Greenville, N.C. – The Martinsville Mustangs overpowered the Greenville Yard Gnomes Thursday night at Guy Smith Stadium, erupting for 16 runs in a dominant 16-6 victory. Jack Pokorak led the charge for the Mustangs, racking up four RBIs, two runs scored, and a two-run home run.
Martinsville struck first in the opening frame as Johnboy Rittenhouse singled home Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez would return the favor in the second, driving in Corey Adams to double the Mustangs’ lead.
The Mustangs broke the game open in the third. Pokorak ripped a triple down the left field line, plating Rittenhouse and Mason Reising. Nate Prince followed with a single to center that scored Pokorak, making it 5-0.
Greenville got on the board in the bottom half of the third, when Jesse Ponce drove a double to left center to bring in Brody Gardner.
Martinsville quickly answered in the fourth, scoring four more runs. Gonzalez scored on an error by Michael Kalinich before Reising knocked in Rittenhouse. Pokorak capped the inning with a two-run homer to right-center, stretching the lead to 9-1.
The Gnomes showed signs of life in the bottom of the fourth. John Kielber scored Kalinich on a fielder’s choice, and Gardner followed with an RBI single to make it 9-3.
Martinsville kept the pressure on. In the fifth, Gonzalez crushed a three-run home run to left-center, putting the Mustangs up 12-3.
Greenville continued to chip away, as Aaron Bock scored on a looping single by Jon Howard in the fifth. The Gnomes trimmed the deficit to six in the sixth after a Danny Ramirez single brought home Gardner and Ponce, making it 12-6.
However, the Mustangs sealed the win with four runs across the seventh and eighth innings. Reising launched a three-run home run, and Martinsville added one more insurance run in the eighth.
Jaxon Lloyd earned the win for Martinsville, tossing 3.2 innings and allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out four. Maddox Jones took the loss for Greenville, surrendering five runs (four earned) on five walks over three innings.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes travel to Morehead City, N.C. for a matchup against the Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.