Generals fall to Royals, 6-4

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.

Rally falls short for Waynesboro in 15-12 loss

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Waynesboro rallied late to cut an early eight-run Winchester lead to two, but that was as close as the Generals would get in a 15-12 road loss Thursday night.

Starting pitcher Michael Reed (0-3) was touched up for eight runs, all earned, in the first, but Waynesboro was able to get the margin down to 13-11 in the seventh when Grant Fillipitch homered to left field.

A two-run Cody Gaskill homer in the eighth off Generals closer Andrew Blackwell made it 15-11 Winchester. Drew Turocy singled home Jon Clinard from second with two outs in the ninth to make it 15-12, but Cody Hudson struck out swinging to end it.

Fillipitch, Turocy and Zephan Guyear all had three hits for Waynesboro, and T.J. Kuban had a three-run double in the sixth that was a big part of the rally that got Waynesboro back into the game.

Agony! Royals beat Generals in 13-inning heartbreaker

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

Raymond Church hit his first home run of the season in the top of the 13th inning to lift Winchester to a wild 7-6 win over Waynesboro at Mathers Park.

Church hit his homer off reliever Drew Turocy (0-2) with two outs in the 13th. The Generals had a golden opportunity to win in the bottom of the 12th when they loaded the bases with two outs, but a sinking liner to right-center off the bat of Grant Fillipitch landed in the glove of Winchester rightfielder Tim Cross to end that threat.

Waynesboro battled back from an early 6-1 deficit with the big hit being a two-out, two-run double in the seventh by Zephan Guyear that made it 6-4 Winchester.

It was 6-5 in the ninth when the Generals loaded the bases with nobody out. Reliever Dylan Ward struck out Cody Hudson to get a big first out in the inning, but Alan Stoupa tied it with a sacrifice fly to center that scored Turocy and made it 6-6.

The Waynesboro bullpen was big in the comeback as well, giving up just two runs in eight and two-thirds innings.

Stephen Cooke (1-1) picked up the win with three innings of one-hit relief out of the Royals bullpen.

Live Blog: Winchester at Waynesboro

Join us tonight for a Live Blog during tonight’s Valley League contest pitting the Winchester Royals and the Waynesboro Generals.

WaynesboroGenerals.com editor Chris Graham will post during breaks in the action.

Join in with comments on the game, questions for Chris and more.

Royals win in bottom of the ninth

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

A two-out, ninth-inning RBI single by Cody Gaskill capped a late Winchester rally and propelled the Royals to a 9-8 win over Waynesboro Friday night.

The Generals (3-3) led 8-3 after a three-run rally in the fourth highlighted by a two-run double off the bat of Grant Fillipitch. Winchester (4-3) answered with four in the bottom of the fourth, the big blow being a three-run triple by Steve Sabins off Waynesboro starting pitcher Jeremy Fitzgerald.

A Sabins sacrifice-fly RBI tied the game at 8 in the fifth and set up Gaskill’s ninth-inning heroics.

Fitzgerald gave up 10 hits and eight runs – four earned – in five innings of work. Drew Turocy (0-1) took the loss, giving up the run in the ninth at the end of an otherwise solid two and two-thirds innings of work out of the pen.

The Winchester bullpen put out the fire after a rocky start by Chris Nunn, who gave up eight runs, all earned, in three and a third innings. Relievers Stephen Cooke and Matt Zahel pitched five and two-thirds innings of scoreless baseball out of the Royals’ pen.