Gens Score Five In Ninth to Tie and Win In Extras
After the Generals and River Bandits combined for 30 runs in their last contest, they were at it again as they combined for 29 runs in a thrilling comeback for the Gens.
The game started on an outrageous offensive pace. The River Bandits scored two in the top of the first to take an early lead. After a one-out double, Andrew Puglielli hammered a home run over the left field fence for his first long ball of the summer. The River Bandits lead 2-0 going into the bottom of the first.
The Generals would storm right back to take the lead with three runs in the bottom half of the first. Seth Cannady (Florida International) started things with an infield single. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) added to his team lead in RBI with a double into the right center field gap that brought Cannady all the way around to score. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) sent a high fly ball out towards right that ended up dropping. It put runners at second and third because Wes could only advance one base after having to hold up. Clarke would score a few seconds later when the River Bandits starter balked him in and Lopez to third. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) delivered the last run of the first inning with an infield single. The score after one inning was 3-2.
The River Bandits responded in the top of the second inning. A lead-off walk got things started. After an error put runners at first and second, a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. A deep sacrifice fly to right field brought a run in and moved the runner at second to third. Tomas Sanchez, who had a stellar day at the plate, singled to bring in the second run to give the River Bandits the lead 4-3.
In the top of the third, things got a bit ugly for the Generals. The River Bandits batted sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs to break things open. Four of the first five batters resulted in walks from the General pitching staff who, normally, is pretty stingy at handing out free passes. The fourth walk brought in the first run with one out in the inning. Then the Gens got a sacrifice fly for the second out of the inning with only two runs in. It looked like they may have been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, the River Bandits cranked out five straight hits with two outs in the inning to get those runs in. The single by Escala brought in two runs, a Sanchez single brought in Escala after he stole second, Puglielli drove in Sanchez after he stole second, Lockhart doubled to right center to put runners at second and third, and Caleb Ward singled to bring in the seventh and final run of the inning. The score read 11-3 after two and a half innings.
The Generals had a choice to make. They could have either packed it in and lived to see another day, or they could start their comeback with a couple of runs in each inning to try and claw their way back in. That choice was made very clear with Kobe Lopez starting off the bottom of the third. He ripped a double down the left field line to get things going. The next batter grounded out to third, but heads up base running from Lopez put him at third with one out. The next batter hit a sharp ground ball at the third baseman who booted the ball to allow Lopez to come in and score as well as the runner to get to second. Jackson Tate (Alabama) singled by another sharp ground ball that just got past the third baseman again. This put runners at the corners. Santi Garcia (Alabama State) continued the target practice on the third baseman with another sharp ground ball that the diving third baseman was only able to get a glove on. This brought in another run for the Generals. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) singled to center to drive in another run and put runners at the corners. And after a walk to load the bases, the Generals were unable to bring any more runs in. The score after three complete innings was 11-6.
A fourth inning Bryson Worrell home run to deep right center field continued the journey back for the Gens. They had just done a nice job in the top of the fourth at putting up their first zero, and Worrell pulled them just a bit closer with his second homer of the season. The score was now 11-7.
The River Bandits didn’t allow this comeback attempt without putting up a fight of their own. They scored three runs in the next two offensive frames. The score in the fifth came on a wild pitch to move the runners into position, and a passed ball to allow the runner to score. The two runs in the top of the sixth both came with two out in the inning. A single started things with one out. Another single down the right field line put the River Bandits in good shape, but when the runner tried stretching the single into a double, Bryson Worrell delivered a laser beam from right to put out the runner. The Generals had two outs with a runner on third. A two out walk to the lead-off hitter Willie Escala would prove to be costly. A double off the bat of Tomas Sanchez brought in both runners. The score now read 14-7 in favor of the River Bandits.
The Generals were faced with that same question of whether to pack it in, or make a come back late in the ball game. And again, the Generals had a quick answer to that question. Wes Clarke doubled to lead off the inning. Kobe Lopez walked to put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners, but not for long. Worrell would steal second base to put both runners in scoring position. After Jackson Tate got hit by a pitch to load the bases, Connor Norby (East Carolina) singled to center field to bring in two more runs. The score after six complete read 14-9.
The score would stay that way until the bottom of the ninth. The Generals needed five runs to stay alive in the game. A triple over the right fielder’s head got things started from Connor Norby. Joey Kinker walked to put runners at the corners. A single through the left side by Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) got the scoring started. The River Bandits then got two straight outs with runners at the corners. The Generals still trailed by four runs in the ninth. Kobe Lopez got the chain back up and moving with a single to right center field to bring in Kinker. Back to back walks would bring in a run and put the tying run at second base. Jackson Tate singled to center to bring in both Lopez and Worrell to tie the game at 14. The Generals had successfully come all the way back to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with 5 runs in what could have been their final frame.
