RedWolves use eight-run third to beat up on Gastonia

FLORENCE — After scoring six runs in the sixth inning of Monday’s win over rival Fayetteville, Florence looked for an encore when it welcomed Gastonia to Legion Field on Tuesday.
The RedWolves did two better against the Grizzlies. Florence put up eight unearned runs in the third inning en route to blasting Gastonia 18-2.
Andre Benjamin (2-0) benefited from the run support, battling through five innings to pick up the win. The southpaw went five innings, giving up two runs on four hits with a strikeout and a walk.
After a scoreless opening frame, Florence (13-3) immediately put a run on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Barrett Kleinknecht’s one-out triple to left-center was followed by an RBI single from Blake Walker that gave the RedWolves a 1-0 lead.
One swing, however, knotted the score. Josh Callazo blasted Benjamin’s 2-1 pitch over the wall in left for a solo homer and a 1-1 tie.
The Grizzlies took the lead off Benjamin in the third by doing what Florence pitchers have successfully avoided — walks and deep counts. Benjamin walked two batters in the inning and Gastonia made him pay for his wildness.
With two runners on, Daniel Ford bounced an RBI single up the middle to score Chad Dawkins and give Gastonia a 2-1 advantage.
Just as soon as the Grizzlies (5-12) took the lead, they gave it back with their two-out defense. With Jamie Walczak standing on second, Walker hit what should have been an inning-ending grounder to third.
But Chester Wilson’s throw to first bounced away from Callazo, allowing Walker to reach. Callazo’s throw to the plate to gun down Walczak was in time, but Joey Stevens dropped the ball and the game was tied at 2.
Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Gastonia’s Tommy Roebuck (0-2) uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Walker to score and give Florence a 3-2 lead. Roebuck got wild with another pitch that scored Alec Lowery to increase the RedWolves’ advantage to 4-2.
Roebuck’s third-inning implosion continued when he issued his fourth consecutive walk of the inning to Keegan Morrow, forcing home Jared Barkdoll to up the lead to 5-2. After Herman Petzold laced a two-run single, Walczak chased Roebuck from the contest with a two-run double to give his team a 9-2 lead.
Florence sent 12 men to the plate during the eight-run outburst. The RedWolves scored all their runs in the inning with two out on just three hits. They were also aided by five walks and three of Gastonia’s seven errors.
Roebuck allowed one earned run in 2 2/3 innings in the loss, finishing with five walks and three strikeouts.
Lowery added to the Grizzlies’ misery in the fourth inning when he blasted an Ian Waldron pitch deep into the night for his second homer in as many home games. The two-run shot gave the RedWolves an 11-2 advantage heading into the fifth inning. Lowery finished with two hits and two RBI for Florence. Barkdoll finished 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBI to lead the RedWolves. Cody Stinger also homered and drove in two.
Walker finished with three RBI on two hits for the RedWolves. Walczak and Petzold each followed with two RBI.