Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

League-leading Haymarket finally solved Waynesboro, but it wasn’t easy.

The Generals jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and then rallied for three runs in the ninth before falling to the first-place Senators 10-9 Tuesday night.

The win was the first in four tries for Haymarket, which extended its lead over second-place Winchester to four and a half games with the win over Waynesboro and the Royals’ 2-0 loss at Harrisonburg.

Grant Fillipitch hit his fifth homer of the season in the first, a three-run shot that helped push Waynesboro to what became a 5-1 lead in the third. Haymarket rallied back to take a 7-6 lead with two runs in the sixth off reliever Devin Smith (0-1).

Kevin Ferguson (4-1) picked up the win for Haymarket with two scoreless innings of relief.

Waynesboro starter Jeremy Fitzgerald gave up five runs, three earned, in five innings.

Drew Turocy had four hits to raise his average to .375 for the season.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Taylor Sandefur was the man again for Waynesboro, going eight and a third innings and giving up a run on five Luray hits to get his seventh win in a 2-1 Generals victory Sunday night.

The win didn’t come without some drama in the ninth. Sandefur (7-0) hit Luray catcher David Villasuso with a pitch to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Then after getting Mike Jones to fly out to center for the first out, Joel Capote reached base on an error by Waynesboro third baseman Grant Fillipitch. Andrew Blackwell came in to close the game out, but he walked the first batter that he faced, Nick Rickles, before striking out Michael Broad and getting the final out on a ground ball off the bat of Jonathan Murphy.

Blackwell recorded his third save of the season with his effort in the ninth.

Fillipitch had two hits and an RBI for Waynesboro, which improves to 19-18 on the season with the win.

The Generals have Monday off before going back out on the road on Tuesday with a game at Haymarket.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

A three-run sixth got Waynesboro back in the game, but a ninth-inning rally ended in dramatic fashion with Cody Hudson thrown out trying to steal third with two outs, sending the Generals to a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Winchester Saturday night.

The Royals had jumped out to a 6-1 lead with a three-run fifth off starting pitcher Brian Atkins seeming to give them control. The Generals scored three in the sixth, with T.J. Kuban getting things going with a two-out single. Devin Smith worked his way back from an 0-2 count off Winchester starter Matt Zahel (2-0) to reach on a base on balls. Jared King, who had already doubled twice, tripled on a 1-2 count to score Kuban and Smith. King then scored when Winchester centerfielder Kevin Brashears lost a Haskell Fink flyball in the lights.

Waynesboro got two on with two out in the seventh with singles by Jon Clinard and Grant Fillipitch, but Kuban lined to second to end that threat. The Generals were able to send the winning run to the plate in the ninth when Fillipitch came up with two on and two outs. Hudson was thrown out at third trying to steal on the first pitch to Fillipitch.

Atkins (1-4) took the loss, working seven and two-thirds innings and giving up six runs on 12 hits.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

A four-run top of the 12th seemed to give Woodstock one of the wildest games in the 87-year history of the Valley League. But we weren’t even close in terms of how wild things were going to get.

Five consecutive two-out walks, the last one drawn by nine-hole hitter Jon Clinard, gave Waynesboro an improbable 15-14 win at Mathers Park Friday night.

Clinard had led off the 12th with a walk off Zachary Tobolowski. Colin Harrington followed with a single, and Chase Worthington flew out to center for the first out of the inning. Drew Turocy picked up his fourth hit of the night with a flare to short left-center that loaded the bases. Grant Fillipitch followed with an RBI fielders choice that scored Clinard and made it 14-11, but left the Generals with two outs.

That’s when things got crazy.

Devin Smith walked to reload the bases, and Chase Cowell, a catcher, was summoned in with the River Bandits short on available pitchers to get the final out. Waynesboro reliever Andrew Blackwell, in his second plate appearance of the season, drew a walk to force in a run that made it 14-12. Jared King walked on a 3-2 pitch to draw the Generals to within 14-13. Catcher Alan Stoupa walked to tie the game at 14, leading to another pitching change, with second baseman Foster Dunigan brought in to face Clinard. Dunigan wasn’t close on any of his four offerings to Clinard on the walkoff.

The win improves Waynesboro to 18-17 on the season and gives the Generals a three-game playoff-berth cushion between where the Generals are in fifth place and Woodstock and Staunton, an 11-4 loser at Winchester on Friday, are at 15-20 and in a tie for ninth place, with nine games to go in the 2010 regular season.

Blackwell (2-1) picked up the win in relief.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

The Staunton Braves might still be on the outside looking in as far as the 2010 Valley League playoff picture is concerned, but they also still own the Waynesboro Generals.

The Braves blasted Waynesboro 12-1 Thursday night in front of 1,111 at John Moxie Memorial Stadium to post their 10th win in the last 12 games in the rivalry series.

It was done largely with small ball. Only one of Staunton’s nine hits went for extra bases, but the Braves stole 11 bases on 12 attempts.

Jarryd Summers (1-1) took the loss for Waynesboro, giving up four runs on two hits and six walks in six innings pitched.

Ben Alsup (4-0) picked up the win for Staunton with five and a third innings of shutout baseball.