LOCAL SPORTS ROUNDUP: ZooKeepers' season ends with playoff loss late Sunday

The Asheboro ZooKeepers lost to Forest City 3-2 late Sunday night in the first round of the Coastal Plain League playoffs in Forest City. No other details were available yesterday. 

It was the ZooKeepers’ fourth one-run loss to the Owls in a week’s time. 

The ZooKeepers finished the season 28-21. The team had been atop its division standings until a five-game losing streak in the final days of the regular season — including three 1-run losses losses to Forest City while Macon was going on an incredible 14-game winning streak — cost the ZooKeepers the lead in the Coastal Plain League’s West Division they held most of the season. Asheboro wound up 2.5 games back of Macon and a half-game behind Forest City. 

Check out the printed Hub on Wednesday for a bunch of photos from the last home game.

Here’s a look at some of last week’s highlights.

ZooKeepers baseball 

■ Chazz Grossington was 3-for-5, including his third home run of the season, with three RBIs as the ZooKeepers outlasted High Point-Thomasville 10-8. Thomas Cano-Piszel went 3-for-4, including his fourth homer, with an RBI. Cameron Austin was 2-for-3 with an RBI and A.J. Malzone smashed a two-run homer, his third of the season. Wyatt Bush went 4-for-5. Braxton Walker pitched the ninth inning and got the save.

■ Cano-Piszel was 3-for-5 with an RBI in the ZooKeepers’ 5-4 loss to the Forest City Owls in 10 innings. Koy Swanson was 2-for-4 and Brady McGuire had a sacrifice fly. Takuna Sato allowed three hits and two runs with five strikeouts in six innings.

■ McGuire was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI in the ZooKeepers’ 4-3 loss to Forest City. Daniel Stephens went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Malzone had a sacrifice fly. Nathan McKissick allowed three hits and three runs in five innings.

■ Bush went 4-for-4, including his fourth home run, with five RBIs in the Zookeepers’ 13-11 loss to the High Point-Thomasville HiToms. Joshua Johnson was 3-for-5 with an RBI, McGuire was 3-for-5 and Malzone smashed a solo home run, his fourth. Cano-Piszel belted a two-run homer, his fifth of the season.

■ Grossington went 3-for-6 with a double and RBI in the ZooKeepers’ 12-8 loss to the Boone Bigfoots. Bush was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Johnson was 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Josh Martinez had a hit and sacrifice fly.

■ Austin was 1-for-4 with two RBIs in the ZooKeepers’ 10-7 loss to Boone. Grossington and Johnson were both 1-for-4 with an RBI. Bush was 2-for-3 and McGuire got his 29th stolen base of the season.

Tanner Marsh update

■ The former Asheboro and Liberty University star was drafted by the Athletics in the ninth round and signed on July 27. The A’s assigned Marsh to the Arizona Complex League Athletics, their Rookie League affiliate, on July 29.

Marsh hit .336 with five home runs, 44 RBIs and 23 stolen bases in his junior season at Liberty.

Brooks Brannon update       

■ The former Randleman standout was batting .279 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Portland Sea Dogs, the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Brannon is second in home runs for the Sea Dogs.