By Noah Adcock-Howeth

On the final split squad day of the summer, the results were as split as the roster, as the Blowfish won at home and lost on the road.

Lexington County took on the Catawba Valley Stars at home for a non-CPL contest, and won their 4th game in 5 tries against the Stars by a score of 9-5.

Offense came in two waves, with a 6 run first and 3 run fifth providing all the necessary scoring. Big swings came from rising freshman Chance Jennings, who laced a two run triple in his first AB as a Blowfish, and Ryan Ouzts, the veteran player who launched yet another home run this summer, clearing the left field wall by a country mile.

Bryce Metts earned the win in relief with 2 innings of one run ball along with 3 Ks in his first appearance at Lexington County Baseball Stadium, while Blowfish intern Nate Smith tossed a hitless 7th to finalize the ballgame and add to the festivities around the field.

While the home side was riding high, the men on the road were handed a rough loss against the Florence Flamingos by a score of 17-10.

Playing their sixth game in as many days, the Blowfish were already short on arms, and the need increased when a slightly rusty Andrew Duval, normally one of the most reliable starters on the team, lasted just one inning and allowed 8 earned runs. The Blowfish received admirable efforts from Josh Topper (who was lifted early due to injury) and Alex Lyon, but offense reigned supreme regardless of pitcher, as Florence posted 17 hits including 2 grand slams. The Blowfish ended up placing two different position players on the mound, with Thomas Powell working ⅓ of an inning and Warren Holzemer throwing a scoreless 8th.

Offensively, all 9 starters had at least one hit, and the offense scored double digit runs for the 4th time in the last 5 games. Dariyan Pendergrass was 3-6 with an RBI double and a stolen base, while Ashby Vining was 2-4 with 3 RBIs.

Lexington County sees their 4 game CPL win streak come to an end, and their record falls to 24-17 (12-7 in the second half). Thanks to a loss from Asheboro, the Blowfish remain a game and a half ahead and in first place with 5 games left on their schedule. Tomorrow is a day off, with the Flamingos coming to town for the final time in 2023 for a Monday afternoon doubleheader, with first pitch of game one slated to be at 5:05.