.

Scott Coleman had an RBI double in the Sharks' exhibition loss on Thursday night.

Alex Freedman, the Sharks normal second baseman, was the designated hitter and had two at-bats, finishing 0-for-2, before exiting. Kenny Bryant started in center field before moving to left field later in the game, and he tallied one hit as part of a 1-for-3 night that saw him exit after seven innings.

Aaron Preston was one of the only Sharks regulars to play the entire game, finishing 1-for-4, but he finished the game on the mound in the ninth as the final Wilmington pitcher of the night.

Scott Coleman tallied one hit on the night, a double in the second inning, that drove home the Sharks first run.

Eric Mayers, part of the Sharks catching rotation, played three positions in the contest, starting behind the plate before pitching 2-1/3 innings and finishing the night in right field. At the plate he finished 0-for-4, but on the mound he struck out four Catawba Valley batters.

K.J. McAllister was another Shark to see time in the field and on the mound before his night was complete. He finished 0-for-1 at the plate, but allowed only five hits over three innings of work on the mound while picking up a strikeout.

A couple pitchers, Chris Dula and Tommy Houmard, fared well at the plate throughout the night. Dula, who played left field and third base, finished 0-for-2 but drew a walk and scored, while Houmard, playing shortstop and centerfield, was 0-for-1 with two walks on his statline.

Stephen Vaughan, another Sharks pitcher, came into the game in the eighth and played left field the final two innings, drew a walk in his only plate appearance.

The Sharks scored the night’s first run in the second inning when Emilio Pagan walked before scoring from first base on Coleman’s double to left-center one batter later.

After Catawba Valley scored two runs in the fourth inning, the Sharks tied the game in the bottom of the fifth when Dula and Houmard reached on back-to-back walks with two outs before McAllister put a ball in play that was an error by the Catawba Valley second baseman that allowed Dula to score from second base.

The sixth inning was the big inning for Catawba Valley, as they scored five runs as 10 batters came to the plate and they tallied two hits and were aided by two Sharks errors.

For good measure, Catawba Valley added three runs in the ninth on three hits and a Sharks error to provide the final score.

The Wilmington Sharks jump back into CPL play Friday night when they host the Fayetteville Swampdogs in a pivotal game in the South Division standings. The Sharks came into Thursday a half game ahead of Fayetteville in the division but kept the same record with the exhibition. Fayetteville won at home against Florence to remain a half game behind the Sharks going into Friday night.

Friday night’s game will also be McDonald’s McJersey McAuction Night at the Shark Tank where the Sharks will be auctioning off every players jersey on the main concourse and online via the link at the top of the team’s homepage, http://wilmingtonsharks.com/, with all proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina.

It will also be Yeungling Flash Drive giveaway night as the gates open at 6 p.m. with first pitch scheduled for 7:05.

For the second consecutive night, the Wilmington Sharks lost to the Morehead City Marlins, this time in Morehead City, by an 8-6 score in CPL South Division action Wednesday night.

The loss drops the Sharks to 9-5 in CPL 2^nd half play and into a cluster of teams at the top of the South Division. Morehead City improves to 9-7 with the win, and Fayetteville now sits at 9-6 after they lost to Petersburg Wednesday night.

Kenny Bryant had two hits in the Sharks' loss on the road Wednesday night.

In Morehead City, the Sharks fell victim to another big inning that proved to be the difference, a theme that is becoming common with the Sharks recently.

Added to the Wilmington disappointment Wednesday night was that the Sharks had four runs on the board before Morehead City responded, including with a five-run third inning.

Kenny Bryant and Emilio Pagan each turned in two-hit performances for the Sharks as each also drove home an RBI on the night. Jeff Moyer also had two RBIs in the loss, while Daniel Aldrich had one RBI as each had one hit for Wilmington.

Sharks starter Zach Taylor fell to 2-2 on the summer after going just 2-1/3 innings and allowing 11 hits and seven runs.

The Sharks jumped ahead early with three runs in the first inning off of four hits, with Alex Freedman singling before Bryant doubled and drove him home. After Jake Mayers walked, Aldrich singled to center field to bring home Bryant for the second run of the night.

Two batters later, Pagan stepped in and delivered a two-out double that plated Mayers to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead after one half inning.

In the top of the second, Aaron Preston opened the inning with a walk and advanced around the bases via a groundout and passed ball before scoring when Moyer singled to right field.

After seeing Morehead City score two runs in the bottom of the second inning off of four hits, the Sharks extended their lead in the top of the third when Jacob Leonardo reached on a hit by pitch before advancing to second on a passed ball. After Pagan walked, both baserunners advanced via a passed ball before Leonardo came in to score on a third passed ball in the inning.

Morehead City took the lead for good in the bottom of the third in their five-run inning when they had five hits in the inning.

In the sixth inning, the Sharks cut the lead to one run when Preston leadoff the inning with a walk before advancing around the bases via a Marlins error and passed ball before scoring on Moyer’s RBI sacrifice fly that brought the score to 7-6.

Morehead City rounded out the scoring in the seventh when they scored on a hit, a pair of walks and a fielders’ choice.

The Sharks return home on Thursday night when they welcome the Catawba Valley Stars to the Shark Tank on another Fat Tony’s Thirsty Thursday with $1 beverages. It is also United Way Shirts off our Back Night with gates opening at 6 p.m. and first pitch scheduled for 7:05.

Performing National Anthem and More Beginning at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday

The RockNRoll Chorus is making a stop in Wilmington on their national tour on Wednesday, July 27.

The Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League have announced that Wednesday, July 27, The RockNRoll Chorus will be performing live at the Shark Tank.

The RockNRoll Chorus is a nationally-renowned group of the best high school-aged singers in the country that perform a cappella with no instruments.

The group is performing at over 25 locations this summer, a tour that began July 4^th weekend and traveling into October, including at the Frontier League All-Star game and Walt Disney World as well as being the opening acts for The Nerds, Journey and Foreigner along their tours.

Wednesday night, July 27, the Sharks will be hosting the Florence Redwolves in a CPL South Division showdown. As always, it will be another Miller Motte/Sunny 104.5 Kid’s Eat Free Wednesday Night.

Gates open at 6 p.m. with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Fans can purchase their tickets in advance at http://www.wilmingtontickets.com/ or by calling the Sharks at 910-343-5621 and on the web at http://wilmingtonsharks.com/.

The Wilmington Sharks are members of Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league.  Celebrating its 15^th season, The Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.  The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats.  Players are housed with local host families for the summer.  The CPL has had over 930 alumni drafted and 45 alums make their Major League debut thus far.  For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.

Wearing Special Jerseys on Friday Night

The Wilmington Sharks of the Coastal Plain League have announced that Friday, July 22 will be McDonald’s McJersey McAuction Night where the Sharks will be wearing special jerseys that will be auctioned during the game with all money going towards the Ronald McDonald Houses of North Carolina.

Anyone wishing to participate in the auction can bid on specific player jerseys during the game on the main concourse inside the Shark Tank, and those unable to attend the game can also bid online via the link on the top of the team’s homepage at www.wilmingtonsharks.com.

Bids start at $50 per jersey.

The Wilmington Sharks are members of Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league.  Celebrating its 15^th season, The Coastal Plain League features 15 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.  The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats.  Players are housed with local host families for the summer.  The CPL has had over 700 alumni drafted and 35 alums make their Major League debut thus far.  For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at www.coastalplain.com.