Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Woodstock’s 10-8 loss to Winchester Saturday night means idle Waynesboro has clinched a berth in the 2010 Valley League playoffs.

The Generals, at 20-20 with four games to play, have a grueling two-day stretch to finish the regular season, with doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday.

On Sunday, Waynesboro is scheduled to host Covington (19-22) at 1 p.m. and then host Staunton (17-26) at 7 p.m.

Staunton’s slim playoff hopes remain alive after the Braves (17-26) posted a rain-shortened 6-4 win at Covington Saturday night.

On Monday, the Generals will play a twinbill at Harrisonburg (21-21). The first game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start.

Waynesboro can still finish anywhere from a tie for third to eighth in the league with two days remaining in the regular season.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

David Gibson pitched seven strong innings, and Staunton took advantage of six walks surrendered by Waynesboro starter Michael Reed, as the Braves held off the Generals, 6-3, before a season-high crowd of 1,561 at John Moxie Memorial Stadium Friday night.

Waynesboro jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-run first-inning homer by third baseman Grant Fillipitch, his sixth of the season. The Braves tied it in the second at 2-2 on a pair of RBI singles by Brian Collins and Stephen Branca, then took control in the fifth, loading the bases with nobody out off Reed (0-5), then scoring when reliever Tim Leather hit Todd Brazeal with an 0-1 fastball and two outs later when Steve Scoby scored from third on a passed ball by catcher Alan Stoupa.

The lead was 6-2 in the seventh on a pair of run-scoring singles by Alex Guerra and Justin Bagbey. Waynesboro loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth off Gibson (1-1), but could only manage one run, on a two-out walk to T.J. Kuban by reliever Tyler Deetjen. Stoupa grounded out to end that threat, and Deetjen retired Waynesboro 1-2-3 in the ninth to close it out.

A Luray doubleheader sweep of Woodstock and a come-from-behind win by league-leading Haymarket over New Market Friday night has Waynesboro’s magic number for a playoff berth at one. The Generals are off on Saturday, and return to action on Sunday with a day-night, two-team doubleheader at Mathers Park, playing Covington in a makeup game for an early-week rainout at 1 p.m., then hosting Staunton at 7 p.m. in the regular-season home finale.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net 

The Covington Lumberjacks-Waynesboro Generals game scheduled for Thursday has been postponed after Waynesboro was hit by a severe storm Thursday afternoon.

The game will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. as part of a day-night doubleheader. Waynesboro will host Covington at 1 p.m., and then play at home against the Staunton Braves in the regular-season home finale at 7 p.m.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Jarryd Summers struck out 10 in seven innings, and Mark Lamm made his effort stand up with two scoreless innings of relief, as Waynesboro posted an important 4-3 win over Front Royal at Mathers Park Wednesday night.

The win pushed Waynesboro ever closer to clinching a playoff berth. With Woodstock’s 8-6 loss at Rockbridge, the Generals reduced their magic number to clinching a playoff bid to three.

Summers (2-1) was solid all night long, giving up three runs on five hits to go with his 10 Ks. Summers has now struck out 23 in 19 innings pitched this season.

Lamm struck out three in his two innings out of the pen. The 6-4, 215-pound righty from Vanderbilt has yet to give up a run in nine appearances and has struck out 20 in 14 and a third innings.

The Generals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first off losing pitcher Blake Ford (2-3) with four consecutive hits with two outs in the inning. Drew Turocy and Grant Fillipitch hit back-to-back doubles, followed up by a pair of singles by Chase Worthington and Cody Hudson, to get the early runs on the board.

Front Royal tied it at 2-2 in the second on a two-run triple by Sean Jamieson. Waynesboro answered in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice-fly RBI by Drew Turocy that scored Alan Stoupa. The lead was extended to 4-2 in the fifth when Chase Worthington led off that frame with a double and came around to score on an A.J. Albee error on a grounder off the bat of Hudson.

The Cardinals tightened things up in the sixth when Jamieson picked up his third RBI of the night by drawing a bases-loaded walk from Summers, who got out of that inning by striking out Steve Rogers one batter later to strand three Front Royal baserunners.

The Cards got two on with two out in the seventh off Summers before the Generals pitcher induced an inning-ending grounder off the bat of three-hole hitter Matt Holland.

Lamm allowed just one baserunner in his two innings on the mound, a two-out eighth-inning walk to Jamieson, before he K’d Rogers to end that threat.

Story by Jenny Hypes
jenny.hypes@emu.edu

Wednesday was Lunch with the Generals Day at the newest, busiest restaurant in town, Chick-fil-A.

Fans showed up to get their baseballs signed and to take pictures with the Waynesboro Generals. 

First-year player Jon Clinard of Austin Peay was among the Generals out for the event.

“This is our first time coming out to meet the fans,” said Clinard, an infielder who is hitting .240 with 17 RBI in 33 games. “Waynesboro is great, the community is very welcoming and supportive. They have treated us well.”

Clinard has been with the team all season. Jarryd Summers, a pitcher from West Virginia University, has been with the team for about two and a half weeks.

“I was planning to take the summer off, but then I got a call from the coach and decided to come on down and play,” said Summers, who is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, for Waynesboro this summer.

Summers was not the only new team member out at the Chick-fil-A today. Catcher Haskell Fink has been with the team for about three weeks now.

“I decided to come after I got the call because I knew it was a good league,” said Fink, another Austin Peay product who is hitting .250 in six games played this summer.

Bethany Shelton, head of PR at the local Chick-fil-A, was there to see how it all unfolded.

“We saw Harrisonburg Chick-fil-A do it with their team the Turks, and we saw how fun it was. The boys just really enjoyed it, and it brought a good crowd, so we thought we would do the same,” Shelton said.

Shelton would like to make the Lunch with the Generals Day into an annual event.

“It’s a good way to advertise for not only us, but them also. Like today they have a game, so meeting the fans this afternoon is a good way to let them know about the game this evening,” Shelton said.