“It will definitely be a good weekend of baseball. Two really good teams. It’s golng to come down to who can execute. This time of year, it’s all about who can execute when they have the chance to. The #1 seed doesn’t mean anything in this. Everyone just has to play great baseball now to win. Teams made it this far for a reason,” said Justin Thompson, a relief pitcher for the Cavs this spring who credits his experience in Waynesboro in 2010 with getting him ready for college baseball this year.

Thompson and teammate Jared King, the starting first baseman at Virginia, attended the Waynesboro-Rockbridge game at Kate Collins Field Wednesday night to check in on their old stomping grounds. Virginia and Cal-Irvine will begin their best-of-three Super Regional series on Saturday at 1 p.m. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 1 p.m., with Game 3, if necessary, scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.

Thompson has been the eighth-inning setup man for coach Brian O’Connor in 2011, compiling a 3-1 record and 2.97 ERA in 20 appearances.

“I came into last year here not having thrown too much for Virginia, and then I came to the Valley League and got time to work on different stuff,” Thompson said. “It really helped me going into fall ball, and I was able to win a position going into spring season. The Valley definitely helped for the experience and picking up stuff from different schools and guys you played with.”

King’s summer in Waynesboro in 2010 followed a redshirt season at UVa. following shoulder surgery.

“This gave me the opportunity to go out and play every day. With my throwing program last summer, if I wasn’t playing in the field, I was going to DH, and that was the biggest thing for me, was just getting at-bats,” said King, who is hitting .324 for a homer and 25 RBI for Virginia in 2011.

Three of their teammates – first baseman/catcher Ryan Levine, pitcher/outfielder Shane Halley and pitcher Ryan Ashooh – will join the Generals this summer once the UVa. season is done. Thompson said he and King have given the trio a scouting report on the Valley League.

“We told them the coaching staff here is great. They help all the players get better, let us play loose and just have fun playing. You’re trying to get better. And told them that traveling around the Valley League is nice. The bus trips aren’t bad, so it’s not like it’s going to beat you down most trips. Mainly just trying to get better every day, and the Valley League is the place to do it, because you’re playing every day,” Thompson said.

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net

Staunton was 13-25 against the rest of the Valley League in 2010, but the Braves finished 5-1 against their cross-county rivals in Waynesboro with a 7-5 win over the Generals at Mathers Park Sunday night.

The game was knotted at 3-3 in the seventh when Waynesboro starter Greg Smith gave up a one-out double to Stephen Branca that drove Daniel Wright home. A two-out double by Patrick Braswell plated Branca and made it 5-3 Staunton.

The Braves added two in the eighth off reliever Justin Thompson, with Brian Collins scoring Justin Bagbey from second with a one-out single and Collins scoring on a two-out error by T.J. Kuban.

Waynesboro rallied for two in the ninth, with a Jon Clinard sacrifice-fly RBI scoring Kuban, and Devin Smith scoring on a wild pitch on strike three to shortstop Jared King on what would have been the game’s final out. King made it to first without a throw to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Drew Turocy, but Turocy grounded into a force play to end it.

Smith (1-1) took the loss for Waynesboro, going allowing five runs on 10 hits in six and two-thirds innings.

Joey cuda (4-5) picked up the win with four and a third innings of relief, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits.

Story by Chris Graham

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.

Posted by Chris Graham

Daily Progress sportswriter Jay Jenkins has a nice profile piece up on three members of the 2010 Waynesboro Generals who are members of the UVa. baseball team – pitcher Justin Thompson, infielder Jared King and outfielder Colin Harrington.

DailyProgress.com has the story.