Generals Get Back to Winning Ways On the Road In Harrisonburg
In the final game before the All-Star Break, the Gens faced an important “swing game” for their record. If the Gens won, they’d have a record above .500. If they lost, they would have a record of below .500. The Generals would win the ball game to make it 5 wins in their last 6 opportunities.
The Generals would get on the scoreboard in the very first frame and would never relinquish the lead after that. It started when Chase Cheek (Duke) drew a 1-out walk. He eventually stole second base with 2 outs in the inning to put himself into scoring position. Alex Brait (Florida Gulf Coast) would bring home Cheek with an opposite field double to move the score to 1-0.
The Gens would not score in the second, but they would tack on a run in both the 3rd and 4th innings. In the second inning, the run would be scored after the first two hitters of the inning. Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) would walk to start the inning. He would steal second base and eventually score on a single by Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss). In the 4th inning the Generals would once again start things off with a walk. Jackson Webb (Central Florida) would walk. After the steals of second and third on consecutive pitches by Webb, it drew in the infield for Harrisonburg. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would hit a grounder to the shortstop. When Webb bluffed a few steps, it pressured the shortstop to charge the ball to try and prevent him from scoring. However the ball caromed off his glove into left field. The score after 4 innings was 3-0 in favor of the Generals.
Evan Gillespie (Faulkner) was impressive on the mound. He went 3.2 innings without surrendering a hit to start the game. He had worked 4 shutout innings when he came to a bump in the road in the 5th inning. The Turks would score 2 off of him to tighten the score to 3-2. 2 runners would be on for Harrisonburg with two away in the inning when the newest Turk, Orynn Veillon, drilled a triple into the right centerfield gap. Gillespie would retire the next batter and end his day after 5 stellar innings.
The Generals would answer right back with a run to provide the Waynesboro bullpen with a little more breathing room. It began with a 1-out double by Dalton Wingo (Central Florida). Andrew Orzel would single to drive in his second run of the night to make the game 4-2. The Gens would then turn to Fred Villarreal (Houston) for middle relief and he wouldn’t disappoint. He threw 3 innings, gave up 3 hits, but no runs and struck out 4. He would hand it over to Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee) for the ninth. Harper-Cook would continue to pitch well and would lock down the save.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Orynn Veillon: 2-3, 3B, BB, 2 RBI
- Andrew Llewellyn: 2-4
- Cam Irvine: 2-4, 2B
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Evan Gillespie (Faulkner): W (2-0), 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
- Fred Villarreal (Houston): 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): SV (1), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-5, RBI
The Generals (14-13) will fire things back up after the All-Star Game this weekend. They’ll start with Woodstock on the road on Monday. Graham Ashcraft (Mississippi State) will be on the hill.