Greenville, N.C. – The Yard Gnomes fell to the Wilson Tobs, 7-5, after a late surge from Wilson erased Greenville’s lead. Charlie Bussey led the way for the Tobs, finishing with two hits and two RBIs.
Wilson (11-7) opened the scoring in the top of the second as Christian Michak stole home to give the Tobs an early 1-0 lead.
Greenville (5-13) responded in the third. Michael Kalinich scored on a balk to even the game. John Kiebler followed by scoring on a groundout to give the Gnomes a 2-1 advantage. Brody Gardner drew a bases-loaded walk to add another run. David Lillis then came home on a Kiebler single to right-center to extend the Gnomes’ lead to 4-1.
The Tobs chipped away in the sixth with a two-run frame. Carter Murphy drove in Jerry Barnes with a single down the right-field line, and Jakhari Howard added another run with a groundout, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
Jesse Ponce added insurance for Greenville in the seventh with a solo homer to left, pushing the lead to 5-3.
Wilson stormed back in the eighth. Howard scored on a balk, and Bussey delivered a clutch two-run single to bring home Kasten Harvey and AJ Jones, giving the Tobs their first lead since the second inning, 6-5.
Barnes added a solo homer to left in the ninth to make it 7-5, sealing the comeback win for Wilson.
Casey O’Dell earned the win for the Tobs, throwing two shutout innings with two strikeouts and just one hit allowed. Gavin Wilson took the loss for Greenville, giving up three runs in 1.1 innings of relief.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes return to Guy Smith Stadium on Sunday night to host the Peninsula Pilots. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.