Written by: Braedon DeFalco

WILMINGTON, NC- The second half of Wednesday’s (7/6) double header at Buck
Hardee Field was a much more favorable outcome than the first for the Sharks. With a mere 30
minutes to shake off the unfortunate loss in Game 1, the Sharks were tasked with bouncing back
in the fastest way possible. Safe to say they did just that. Fuzzy friends ran amuck the concourse
of Buck Hardee Field with the Sharks celebrating Bark in the Park night, and they were able to
go home satisfied with a split of the doubleheader versus the Holly Springs Salamanders.
Mason Landers (Belmont) was in the midst of a streak that was full of adverse luck. Despite the
majority of his at bats over the course of this past week ending with hard contact, he didn’t have
much to show for it. His streak of misfortune would see a ceremonious ending, however, as his
no doubter over the left field wall gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1 st . Taber
Mongero (UNC-Wilmington) would come across to score on the home run, and he had an
exceptional performance himself. Mongero reached base in all 4 of his plate appearances,
smacking 3 hits and walking once. This performance was enough to net him the Coastal Plain
League Hitting Line of the Night. Wilmington would take a 2-1 lead into the 4 th looking to add
some insurance. The Sharks stranded 11 runners in Game 1 of the doubleheader, but Noah
Bridges (UNC-Wilmington) wasn’t missing any opportunities in Game 2, smashing a grand slam
over the left-center field wall. The 6-1 lead would end up being a plentiful cushion, but a Garrett
Schultz (Xavier) sacrifice fly in the 5 th inning would be the dagger in the heart of the
Salamanders. The Sharks went on to win Game 2 7-1 and head home happy taking half of a
tough double header.
While the offense plated an advantageous 7 runs, only 2 were necessary thanks to some stellar
pitching from four Sharks pitchers. Alex Logusch (Jefferson) got the start and threw a clean 1 st
inning, but ran into some trouble in the 2nd , walking the bases loaded after recording two quick
outs. Tanner Sinicki (Binghamton) would come on to clean up the mess with no trouble
whatsoever, leading the way for Michael Storms (Adelphi) to enter a fresh 3 rd inning. Storms was
every bit of untouchable out of the bullpen. He threw 4 innings of no-hit ball, striking out a
whopping 8 batters and only issuing 1 walk. His outstanding relief performance earned him the
Coastal Plain League Pitching Line of the Night, as the Sharks swept that award for the night.
Caiden Wood (Seton Hill) would come on for the 7 th and had no issues per usual, as his
reliability in late games has been crucial to Wilmington all year.
In hindsight, both games of the doubleheader were winnable for the Sharks. However, Holly
Springs timely hitting in Game 1 deserves credit and is not worth beating yourself up over if
you’re Wilmington. The Salamanders have given CPL teams trouble all year and are a very
formidable opponent, so taking the split is manageable. The Sharks will welcome the Asheboro
Zookeepers on Thursday (7/7), who have been a tale of two halves this season. Despite being a
bottom dweller throughout most of the first half of the CPL season, the Zookeepers are out to an
impressive 6-1 start in the second half, the best record in the West division. Thursday will also
be Christmas in July at Buck Hardee Field, so the Sharks will hope the festivities can help them
push pass the smoking hot Zookeepers.