Walk-off RBI single lifts Staunton to series-clinching win over Waynesboro

For the second time in three nights, Staunton got a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth to break a tie score to walk off with a win over Waynesboro.

Monday night, it was Jordan Taylor taking a two-strike, two-out pitch from reliever Jamal Wilson just over the right side of the infield to score Brad Jarreau from third with the series-clinching run in a 5-4 Braves win.

The victory sends Staunton (34-15) to the championship series against Strasburg.

With the loss, the two-time defending champion Generals (25-23) are done for 2015, but not without putting up a heckuva fight.

Staunton took the lead in the bottom of the first on a one-out RBI double by Brad Jarreau that scored Jordan Howard.

Waynesboro answered in the second on a sacrifice fly to short-center by Austin Hale that scored Jeremy Taylor from third.

The Braves broke through with a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Howard that made it 2-1 Staunton, and it could have been worse, but Joseph Estrada gunned down William Kinney at the plate trying to score on a fly ball to left off the bat of Jarreau to keep the margin at one.

An Estrada two-out RBI single scored Kevin Phillips to tie the game at 2-2, but it was the Braves’ turn to gun down a runner at the plate, with Jarreau cutting down Jonathan Camp at the plate from right-center.

A Taylor home run in the fourth made it 3-2 Staunton, and an Austin Edens RBI double in the fifth chased Generals starter Kevin Fagan with the score 4-2 Staunton.

Waynesboro answered with small ball in the sixth. Jonathan Camp led off the inning with a walk, and Jeremy Taylor, attempting to sacrifice him to second, beat the throw to first for an infield hit, and Camp advanced to third on an error by Braves starting pitcher Garrett Cave.

Camp scored on a wild pitch, with Taylor advancing to second. Taylor later stole third and scored on a two-out error by Kam Gellinger, tying the score at 4-4.

It would stay that way into the ninth, which began with Jarreau getting hit by a pitch from Wilson. Austin Edens grounded out to third for the first out of the inning, but Jarreau was able to advance to second on the play. Ryan Crile was retired for the second out on a grounder to first that allowed Jarreau to advance to third.

Wilson then walked Kevin Abraham and Kam Gellinger, the walk to Gellinger on a close 3-2 pitch that was called a ball.

Taylor worked the count to 1-2 before hitting a sinking liner over the head of Waynesboro second baseman Stephen Pitarra for the game-winning hit.

Damon Frazier (2-0, 1.89 ERA) earned the win for Staunton with three innings of two-hit, scoreless relief.

Wilson (3-4, 4.73 ERA) took the loss, giving up a run on three hits in an inning and two-thirds.

Chris Cook, in his first outing on the mound of the summer for the Generals, struck out five and walked two in two and two-thirds of hitless, scoreless relief.

Jeremy Taylor was 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. Estrada and Clayton Taylor each had two hits for Waynesboro.