Greenville, N.C. – The Greenville Yard Gnomes rolled past the Coastal Plain League’s top team Tuesday night, defeating the Peninsula Pilots 11-4 at Guy Smith Stadium. Michael Kalinich led the offensive charge for Greenville, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Peninsula (28-15) jumped ahead early, plating a run in the first on a Grayson Fitzwater double that brought home Henry Garcia. The Pilots added another in the second as Tyler Zedalis scored on a putout to take a 2-0 lead.
Greenville (19-25) responded in the bottom of the second when Josh Mason swiped home to get the Gnomes on the board.
The momentum shifted in the third with a four-run outburst by the Gnomes. Kalinich tied the game with an RBI single to center, scoring Joe Siervo. David Lillis followed with a single to right to plate Jesse Ponce, and Landry Stamps added another RBI knock to score Kalinich. Lillis capped the inning by stealing home, putting Greenville ahead 5-2.
The Yard Gnomes added insurance over the next two innings. Charlie Kapp scored on a wild pitch in the fourth, followed by another RBI single from Kalinich. In the fifth, Lillis came home on a sac fly to stretch the lead to 8-2.
Peninsula trimmed the deficit with two runs in the seventh – one via sac fly and another on a steal of home – but Greenville quickly shut the door.
The Gnomes tacked on three more in the bottom half of the inning. Mason scored on a bases-loaded walk, Lillis came in on a wild pitch, and Stamps followed on yet another wild pitch, sealing the 11-4 victory.
Preston Chaudoin earned the win for Greenville, tossing six strong innings while allowing just two runs (one earned) and striking out five. Peninsula’s Kevin Dillon took the loss, surrendering five earned runs over 2.1 innings.
Up Next: The Yard Gnomes hit the road for Petersburg, Virginia, to face the Chili Peppers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.