The win, the ninth in 10 games for the Generals over the rival Braves, prevented Staunton from clinching a playoff berth for at least another night. Staunton (20-22) needs one win in its final two games – Thursday at Covington and Friday at Rockbridge – to sew up a berth. Should the Braves drop their final two, they would be forced into a one-game playoff with Woodstock (20-24), which stayed alive with an 11-6 win over New Market Wednesday night.

The second Wilcox homer keyed a five-run fifth for Waynesboro that erased a 6-5 Staunton lead. Wilcox had three hits and five RBIs on the night, and got a gutsy outing out of starter Ryan Poplawski (2-3), who pitched into the sixth despite giving up six runs on 11 hits.

Eric Sanders loaded the bases with Braves with nobody out in the seventh, but escaped the jam giving up just one run, on a one-out infield groundout by Eric Payne.

Devin Smith earned his first save of the season with scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth. The ninth got a little too interesting for the sake of Generals’ fans, as a one-out walk to Justin Bagbey, a two-out single by Derek Justice and a walk to Josh Tutwiler loaded the bases before Smith was able to strike out Matt Dickason to end the game.

Smith, who started in right field, also had two hits in four at-bats and a run scored for Waynesboro (25-18), which had clinched the South Division title a night earlier.

“It’s a big confidence boost clinching the division tonight. We’re confident going into the playoffs,” said Lucas, a Waynesboro High School graduate, who was dazzling on the mound in the clincher, giving up one run on six hits and striking out five in five and a third innings.

Noland once again set the table for the offense. The 5-8, 165-pound sophomore from Northwest Mississippi Community College raised his batting average to .344 in his 25 games in Waynesboro with 22 RBIs hitting primarily out of the leadoff spot.

“I came in kind of late and got off to a slow start. It felt good to go out tonight with a good game,” Noland said.

The outcome of the finale was not in doubt for long. Waynesboro took an early 1-0 lead on a two-out single in the bottom of the first off the bat of reigning South Division player of the week Jordan Walton that scored Dykota Spiess from third.

The Generals added two in the third when Travis Echols was hit by a pitch with two outs and scored on a triple to left-center off the bat of Travis Echols, who scored a batter later on another two-out RBI single by Walton.

Waynesboro broke it open in the middle innings, getting two in the fifth, three in the sixth and three in the seventh in support of Lucas (3-0).

Waynesboro (24-18) travels to Staunton (20-21) Wednesday night. The Braves, who have lost eight of nine to Waynesboro in the season series, still need a win in their final three games to clinch a playoff spot.

The win gives Waynesboro a two-and-a-half-game lead over Staunton in the Southern Division with three regular-season games remaining. The Generals’ magic number to clinch the division and the #3 seed in the upcoming Valley League playoffs stands at one.

It looked for the longest time that Staunton would close the gap on Waynesboro as the Braves raced out to a 5-1 lead with two in the fifth and another in the sixth putting some distance between the two teams. The Generals seventh began with a leadoff walk to Jimmy Holton and a Devin Smith single to right. Brad Noland sacrificed the runners to second and third. With one out, Dykota Spiess walked, and Rob Amaro followed with an infield single that scored Holton from third.

Walton was next and tripled to left-center to clear the bases and tie the game at five. Chase Worthington, who had homered earlier in the game, followed with an RBI single that gave Waynesboro a 6-5 lead.

Holton reached on an error to lead off the eighth, and Smith followed with an infield single, with both runners advancing on a throwing error by Braves third baseman Josh Wenger. Holton scored on a sacrifice fly by Noland to make it 7-5 Waynesboro. RBI singles by Spiess and Walton added some extra insurance.

Andrew Blackwell (2-0) pitched three scoreless innings to notch the win out of the bullpen. Tyler Clayburn (3-3) gave up three runs on three hits without recording an out to take the loss for Staunton, which has now lost eight of nine to Waynesboro in the season series between the two teams.

Waynesboro (23-18) can clinch the Southern Division title Monday night on the road at Covington. The Generals return home on Tuesday to play Rockbridge.

Brown (1-0) went five innings in his first start of the season, giving up three hits and two runs, one earned, while striking out six and walking six. The Staunton bullpen was even sharper, with the trio of Sam Abrams, Logan Dodds and Tyler Smith giving up just one baserunner, an two-out, eighth-inning double to Dykota Spiess, in four innings of work.

The Generals got on the board in the first when Jordan Walton singled to center to plate Matt Petrone, who had walked to lead off the first and then stolen second. Walton scored when Spiess hit an infield single with two outs in the inning, and Staunton third baseman Josh Wenger overthrew first base trying to punch out Spiess.

Staunton tied it in the second on a two-run homer to left-center by Erik Payne and took the lead in the third on a two-out single by Justin Bagbey that scored Brandon Cotten from second.

A Cotten RBI single in the fourth off Waynesboro starter Tim Leather (2-2) made it 4-2 Staunton.

The Braves added an insurance run in the ninth when Arthur Owens singled to center with two outs to score Preston Packrall.

Waynesboro left the bases loaded in the third and left runners on first and second in the fifth.

The win was the first in the season series for Staunton after Waynesboro had won seven straight.

The Generals (19-18) now have just a half-game lead over Staunton (18-18) in the Southern Division.

Waynesboro is idle Monday and will play at home against Front Royal on Tuesday. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
   

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.

The win pushes Waynesboro to a 7-0 record against their rivals and gives the Generals a game-and-a-half lead in the Southern Division.

