In just their second season, the Forest City Owls (photo courtesy of Pat Grecinger) are Coastal Plain League Petitt Cup champions. Junior right-hander Spencer Patton (SIU Edwardsville) allowed one run over eight innings with 11 strikeouts as the Forest City Owls won their first league title in franchise history with a 5-1 win to sweep the Peninsula Pilots in the CPL Championship Series.

Patton retired the side in order in the seventh and eighth innings before giving way to Robbie Andrews (Virginia Commonwealth). The junior right-handed closer allowed two hits in the ninth, but retired Matt Payton on a fly ball to Owls centerfielder Wade Moore (N.C. State) to close the game. Forest City’s players stormed onto the field and the team celebrated with a dog pile at the left of the pitcher’s mound.

The Owls-Stingers franchise had not won a playoff game in three tries coming into the season. After a spectacular run in the regular season and setting the CPL single-season record with 46 wins, the number one seeded Owls won all five playoff games to complete and incredible year. Forest City became the first team in the CPL since Edenton in 2005 to go unbeaten in the postseason.

Forest City, the number one ranked summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game Crosschecker, is expected to become the first CPL team in history to win a national title when the final poll of the summer is announced next week.

Patton, who went 9-0 during the regular season, remained perfect on the season with two playoff victories and finished his CPL career as the Owls-Stingers franchise’s all-time leader with 19 wins. Patton just allowed six hits and walked two while registering his sixth double-digit strikeout game of the season. Patton, who fanned
CPL-record 110 batters during the regular season, struck out 17 batters in his two starts in the postseason.

Andrews closed the CPL season and Petitt Cup Playoffs without allowing a run in 22 innings pitched.

Forest City recorded 12 hits for the game and eight of the starters picked up at least one hit. Forest City never trailed in game two of the series. Shortstop Jake Koenig (Spartanburg Methodist) hit a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the second and the Owls would pull away from that point.

Moore and third baseman Pratt Maynard (N.C. State) both went 2-for-4 while leftfielder Grant Buckner (West Virginia) picked up two hits, a run scored, and an RBI. First baseman Brian Burton (Canisius) also recorded two hits and an RBI while catcher Cameron McConnell (Notre Dame) picked up a hit and RBI.

The Owls took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Buckner two-out RBI single to left field, scoring Moore.

Peninsula tied the game on a sacrifice fly RBI by catcher Cory Brownsten (Pittsburgh).

Forest City regained the lead on a two-out, go-ahead RBI single to centerfield by Koenig. Rightfielder Will Skinner (Middle Tennessee State) had a sacrifice fly RBI to plate McConnell for the third run.

The Owls added to their lead with an RBI single by Burton. McConnell’s RBI fielder’s choice extended the lead to 5-1.

Peninsula left-hander Kyle Hallock (Kent State) was charged with loss and only lasted 1 1/3 innings with three runs allowed on five hits.

The number two-seeded Pilots lost in the CPL Petitt Cup Championship for the third time in four years.

Forest City swept a doubleheader for the fourth consecutive time in the 2009 summer. Ryan Arrowood and Spencer Patton combined to go 23-0 over the course of the regular and postseason.

In 60 games over the regular season and postseason, the Forest City Owls went 51-9 in a magical 2009 summer.

Alex Kushel

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