Shallywags Ride Wave of Wins, Then Face First Storm

SHALLOTTE, N.C—After bursting out of the gate with three straight wins, the Shallotte Shallywags hit their first speed bump of the summer, finishing their opening five-game stretch at 3–2.

Shallotte edged the Hope Mills Rockfish 9–8 in a thrilling season opener on June 4. After tying the game in the third inning off a solo home run by catcher Michael Royston, Ryan Yaroshuk drove in Trace Horne with a fielder’s choice to give the Shallywags their first-ever lead. First baseman Jude Morton followed with a grounder to bring in Branton Jernigan. In the fifth, Jernigan scored on a wild pitch, and RBI hits by Payton Hankins and Tate Morris pushed the lead to 9–1. However, the Rockfish rallied in the eighth, plating seven runs to tighten the score. Shallotte’s bullpen held firm in the ninth to secure the historic win.

In their first road game, the Shallywags spoiled Oak Island’s inaugural home contest with a 17–2 victory at Bill Smith Park in Southport. Shallotte rallied for eight consecutive runs in the fourth, highlighted by Yaroshuk’s go-ahead RBI single and a relentless offensive surge. The game was called after five innings due to inclement weather.

“With our offense, we can really explode at any time,” said pitching coach Riley McElfresh. “We’re a pretty dynamic offense. We have so many different things we can do. I definitely didn’t expect it, but we can do it day in and day out.”

The Shallywags continued their early-season dominance June 6 with an 11–3 win over the Jacksonville Ospreys, powered by patient at-bats and timely hitting. Morton opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first and added two more RBIs via a bases-loaded walk in the second, finishing 1-for-1 with three RBIs and two walks. Nikita Sutherland ripped a triple down the right field line in the third. Starter AJ Scifres earned the win, allowing just one hit and one earned run over five innings while striking out three. Shallotte drew 11 walks as a team, led by Morton, Jacob Koenig, and Landon Everhart with two apiece, keeping steady pressure on Jacksonville’s pitching. Reliever Jason Maldonado closed with a scoreless inning to seal Shallotte’s third straight win.

On June 7, Shallotte visited the Sandhills Bogeys and took a 4–1 lead midway through the fifth behind RBI hits from Horne and Pierce and a productive out from Yaroshuk. Sandhills clawed back, tying the game in the ninth on a two-out solo home run. Right-hander Ryder Whitacre was electric in relief, striking out nine over 4.1 innings while allowing just one run. Despite turning two double plays and collecting nine hits, the Shallywags fell 5–4 in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off RBI double.

“We’ve got to hit RBIs and walk fewer people,” said Saturday’s starter, Cameron White. “Overall, there are a lot of things we can take from that game and fix.”

The skid continued on June 11 in a rematch with the Loggerheads. Despite racking up 13 hits and drawing eight walks, the Shallywags couldn’t keep pace in a 17–9 loss at home. Oak Island jumped out early with two-run hits from Rocco Tenuta and Patrick Boldt, followed by a solo home run from Chance Turner in the third. Shallotte starter Carter Navin allowed seven runs on six hits across three innings. Offensively, Jernigan and Koenig each had three hits, while Yaroshuk drove in four runs and now leads the team with 10 RBIs on the season. Pierce and Aiden Payne also added multi-hit efforts. The Shallywags turned three double plays defensively, but it wasn’t enough to overcome 18 hits and eight walks allowed to the Loggerheads.

Shallotte travels to Laurinburg tonight for its first-ever matchup with the Highland Hooligans at Legion Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will stream live on the Foul Pole Sports Network at fpsn.watch.