Staunton led 6-4 entering the eighth when Chase Worthington led that inning off for Waynesboro with a single through the right side. MJ Sartin attempted to sacrifice Worthington to second, but Braves starter Kyle McGrath booted the ball to give Waynesboro runners on first and second and nobody out. McGrath was lifted at that point for Charles Terry (1-1), who promptly gave up what turned into a bunt single by Rob Amaro, who was also attempting a sacrifice and was able to get to first safely when his bunt down the third-base line got between Terry and Braves third baseman Josh Wenger.

Holton struck out swinging for out number one, but Noland hit a two-strike pitch through the hole between first and second for a two-run single that tied the game at 6. Shane Halley, batting next, singled to left to score Amaro with the go-ahead run.

The ninth was similarly as wild, with Worthington reaching on an error, being erased at second on a fielder’s choice when Sartin botched a sacrifice bunt, before Sartin got to second on a stolen base and third on a wild pitch. Amaro then grounded hard to shortstop, but Matt Dickason tried unsuccessfully to cut down Sartin at third, allowing Amaro to reach on a fielder’s choice. Holton followed with the three-run homer to left-center that gave Waynesboro a 10-6 lead.

Eric Sanders (2-0) gave up a run on one hit in three innings to get the win out of the bullpen. Andrew Blackwell got the last six outs to pick up his second save of the season.

The two teams will square off again Sunday night in Waynesboro to complete the home-and-home series. Tim Leather (2-1, 3.00) gets the start for Waynesboro against Staunton’s Bryan Brown (0-0, 1.84 in 12 relief appearances).

We underestimate.

“There were a lot of guys saying, Don’t worry, guys, we’ve been in this situation before, and it will be fine,” said MJ Sartin, whose pinch-hit two-run triple ignited an eight-run sxith that gave Waynesboro the lead for good as the Generals blasted Staunton by a 15-7 final.

Sartin’s one-out knock was followed by a solid single to right by Jeb Weymouth that cut the Staunton lead to 7-6. Two batters later, Dykota Spiess plated Weymouth with a single that tied the game at 7-7.

After a walk to Shane Halley that loaded the bases, Staunton second baseman Padraic Williams dropped a fly ball off the bat of Travis Echols, allowing Bradley Noland to score to give Waynesboro an 8-7 lead.

Jordan Walton followed with a three-run triple to right center that broke the game.

“I was just looking for a fastball to sit on and spin,” said Walton, who had led off the inning with a single.

The Generals added four in the seventh, the highlights coming on a two-run triple by leadoff man brad Noland, another RBI single by Spiess and a two-out bases-loaded walk to Keith Picconi.

GJ Strauss pitched three innings of hitless, scoreless relief to notch the save. Ryan Ashooh, a freshman lefthander from the University of Virginia, picked up the win in relief in his first appearance for Waynesboro.

The win was the sixth in six games for Waynesboro over Staunton.
  

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.

An MJ Sartin RBI sacrifice fly made it 7-3 Staunton with two outs in the seventh. Two batters later, Bradley Noland tripled down the right-field line to score Andrew Blackwell and Chase Worthington and pull the Generals to within 7-5.

In the eight, Waynesboro scored four runs on a hit, two Staunton errors and three walks. The Braves rallied for a run in the eighth off reliever Joseph Lucas (1-0), and Andrew Reck pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.

Halley, a University of Virginia junior playing in his third game for Waynesboro since returning from the College World Series, had two of the Generals’ five hits on the night. Waynesboro hitters worked Staunton for seven walks, six in the critical seventh and eight innings.

Austin Adams (2-1) took the loss, giving up four runs, only one of them earned, without recording an out.

Waynesboro now owns a perfect 5-0 record against Staunton in 2011

Staunton had seemingly seized control in the seventh with a pair of runs. Matt Dickason led the seventh off with a double and advanced to third on a single by Casey McKay. Dickason would score one batter later on a wild pitch by reliever Devin Smith. Daniel Wright then hit a sacrifice fly to right to advance McKay to third. He would score when a throw by rightfielder Dykota Spiess hit him as he was sliding into third and bounded into the Waynesboro dugout.

Braves reliever Tyler Smith (1-2) got the first two Waynesboro hitters out in the ninth before Echols took a fastball deep to left field for the game-tying home run.

Andrew Blackwell (1-0) retired Staunton in order in the top of the 10th. A pair of errors by Staunton led to the winning run in the bottom of the inning. Pinch hitter Bradley Noland led off with a grounder to third and reached base on a throwing error by Preston Packrall. Matt Petrone bunted Noland to second, who advanced to third with two outs on a groundout off the bat of Scott Wilcox. Shane Halley walked, and Spiess was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Chase Worthington, whose grounder up the middle was misplayed by Dickason, allowing Noland to score the winning run from third base.

The win was the fourth in four games for Waynesboro over Staunton.

The two teams will rematch in Staunton on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
    

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.

RBI singles by newcomers Keith Picconi and Bradley Noland got the second going. A Scott Wilcox RBI double gave Waynesboro a 4-0 lead. The Walton two-RBI single made it 6-0 and chased Braves starter Jay Wade (0-1), who was charged with six runs, all earned, in an inning and a third.

The Generals had gotten on the board in the first with an RBI single by Walton that scored Noland from third base.

Waynesboro starter Adam Curtis (2-2) picked up the win with six innings of two-run, six-hit baseball.

Andrew Blackwell earned his first save of the season with an inning and a third of scoreless relief.

The win improves Waynesboro to a perfect 3-0 record against the Southern Division-leading Braves. Waynesboro is now a game and a half behind Staunton in the standings.

The Generals open a three-game homestand Saturday against Covington. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.