Colvin Shuts Down Spinners as Robins Take 2-0 Series Lead
By Chase Murphy | The Robesonian Summer Intern | Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025
RED SPRINGS — They came for a tense semifinal battle, but on Saturday night at Robbins Stadium, the 5,467 fans got something sweeter: a commanding 6-0 Red Springs win, a second straight victory over Sanford and a team now just one win from the Golden Leaf Championship Series.
It was a night where everything clicked early for the Red Robins — and where the unexpected stole the spotlight.
Dave Colvin, the oft-injured 19-year-old rookie lefty, took the ball and delivered six shutout innings, scattering four hits and striking out four on 96 pitches. Twice he worked around Sanford threats, once after a mound visit in the sixth where he waved off his manager: “I’m fine, let me pitch.”
“It was a collective effort,” said first baseman
Steve Bowser, whose infield single in the fifth broke a 1-0 game open. “Dave set the tone, the defense made plays and when we had chances, we cashed in.”
Small ball to start, long ball to finish
Red Springs scratched across a run in the third when Colvin himself blooped the team’s first hit, moved to third on
Ken Rogers’ double, and scored on
Chris Wreede’s sacrifice fly. In the fifth, Bowser’s RBI single with the bases loaded made it 2-0.
The sixth inning delivered breathing room:
Bruce Browning’s single and
Mike Adams getting plunked set the stage for
Josh Fleisher’s two-run double down the right-field line. In the seventh, center fielder
Justin Stubbs put the game out of reach with a towering two-run homer to left, his third of the postseason.
Bullpen holds, but injury clouds the win
Bob Hoyle replaced Colvin and cruised through the seventh and eighth. But in the ninth, after recording the first out, Hoyle left with a back injury.
Dane O’Farrell needed just three pitches to record the final two outs.
With the win, Red Springs takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series, needing just one more victory to punch its ticket to the finals. But with C.J. Seth sidelined by illness for a few more days and Hoyle likely out for at least a week (per team reports), pitching depth is suddenly a concern.
Game 3 is set for Monday at Tramway Road Park in Sanford. Do the Red Robins turn to ace
Dan McSwain to close out the series or try to save him for a potential Game 1 start in the Golden Leaf series?
Red Spring manager Elijah Crabtree wouldn't tip his hand Saturday night. “Three chances to get one win,” he said. “That’s where you want to be — but against this team, you can’t take anything for granted.”
Tobacco State League Scoreboard | Semifinal #2
In the other semifinal, the magic continued for the No. 10 seed Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls. The “Cardiac Bulls” took down Warsaw 6-2 on Saturday to grab a 2-0 lead in their series. One more win and they’ll complete an improbable sweep to reach the Golden Leaf Championship Series.
If Red Springs finishes off Sanford, fans could be staring at a No. 1 vs. No. 10 showdown for the title — a best-of-seven few saw coming in March.