Blue Eagles Break Scoreless Streak With Win Over Stingers
Web Posted June 23, 2010
Cameron Aiken

Ryan Traylor (3-1) (Wofford) allowed one unearned run over seven innings pitched to earn his third win of the summer and to lead the Spartanburg Blue Eagles (11-9) to a 3-1 victory over the Carolina Stingers (11-9) Wednesday night in Fort Mill South Carolina.

Traylor primarily relied on his fastball throughout the night as he claims he rarely threw an off-speed pitch.

"I was able to locate my fastball tonight, said Traylor. "I seriously only threw two off-speed pitches tonight because they really weren't hitting the fastball."

Nobody was hitting much of anything for either team as the game remained scoreless until the top of the sixth inning. Jaren Sustar (Charleston Southern) reached by way of a single and eventually came around to slide into home plate as a result of an error by the Stinger's first baseman. Sustar's slide not only broke the scoreless tie of tonight's game, but also a 28 inning span in which Spartanburg had not scored a run.

"The energy in the dugout just completely changed," said Head Coach Ryan Thomas after the game. "The monkey is off our back and now we can get back to playing baseball."

Spartanburg tacked on two more runs, which was all Traylor and the Blue Eagle bullpen needed to close out the game.

Gus White (Wofford) started the eighth inning but ran into some trouble when two stingers reached base on account of an error and a walk. With one out and runners on first and second, White was relieved by Dylan Cole. (Furman) Cole proceeded to strike out the next two Stinger hitters, one by way of swinging, one looking.

That is the closest the Stingers came to taking the lead as Chris Knauff (USC-Upstate) came in and pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his sixth save of the season. Knauff ended the game by getting a Stinger to ground into double play that second baseman Matt Moore (Wofford) turned himself.

Moore, who went 2-4 on the day with two singles, spoke about the victory after the game. "It was great to change things up and break the scoreless inning streak tonight. I switched to a lighter bat and it worked out for me.

The Blue Eagles will travel to Statesville North Carolina Friday to play the Stateville Owls in a doubleheader that is scheduled to begin at 5pm with the second game starting thirty minutes after the conclusion of the first.