By Peyton Butt
The Blowfish are Championship series bound after a double header sweep over the Forest City Owls. Spirits were high throughout both games with a shutout in the first and a 8-1 victory in the second.
“This team fights, this team has grit, we are truly blessed but the job is not finished,” Ty Jackson said.
In game one, Carson Starnes made a bold statement on the mound pitching six innings with six strikeouts and no runs earned by Forest City. Starne’s dominant performance set the bar high for the Blowfish on the mound throughout games one and two.
“It was really easy to pitch well when I had the defense behind me working. They really showed up to show out and the bats were on fire so it made it an easy environment to pitch in,” Starnes said. “The crowd showed up as well so they also had an impact on the way I performed. The first game really set up for the second game and the blowies came out with the dub.”
Phillip Ard had a massive game for the Blowfish at the plate. In game one, Ard went 1-2 with a two run home run and followed up with a second homerun in game two.
“The biggest thing with hitting is it’s contagious, we just put some good swings out there and drove in some runs,” Ard said. “It definitely keeps the offense rolling at times, our offense has excelled all season so I’m glad I could help out big time to get to the championship.”
Robbie Jordan had tough shoes to fill in game two after Starnes’ scoreless performance but Jordan stepped up to the challenge, pitching five innings with five strikeouts, two hits and no runs.
“Carson and the other guys that threw really set the tone for the day,” Jordan said. “Carson had no hits going through six so he set the tone and I was able to keep it rolling in the second game.
Mead sealed the deal and the victory for the Blowfish pitching the final two innings of game two with two strikeouts and only one run.
“It’s great to finish out my final game as a Blowfish closing out game three in the first round of the playoffs,” Mead said. “As my teammate Ty Jackson would say the job is not over, we have two or three more games and I will be cheering them on from home getting ready to start school.”
The Blowfish players have grown as a family over this summer. Brayden, the bat boy, has a special place in every player’s heart and will be helping the team through his championship series.
“It feels great to be the bat boy. I love doing it, it’s an honor and I think it’s really cool to be it in my first ever playoffs in the CPL championship.”
The Blowfish will play in Wilmington on Thursday for game one and game two will be Friday at the Lex. Tickets are available at GoBlowfish.com.