The Generals (26-18), the #3 seed in the 2011 Valley League playoffs, will host #6 seed Rockbridge (21-23) Saturday at 7 p.m. at Mathers Park in Waynesboro in Game 1 of a best-of-three first-round series.

Waynesboro will go into the postseason as maybe the hottest team in the league, winning seven of its last eight to seize control of what had been a tight Southern Division race. The key down the stretch: pitching, as was the case against Friday in Covington. Bruce (1-1) gave up one run on five hits in eight innings of work.

Bruce got all the support that he’d need in a three-run second. Devin Smith singled to center, scoring Scott Wilcox from second to get Waynesboro on the board at 1-0. An Echols RBI single that followed an error that allowed Smith to score extended the lead to 3-0.

It was 4-0 in the fifth when Echols came up with two outs and the bases loaded. Echols took the pitch from Sean Hagen to left-center and out of the ballpark for a grand slam that broke the game open.

Smith, Wilcox and Jimmy Holton each had two hits for Waynesboro.

Ashooh (3-0) scattered seven hits, striking out five and walking one. He left with a 4-0 lead after six innings, but Covington closed the gap in the seventh on reliever G.J. Strauss, who gave up three runs, two earned, in a third of an inning of work.

Waynesboro loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on walks to Brad Noland, Dykota Spiess and Jordan Walton in advance of a Worthington two-run double down the left-field line. Amaro lined the next pitch into centerfield to score Walton and Worthington.

Cameron Finch pitched an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief. Andrew Reck gave up a run before striking out the side in the ninth.

Brandon Johnson (2-2) took the loss for Covington, leaving the game in the third with an undisclosed injury.

Amaro, Noland and Travis Echols had two hits each for Waynesboro, which improves to 22-17 with the win.

The Generals now have a two-game lead in the Southern Division over second-place Staunton (20-19), which fell at home 5-4 in 13 innings to Rockbridge.

Waynesboro travels to Rockbridge for a game on Saturday, and returns home Sunday to host Staunton.

The score was tied at 1-1 with two outs in the fourth when Matt Petrone, who had four hits on the night, legged out an infield single. The next seven Generals reached base, chasing Covington starter Scott Garner (1-3), who gave up run-scoring hits to Dykota Spiess, Travis Echols and Scott Wilcox before being lifted.

Michael Davis greeted reliever Dallas Nunes with a two-run double on his first pitch that gave Waynesboro an 8-1 lead.

Covington rallied to cut the lead to three at 9-6 in the seventh when Waynesboro responded with a three-spot highlighted by a two-run single by Rob Amaro.

Adam Curtis (4-2) got the win for Waynesboro, giving up four runs on eight hits in five and a third innings.

Waynesboro (17-11) maintains a one-game lead in the Southern Division over second-place Staunton, which defeated New Market 6-3 Thursday night.

Waynesboro travels to New Market Friday. TJ Page (0-1) gets the start for the Generals.

But for the second time in three nights, Waynesboro erupted in the sixth inning, this time sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring nine runs en route to posting a 12-8 win over the ‘Jacks.

Most of the damage in the sixth was done with two out. A one-out single by Michael Davis brought Jordan Walton home to make it 6-2 Covington. A pair of two-out, bases-loaded walks to Keith Picconi and Matt Petrone brought Waynesboro to within 6-4 before Spiess’ double gave the Generals their first lead of the night at 7-6.

Shane Halley walked, and then Walton, who went 5-for-5 on the night, hit a three-run homer to extend the lead to 10-6.

After Covington scored a run in the sixth to make it 10-7 Waynesboro, Scott Wilcox answered in the seventh with a two-run homer that extended the lead to 12-7.

Devin Smith (2-0) picked up the win in relief for Waynesboro, which used six pitchers, including starter Tavis Bruce, who gave up five runs, four earned, in one-plus innings.

Greg Bennis (0-1) took the loss for Covington, giving up three runs in the sixth without recording an out.

Waynesboro (15-10) leads the Southern Division by a game and a half over second-place Staunton (14-12).

The Generals are off Monday and are back in action at Luray (9-16) on Tuesday.

Waynesboro had won three straight, including two in a row over rival Staunton, coming in, but could do nothing after the first-inning Halley homer off Covington starter Brandon Johnson (2-1), who gave up seven hits and struck out seven in eight solid innings of work.

Generals starter Ryan Poplawski (1-1) struggled on the mound, giving up eight runs, all earned, on 12 hits in four innings of work. The Lumberjacks took control with a five-run third, highlighted by an Anthony Stokes two-run homer. Stokes went deep in the eighth off reliever TJ Page.

Halley and leadoff hitter Brad Noland each had two hits for Waynesboro, which is now a game and a half behind Southern Division leader Covington.

Waynesboro had closed to within 4-3 in the fifth when Bradley Noland scored on a wild pitch. Covington had led 4-0 after getting an early jump on Generals starter TJ Page (0-1), who gave up four runs (two earned) in the first three innings but settled down thereafter to keep the game close.

The four-run ‘Jacks seventh came off reliever TJ Strauss, who walked three and gave up two hits in the frame.

Waynesboro rallied for two in the ninth on an RBI sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Andrew Blackwell and an RBI groundout by Jordan Walton.

Covington starter Garrett Cole (2-0) got the win. Cole gave up three runs on six hits in five innings.

Waynesboro hosts Rockbridge Sunday at Kate Collins Field.
    

Photo of the Game

- To view the entire 2011 season in photos, visit photographer Mark Miller’s Waynesboro Generals gallery online at http://markmillerphotography.zenfolio.com/p533176921.

Adam Curtis (1-1) took the loss for the Generals, who had won four in a row coming in. Curtis gave up four runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking three.

The Waynesboro offense did manage to get 11 hits, but Generals hitters left 16 men on base on the night.

Jordan Walton and Travis Echols each had three hits and an RBI for Waynesboro.

It was the second game-winning hit in four nights for Worthington, who belted a two-run single in the ninth to push the Generals to a 6-5 win over Staunton on Thursday.

Cameron Finch (2-0) got the win in relief of starter Ryan Poplawski, who gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings. Finch gave up a run on two hits in three innings out of the pen.

Andrew Reck retired Covington in order in the ninth to record his second save of the season.

Worthington had three hits to pace the Generals offense. Sebastian Gomez was 2-for-2 with three walks, and MJ Sartin had three runs batted in.

James Woods (0-2) took the loss for Covington.
    

Photo of the Game

- To view the entire 2011 season in photos, visit photographer Mark Miller’s Waynesboro Generals gallery online at http://markmillerphotography.zenfolio.com/p533176921.

Starter GJ Strauss had a feast-or-famine night, piling up five strikeouts in three and a third innings but also allowing six hits and three walks – all in the crucial fourth. Strauss walked the bases loaded before being lifted for reliever Devin Smith, who promptly walked Danny Nevares to force in a run and one batter later gave up a two-run single to Steven Keener to open the floodgates.

Waynesboro catcher Michael Davis led off the top of the fifth with a homer to center to key a two-run fifth that briefly brought the Generals back into the game. The Lumberjacks answered with two in the bottom of the fifth and a single run in the sixth on a solo homer by Keener to finish out the scoring.

Chase Worthington had two hits for Waynesboro, which continued its early-season struggles at the plate. The Generals are last in the league in hitting with a .180 team batting average through four games.

The team returns to Waynesboro for a pair of home games on Wednesday and Thursday. Rockbridge will be in town on Wednesday, with Staunton making trip across the county on Thursday.