Mustangs Swept in Asheboro, Playoff Push Comes Down to Final Day

ASHEBORO, N.C. – Martinsville entered Friday with hopes of closing in on the club’s first playoff berth in nearly a decade. A two-game sweep would’ve all but put the champagne on ice, and even a split would’ve set up a win-and-in on Saturday against Boone. Instead, the Asheboro Zookeepers played spoiler — and now the only thing on ice is Martinsville’s playoff hopes.

“It was definitely disappointing,” Manager Brandon Nania said after the game. “We haven’t been playing our best ball lately, and I think that caught up with us tonight.”

The Mustangs came into Friday 2-3 in their last five games. A recent sweep of Tri-City had barely kept them afloat after an 0-3 skid, but inconsistency between offense and pitching has plagued the stretch run. Martinsville’s league-best lineup has sputtered at times, and the absence of key starting pitching is beginning to show.

Martinsville turned to left-hander Cooper Morgan for game one — his fourth start of the year. Since returning from an exhibition with the Australian National Team in mid-July, Morgan had struggled. The Aussie allowed a season-high eight runs in his lone outing since his return, which turned into a wild comeback win in Boone.

On Friday, Morgan lasted just 3⅔ innings and surrendered four runs before being pulled, leaving some to wonder if rust played a factor in his shortest start of the year.

“We’ve asked a lot out of the staff lately,” Nania said. “I’ll never say no to a kid with that kind of opportunity to play for his country, and we trust Coop all the way.”

Game one was initially scheduled for July 18 but was postponed due to a rainout. The delay couldn’t have come at a worse time for Martinsville. The Mustangs were riding a franchise-record 11-game win streak that ended a day after the rainout when they fell 12-11 to the CPL's No. 1 overall seed, Peninsula.

The rescheduled matchup gave Asheboro the chance to start CPL All-Star Mason Manriquez of South Florida, who’d struggled in his last appearance against Martinsville. But this time, he got his revenge. Manriquez silenced the Mustangs through five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out four.

Martinsville’s bread and butter all year has been forcing deep counts and drawing walks, and they managed five free passes against Manriquez — but couldn’t cash in.

Down 4–0 in the fourth, Craig Kenny’s single and walks to Corey Adams and Enrique Wood loaded the bases with one out. But the Mustangs’ best scoring chance disappeared when Andrew Schmid lined into an unassisted double play at third base.

Missed opportunities have haunted Martinsville. During a recent three-game stretch, the Mustangs went just 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position — a .136 clip, their lowest of the year in any three-game set this year.

Once Manriquez exited, the bats finally woke up. Martinsville plated five runs in the sixth, highlighted by a pair of two-run singles from Lucas Carmichael and Kenny. Carmichael, who reached base in all five plate appearances, boosted his on-base percentage to .503 and continues to lead the CPL in batting average (.406), RBI (42), hits (58), and OBP — a résumé worthy of CPL Hitter of the Year consideration.

Martinsville rode the rally to a 5-4 lead entering the seventh and called on closer Mason Dear to finish it off. Dear had been dominant early in the season, allowing only four runs in his first eleven appearances, but since the end of the win streak, his command has wavered. Since then, Dear has appeared three times and has allowed seven runs off eight hits, raising his sub-3.00 ERA to 5.17.

After two quick groundouts, Dear surrendered a game-tying RBI double to Owen Blackledge. Martinsville went quietly in the top of the eighth, stranding both inherited runners under extra-innings rules. Asheboro capitalized in the bottom half, as Davis Germann punched a bases-loaded single up the middle to walk off the Mustangs, 6-5.

As the Zookeepers spilled out of their dugout, celebrating near first base, the Mustangs slowly returned to theirs, stunned. Martinsville had started the year 5-0 against Asheboro, but game one's loss marked the Zookeepers’ third straight win in the rivalry.

With morale sagging, game two quickly felt like a must-win in the Martinsville dugout. A brief delay due to McCrary Park’s lost internet connection only heightened the tension before first pitch.

Offense came at a premium early, as Asheboro starter Peter Mullen held Martinsville to one run through four innings. On the other side, Austin Maxey allowed three runs over the first five. With the bullpen drained after seven games in nine days, Nania left Maxey in for the sixth — one inning too many.

Asheboro sent 11 batters to the plate and exploded for eight runs. Martinsville cycled through three pitchers in the frame, Jacob Gilbert came in and allowed six runs on four hits before Catawba freshman Seth Sharpe finally ended the inning with a strikeout.

Down 11-2, Martinsville still showed signs of life. The Mustangs batted around in the seventh, plating three runs before Schmid popped out with the bases loaded to end the night.

The Zookeepers swept the doubleheader, taking the finale 11-5.

The Mustangs left McCrary Park shocked; the club woke up with the best road record in the CPL West at 13-8 and was undefeated at McCrary Park. What was supposed to be a night of celebration turned into a long, silent bus ride home.

Martinsville will now turn its attention to Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Boone Bigfoots, while also keeping an eye on Lexington County’s doubleheader against Forest City. The Mustangs’ playoff hopes hinge on Forest City sweeping Lexington County and a Martinsville win.

Bowling Green’s Rigo Ramos is expected to start for the Mustangs. The late-season addition owns a 1.68 ERA and a 2–0 record, and tossed a perfect inning in relief against Boone back on June 11. Boone's starting pitcher has not yet been announced.

Martinsville has already secured the best overall record in the Western Division (29–18), but under CPL rules, only first- or second-half division winners make the postseason.

Still, Hooker Field will be packed on Saturday night, with limited tickets remaining as Martinsville closes in on yet another sellout. A win would give Martinsville its first 30-win season in nearly two decades — a fitting milestone for one of the most successful teams in franchise history, regardless of a playoff appearance.

(Photo by George Maddaloni)