FORT MILL –
After winning seven in a row, the Carolina Stingers have dropped four of their last five to end up at 12-12 on the season.

Two of the Stingers’ most recent losses show their frivolity at the plate and on the mound. The team was swept recently by the Statesville Owls, falling 1-0 and 12-2 last Saturday.

In the two games, Carolina made four errors and had just four hits while giving up 18 hits and 13 runs.

“It was brutal,” said Stingers head coach Ryan Bown. “I thought our approach and focus wasn’t very good.”

Statesville scored the winning run in the top of the eighth inning in game one on a throwing error by Stingers catcher Greg Lawson of Catawba College, who sailed a pick-off attempt at third base into left field, allowing Statesville’s Kyle Mastroianni to score.

Up until then, both teams battled back and forth in a pitcher’s duel. The Stingers’ Dave Koopenheffer, of Barton College, went six innings, allowing just two hits, while striking out six and walking four.

Statesville’s Wes McBride was nearly equal, also going six innings and allowing just two Stinger hits. Neither one of the pitchers got the decision.

The win went to Statesville’s James Kimsey, who went two innings without allowing a hit. The loss fell on the shoulders of Parker Sheets, a right hander out of the University of Texas-Tyler. Sheets allowed just one run on three hits, and gave up the singles to Mastroianni that led to the winning run.

Lake Erie College’s Zach Mosbarger and Gardner-Webb University’s Benji Jackson had the only two hits for the Stingers in game one.

In game two, the Stingers’ struggles continued and spread to the pitching mound.

Carolina used six pitchers in the game with starter Chris George, of Georgia College and State University, getting the loss. George went just two innings, but allowed six runs on five hits, while walking three and striking out two.

George was pulled in the third inning with a 6-0 scored facing the Stingers. His replacement, Bluefield College’s Ethan Lewis, did well to contain the bleeding, allowing just one hit in two innings before being pulled.

However, after he was pulled the next three pitchers – Chance Williams, Fort Mill’s Thomas Nichols and Michael Morgan – didn’t last a combined two innings. Williams went just one-third of an inning, allowing three runs on three hits, while Nichols lasted a whole inning, but allowed three runs as well on four hits. Morgan came in to put an end to things and got out of the sixth inning without surrendering a hit.

The Stingers again had just two hits in the game, with their first hit not coming until the sixth inning, a single from Jackson.

Brevard College’s Stephen Mullis had the other Stinger hit driving in a run with a double in going 1-3.

Bown said after the game that it was time for a change for the Stingers, who are now at the midway point in the season.

“I am going to go with the scrappiest lineup I can,” he said. “I am going to put people out there that can do the small things and get hits.”

The Stingers are back home this week Saturday with a doubleheader against Asheville at 5 p.m. at Fort Mill High School.

http://www.teamline.cc/sportpage?teamcode=2466&eventcode=5

Carolinas Baseball Center has provided the Greater Charlotte area with a state-of-the-art indoor baseball training facility paired with the most qualified coaches/instructors/teachers in the region. The Carolina Stingers will be giving out CBC stickers at the door.

The Stingers fell twice to the Owls early in the season; 4-5 in the first match-up and 1-13 just a day later. The Stingers look to redeem themselves after coming back from a rocky 2-6 start. The Stingers now sit at 11-9 but are only 1-5 in division play.

Come out and support CBC and your Stingers!!

The Children’s Attention Home is a non-profit 24-hour emergency shelter and long term facility for children who have been removed from their homes for abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. The home opened its doors in 1970 and has since served victimized children from across the state of South Carolina. Children from every county in the state are currently being helped by the home.

Come show some support for your Stingers and your community at this fun charity game! You will be entered in a raffle to win some great prizes if you bring some of the necessities the Children’s Attention Home is asking fans to donate at the game on June 23rd! For more information on how you can help and what the home needs visit:

http://www.attentionhome.org/Stingers_Event.html

List of items fans can bring out to the game to support CAH:
Dust Mops

Suitcases/Duffle Bags

New Swim Wear (men & women’s sizes)

Gift Cards (Bowling, Regal Theaters, Walmart, Grocery Stores)

Bug Spray

Toiletry baskets

Bras(all sizes)

Underwear (junior girls sizes 5-8)

Boxers (men’s size Small-Large)

Pajamas (kids and adult sizes)

Little Swimmers (all sizes)

Diapers (size 4)

Trash Bags (30 gallon, 13 gallon, 4 gallon)

All purpose cleaner

Latex gloves (large and XL)

Dish Detergent

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Baby Wipes

Slippers/Flip Flops (all sizes)

Bike Helmets (youth & adult sizes)

Hula Hoops

Jump Ropes

Sketch Books

By Mac Banks – mbanks@comporium.net

FORT MILL —
After taking two games at home from the Spartanburg Blue Eagles, the Carolina Stingers gave two games right back to them Saturday after losing both games of a doubleheader.

