Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Six strong innings from Vince Voiro and a lack of clutch hitting by Waynesboro doomed the Generals to a tough 5-2 loss Wednesday night at Mathers Park.

Voiro (3-1) came into the game with a 1.53 ERA and pitched as advertised, giving up two runs on five hits in his six innings of work.

Voiro outdueled Waynesboro starter Michael Reed (0-2), who scattered eight hits in his six innings of work but left down 3-2.

The River Bandits made it 5-2 with a pair of runs in the eighth off reliever Wade Bilbrey.

Waynesboro left 11 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded in both the fourth and the seventh.

Terrell Thompson was 2-for-4 at the plate for the Generals.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Staunton rode a strong pitching performance by Logan Dodd and a pair of big innings at the plate to a 10-2 win over Waynesboro Tuesday night at John Moxie Memorial Stadium.

Dodd (1-1) allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out eight in seven innings. The Braves took control with a four-run third that was highlighted by a two-run homer by Todd Brazeal off Generals starter Brian Atkins (1-1).

A fivespot in the eighth off reliever Justin Thompson, making his first appearance of the season for Waynesboro, broke the game open.

Waynesboro got two hits each from Jon Clinard, Zephan Guyear, Grant Fillipitch and Cody Hudson.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Taylor Sandefur pitched seven and two-thirds strong innings, and Waynesboro was able to overcome a wild eighth-inning rally by Luray, en route to posting a 3-2 win over the Wranglers at Mathers Park Monday night.

Sandefur (2-0) had a shutout going into the eighth when Luray put runners on second and third with two out. Luray leaoff hitter Justin Fredejas hit what appeared to be an inning-ending grounder to third, but umpire C.R. Thompson ruled that third baseman Grant Fillipitch’s throw had pulled first baseman T.J. Kuban off the bag at first. Kuban briefly protested the call by showing Thompson that he had fieled the throw cleanly, and in the process a hustling Raiko Alfonso scored all the way from second base to turn what had been a 3-0 Generals lead into a 3-2 ballgame.

Sandefur was then lifted for Mark Lamm, who gave up a single to left to Eric Phillips after Fredejas had stolen second. Fredejas tried to score on the play, but Waynesboro leftfielder Terrell Thompson gunned Fredejas down at the plate for the third out of the inning.

Lam retired the Wranglers in the ninth to record his first save of the season.

Sandefur lowered his ERA to 0.76 in 23.2 innings this season.

Drew Turocy had two hits for Waynesboro.

Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Second in the league in hitting, second in the league in pitching. So how is it that the Generals are sitting at .500 through 12 games in 2010?

One word: defense.

“We’ve got to get better on defense,” co-owner and first-base coach Jim Critzer said, pointing to the area where Waynesboro has been glaringly deficient through 12 games. How about 11th in the 11-team Valley League in fielding with a league-high 27 errors that have led to (gulp!) 24 unearned runs?

The Generals have a 3.41 team ERA, but are nonetheless surrendering 5.42 runs per game with the unearned runs adding to the total, good for just sixth in the league.

Add in the league-high 24 stolen bases that Waynesboro opponents have run up, and you can see the room for improvement.

“We’re hitting the ball, and our pitching is as good as anybody in the league,” said Critzer, who is right on both of those counts according to the league’s statistical rundown, which currently has Waynesboro hitting at a brisk .289 clip and scoring 6.0 runs per game, good for second in both categories to first-place Haymarket, and the 3.41 team ERA is second to Front Royal, which is right now posting an otherwordly 2.46 team ERA through 13 games.

“We’ve got a solid ballclub,” Critzer said. “We keep the errors down, and we’re going to win some ballgames.”

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Harrisonburg rallied from a 5-0 fifth-inning deficit to steal a win at Waynesboro, 7-5, Sunday night at Mathers Park.

The Generals seemed to be in control when Colin Harrington scored on a Grant Fillipitch groundout in the bottom of the fifth to extend the Waynesboro lead to 5-0. Starting pitcher Daniel Bradshaw gave up three runs in the sixth, though, and Harrisonburg had its way with the Waynesboro bullpen, scoring a run in the seventh off Dylan Ray, two in the eighth off Michael Reed (0-1) to take the lead at 6-5 and then adding an insurance run in the ninth off Wade Bilbrey.

Zach Brewster (2-0), meanwhile, held the Generals offense in check in four shutdown innings out of the Turks pen, limiting Waynesboro to three hits while striking out four.

Catcher Matt Malloy paced the Waynesboro offense with three hits.