Fillipitch powers Generals to 6-4 win over Haymarket

Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
 

John Fillipitch may never get to leave.

“Some of the guys were talking about that in the dugout. He picked a good weekend to be here,” said his son, Grant, who hit two homers with dad in the stands at Mathers Park to lead the Waynesboro Generals to a 6-4 win over the visiting Haymarket Senators Saturday night.

Fillipitch hit his home runs, numbers two and three on the season, in the first and fifth. The fifth-inning shot gave Waynesboro a 4-2 lead, which starting pitcher Daniel Bradshaw lost in the sixth as a result of a controversial call at first base that gave Eric Stamets a bunt single. A two-out single by Rudy Flores eventually scored Stamets, and then an error by shortstop Zephan Guyear allowed Austin Schultz to cross the plate to tie the game at 4-4.

The Senators left the bases loaded in the sixth and again in the seventh – and left 16 on base all told on the night. The Generals made them pay in the eighth when Cody Hudson led off with a bunt single, advanced to second on a sacrifice by Jared King, then after T.J. Cuban reached base on a fielder’s choice, Hudson stole third to give Waynesboro runners on the corners with one out.

Alan Stoupa worked a 3-1 count off reliever Matt Doyle, then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt past Doyle that scored Hudson from third. Stoupa later came around to score on a single by Jon Clinard that gave winning pitcher Mark Lamm some cushion in the ninth.

“We were thinking squeeze all along,” Waynesboro manager Derek McDaniel said.

“We talked about it. I had the green light to swing away at the first pitch, but I’ve been struggling at the plate lately, so I decided to take one for the team,” Stoupa said. “When Cody stole third, and it got to 3-1, I just knew to had to get the ball in play, and we’d take the lead.”

Lamm pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his first win of the season.

“It feels good to get the monkey off our backs,” Lamm said.

Bradshaw worked around trouble all night in his six innings of work on the mound – but held the Senators to four runs, three earned, despite giving up 11 hits, walking three and hitting a batter.

“He deserved to go out up 4-2, but things didn’t work out that way. But he battled all night,” McDaniel said.

The win breaks a four-game losing streak for Waynesboro.

“We’ve been playing hard. Now we get this win, and we can get out there tomorrow night and play a little looser,” McDaniel said.