Shallywags Clinch 3rd Seed, Set Sights on Rockfish in First Round

SHALLOTTE, N.C—The waters have calmed for the Shallywags, who rose from 12-13 last Tuesday to finish their regular season with a 17-13 record and a five-game win streak and sailing into the postseason with momentum on their side.

After dropping back-to-back road games to the Laurinburg Highland Hooligans and the Sandhills Bogeys, the Shwags returned home and broke through with a key 11–6 victory over the Jacksonville Ospreys last Wednesday. A six-run second inning built an early lead that Shallotte would not relinquish. Michael Royston drew three walks and drove in two runs, while Trey Pierce added a two-run double in the big frame. Jacksonville briefly rallied with a five-run fifth to cut the deficit to one, but Shallotte responded and padded their lead while turning four double plays to hold firm. Ryder Whitacre earned the win, tossing six innings and allowing five runs on six hits with seven walks.

Momentum carried into Friday night, when Branton Jernigan powered the Jolly Roger past Laurinburg with four RBIs in an 8–5 comeback win. He smashed a three-run homer to right-center in the third to erase an early 2–0 deficit, then drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth that capped a go-ahead rally. Laurinburg briefly regained the lead in the fourth, but the Shallywags capitalized on errors and timely walks to reclaim it. Dawson Ables earned the win in relief, throwing five shutout innings and striking out eight.

“That was big for us because it saved a lot of pitching for tomorrow, us going into that doubleheader,” infielder Ryan Seagroves said of Ables' outing. “He looked really good and built that confidence as we could go on.”

Shallotte then swept Saturday’s doubleheader on the road at Hope Mills, rallying for a 7–5 win in Game 1 and steamrolling the Rockfish 13–2 in Game 2 behind a six-RBI performance from Yaroshuk. In the opener, Koenig’s RBI double and a costly error in the seventh pushed the Shallywags ahead after a seesaw battle. Yaroshuk and Jude Morton each had clutch two-run hits earlier in the fourth. Brent Avery picked up the win in relief, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings. In the nightcap, Yaroshuk blasted a grand slam as part of an eight-run third, adding a two-run single in the second. Ryan Davis also homered, and Hunter Lohrli threw three solid innings to earn the win. The game was called early due to light issues, but Shallotte walked away with its fourth straight win.

The regular season concluded Sunday with a 17–10 win over the Oak Island Loggerheads in a high-stakes battle for the No. 3 seed. Yaroshuk stayed red-hot at the plate, driving in seven runs on five hits—including another grand slam to turn the game back in Shallotte’s favor after the Loggerheads scored seven in the top of the fourth. He added RBIs in the first, seventh, and eighth innings. The Shallywags racked up 16 hits and 12 walks, with Morton, Hankins, and Pierce each contributing multiple hits. Lohrli secured the win in relief with 3.2 innings of one-run ball.

“It for sure felt like a playoff game,” Lohrli said. “In the end, this win helped us tremendously—probably more than a lot of people think.”

“This team had a lot of heart, a lot of grit, and everyone’s hungry to win this thing,” pitcher Jason Maldonado added. “Everyone’s here to win, and that’s the culture we bring to the Shallywags.”

With the regular season behind them, the Shallywags will host the No. 6 Hope Mills Rockfish (6–24) in the first round of the Coastal Division Tournament. Shallotte won five of six in the regular season against Hope Mills, but the team isn’t taking anything for granted.

“You’ve got to treat every team like a new opponent. Doesn’t matter what happened before,” said outfielder/pitcher Landon Everhart.

Game 1 of the Shallywags’ playoff voyage begins tonight at Mike Alderson Field, with first pitch set for 7:00 p.m. The winner will advance to face the Jacksonville Ospreys in the divisional semifinals. Tickets are available at the gate at 550 Whiteville Road NW or online at www.shallotteshallywags.com. Fans can also catch all the action live on the Foul Pole Sports Network on the FPSN app or online at www.fpsn.watch.