The Stingers stand at 4-8 overall and will have home games Wednesday and Friday at Fort Mill High. Friday’s game is a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.

“This whole week we preached energy,” said Stingers’ head coach Ryan Bown. “They had a little extra step. I think they finally understand what I expect and what the coaching staff expects. The guys are getting better.”

Carolina was led by Catawba College’s Greg Lawson in game two and Gardner-Webb University’s Benji Jackson and Cleveland State University’s Tom Carter in game two.

Lawson went 2-3 at the plate and scored twice, while collecting two of the Stingers’ five hits.

The Stingers used a three-run sixth inning to pull away from Spartanburg. They got two innings of relief work from University of Texas-Tyler’s Parker Sheets, who allowed just one run on a single hit and struck out four to get the win.

In the first game, pitching again powered the Stingers as reliever Christian Culicerto of Villanova University pitched four innings and allowed just one run on one hit while striking out four.

Carolina didn’t have a big inning to carry them, but consistently chipped away at Spartanburg until taking the lead in the ninth inning.

Jackson went 3-4 for the Stingers with an RBI and Carter went 2-4 with an RBI.

At Spartanburg, the Stingers struggled allowing a five-run fifth inning in the first game and giving up 13 hits in the 9-4 loss.

In the second game despite outhitting the Blue Eagles 6-4, Carolina managed only one run in the 3-1 loss.

Former Fort Mill High player Tyler Miller plays for the Blue Eagles and went 3-10 with two RBI in the four game series against the Stingers. Miller played college baseball this past season at USC-Upstate where he hit .182 in 28 games with four RBI.

Kids, you know just what Dad really likes. Sports of course! So why not bring him out to the Fort Mill High baseball park tonight for a good ol double header against Johnson City. What Dad wouldn’t love a nice burger and a smoothie to wash it down?

The first game starts at 5:00 pm sharp and the second will probably kick off around 8:00 pm. So you have two chances to come support your Stingers!

Visit the website at http://www.putonthebrakes.com/home.html to learn more about B.R.A.K.E.S.

Stingers struggle early, but still optimistic
By Mac Banks – mbanks@comporium.net
FORT MILL –

One win in the first six games is not the way any team wants to start a season, but that is exactly how the Carolina Stingers have kicked off this summer.

The Stingers dropped both games of a double header last Saturday against the Morganton Aggies and split a doubleheader last Friday against the Carolina Chaos on the road. First year coach Ryan Bown said he isn’t ready to hit panic yet.

“We are feeling out our roles,” Bown said. “We just need to improve.”

In Saturday’s doubleheader against Morganton, the Stingers fell in game one 10-1 and then lost game two 8-2.

Carolina allowed big innings in both games that blew their chances to keep things close. In the first game, the Stingers allowed four runs in the third inning as the Aggies batted around.

Starting pitcher Chris George, a junior out of Georgia College and State Georgia, went two innings and allowed five runs on eight hits. George made it to the third inning, but surrendered the final four runs before being pulled for Bluefield College’s Ethan Lewis.

The day looked promising for Carolina as it scored in the top of the first when Tony Handza drove in University of Dayton’s Michael Coughlin. That opening inning was the best the Stingers would have that game as two of their three hits in the game came at the start.

Another aspect of the game that plagued Carolina was its defense. The Stingers made six errors in the first game of the doubleheader and looked more like a high school squad than a team of college players.

“Defense had been our strong suit,” Bown said.

Hitting also was a challenge for the wooden-bat team as the Stingers collected just six hits in the doubleheader, three each game.

In the first game, Morganton eventually got to Lewis and he was taken out after three and-a-half innings. Lewis allowed four runs on two hits. Lewis was replaced by Fort Mill resident and Wofford College pitcher Thomas Nichols, who went one and two-thirds innings, allowing just one run on one hit.

Game two got off to a better start for the Stingers as southpaw Shane Carey went deep into the game without allowing a hit. Carey, a freshman at St. Joseph University, didn’t allow his first hit until the fourth inning. However, things fell apart in the sixth.

The Stingers failed to give Carey any run support, again scoring early in the first inning and then going cold for the rest of the game. Like Morganton, the Stingers didn’t get a hit until the fourth inning and was able to score the run in the first off two Aggie errors.

In the sixth inning, Morganton’s Keith Whitman hit a solo home run to right center to tie the game at 1-1. Carey was able to get the next batter out, but then couldn’t finish things as he was rocked for five more hits and four more runs, before Gardner-Webb University’s Jeff Howell was brought in.

Howell struggled himself, allowing three runs on one hit – a grand slam from North Augusta High School’s Taylor Rozier.

“We can’t have one guy go out there and expect him to pitch the whole game,” Bown said.

In all, Morganton scored all eight of its runs in the sixth inning.

The Stingers will be home June 16 vs Ashville at 7:00 PM. Come out and support your stingers!