REDWOLVES NOTEBOOK: Pitchers making quick work of opposition

FLORENCE — Fans at American Legion Field have come to expect quick home games from the Florence RedWolves.
In the team’s 7-0 home start, Florence has averaged less than two-and-a half hours per contest.
The RedWolves attribute strong performances from their starting pitchers as the major reason why fans are usually home by 10:30 p.m.
Including last Sunday’s no-hitter against Fayetteville, Steve Grife’s first two starts have lasted a combined four hours and 28 minutes.
Rob Kumbatovic’s 1-0 win over Wilson last Friday lasted two hours and nine minutes. Andre Benjamin’s complete-game win over Wilmington Tuesday went just an hour and 55 minutes.
“Our tempo is fast because our pitchers throw strikes. We try to draw early bad contact,” first-year coach Wes Davis said. “We don’t like 2-2 or 3-2 counts. We don’t want to go deep into at-bats.”
That philosophy has put Florence at or near the top in almost every pitching category. The RedWolves lead the Coastal Plain League in ERA (2.29) and opposing batting average (.196).
They have also allowed the fewest hits and the fewest runs in the league.
Pitching coach J.T. Severe added the quick pace of the pitchers allows the defense to stay fresh, leading to more offense.
“From a defensive standpoint, we want quick innings,” he said. “We want the defensive players off their heels so they can stay fresh and hit.
“It plays a major role in how we play offensively.”
Only once have the fans seen 10 p.m. at the ballpark this season. They still went home happy as Florence got a complete effort on offense and defense in a 12-1 rout of Wilson on Friday. That game went a marathon two hours and 30 minutes.
“I was proud of the way our whole team played (against the Tobs),” said Davis, who is now 3-2 against his old team this season. “(Kumbatovic) pitched well, our guys hit the ball well with runners in scoring position and we played an error-free game.
Players of the week
Jerry Sands and Kevin Mahoney of Forest City were named the Rawlings Hitters of the Week, while Grife, Daniel Barnes of Petersburg and Asheboro’s Carson McLean were tabbed Rawlings Pitchers of the Week.
On the mound, Grife was perfect for the RedWolves. The 6-foot, 177-pound redshirt-sophomore from Mercyhurst made two starts, highlighted by a complete-game no-hitter last Sunday against rival Fayetteville.
His no-hitter was the first of the 2008 CPL season and the first since June 7, 2007. The right-hander finished with 2-0 record and didn’t allow an earned run in 15 innings. He also struck out 18.
Big day for Tobs, Hi-Toms
Out of the 112 CPL alumni selected in the 2008 MLB draft, 13 of them were members of the Wilson Tobs organization, second most in the CPL behind just the Thomasville HiToms, who had 15 players selected.
The 13 Tobs also included three current players: Jerry Sands, David Francis, and Cody Hawn. Sands, was selected by the Dodgers in the 26th round and signed with them Tuesday. He will report to the Vero Beach Dodgers of the Gulf Coast League.