Instead, the game would go two extra innings. A lead off walk of Wes Clarke and a wild pitch soon after put a man on second base with nobody out. Kobe Lopez would drop down a bunt that turned into an infield single. Runners at the corners with nobody out. They elected to intentionally walk the next batter to give themselves a force at any base. A shallow pop fly wasn’t able to bring a run in and would give the River Bandits their first out of the inning with a double play ball capable at getting them out of the inning. The River Bandits elected to play their middle infielders back to try to turn the double play. The only problem with that was that the batter at the plate was Jackson Tate who has great speed. In order for Woodstock to turn a double play, Jackson would have to smoke a ground ball. The River Bandits got the ground ball they were looking for from Tate, but it was softly hit and took the shortstop away from second base. Tate used his great speed to beat out the throw at first by a wide margin and the Generals walked the game off in the bottom of the 11th.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Tomas Sanchez: 4-7, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB, 2 R
Andrew Puglielli: 3-7, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Caleb Ward: 3-5, 2B, RBI, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-6, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 4-6, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 3-6, SB, R, 2 RBI including walk-off FC RBI
McLain Harris (Young Harris College): W (1-1), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
The Generals (11-7) will be back on the road on Wednesday night when they take on the Staunton Braves for the first time at John Moxie Stadium at Gypsy Hill Park. First pitch set for 7:30 pm.
Turks Win 5th Straight Over Generals
After the Gens jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, it was all Harrisonburg for the final 8 innings of the ball game.
The Generals came out swinging in the top of the first. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) led the game off with a double down the right field line. After Seth Cannady (Florida International) was hit by a pitch, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) hit a double that looked extremely similar to Lopez’s double. That scored Kobe and put runners at second and third with just one out. The Generals wouldn’t be able to scratch another run across in the inning. Little did they know, they would struggle to get a chance as good as that one for the rest of the game.
The Turks evened the score in the 4th after starter Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) lost the feel for the strike zone for just a moment. A single and a walk put runners at first and second. A couple of wild pitches moved runners around the base paths and helped one score. Kirby did a nice job at limiting the Turks to just one run, and the score remained tied after four innings.
The Turks would threaten again in the fifth when they got runners to second and third with nobody out in the inning. A couple of strikeouts and a runner cut down at the plate on a ball that got away from the catcher allowed Kirby to get out of the inning unscathed. The righty from ETSU went five strong innings to give his team a good chance to win the game.
The Turks ultimately pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs. A double got things started for the Turks offense. A single brought the runner around third with a play at the plate available. The throw from the centerfielder was a bit wild and got away from the catcher which allowed the runner to get all the way to third base without a throw. The next batter did his job with a sacrifice fly to right to move the score to 3-1 in favor of the Turks.
The starter for the Turks, Jacob Ferris went 7.2 innings of solid work. He struck out nine Gens while only allowing the first inning run. His performance, along with his first start earlier in the week, was enough for Ferris to grab VBL Player of the Week honors.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
Jacob Ferris: W (3-0), 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Brandon Stephens: SV (1), 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
McCann Mellett: 2-3, RBI
Josh Madole: 2-4, R
Nick Zona: 2-3, RBI
Immanuel Wilder: 1-3, 2B, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-3
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 1-3, 2B, RBI
Santiago Garcia (Alabama State): 2-4, 2B
The Generals (9-7) will be back on the road Sunday night vs the Front Royal Cardinals at Bing Crosby Stadium. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Gens Drop Extra Inning Contest to Charlottesville
A late miscue gave Charlottesville an extra out to work with in the top of the 10th and the Tom Sox didn’t waste the opportunity.
In what turned out to be an absolute pitcher’s duel, the Generals were only able to muster up six hits in their 10 offensive frames. The pitching staff for the Gens had another great outing, striking out a combined 13 hitters and walking zero on the night.
First for starter, Deven Judy (Gannon U). Judy gave the Gens a strong five innings, scattering five hits and four strikeouts. The one run the Tom Sox got off of Judy was in the fourth. The Tom Sox got three of their five hits off of Deven in that inning. Back-to-back singles with one out in the inning put runners at first and second. After a strikeout, Dan Harwood delivered a sharply hit single up the middle to bring in the runner from second.
The score would stay at 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth inning, mostly thanks to Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State). Acosta went three strong innings where he only allowed one hit and struck out five. His fastball was up to 94 miles per hour on the gun with a wicked slider to go along with his heater. He kept the game intact for his entire three innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Santiago Garcia (Alabama State) was down 1-2 in the count when he drilled one deep into the Waynesboro night for a game tying homer. The score was 1-1 with nobody out in the eighth. However, a lot of credit has to be given to the five Charlottesville arms that kept the Generals off balance all night.
In the 10th inning, the Tom Sox would get a man on to start the inning with a leadoff single. After a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, the Generals looked in good shape to get out of the inning when a grounder was hit to third base. However, a botched play put runners at the corners and gave the Tom Sox another chance to drive in the go-ahead run. They wouldn’t waste their opportunity as Thomas Francisco came up with his third hit of the game to put the Tom Sox in front for good.
Key Performers for Charlottesville:
Devin Hemenway: 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
David Yourke: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Cole McNamee: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Alaska Abney: SV (1), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Thomas Francisco: 3-5, 2B, RBI
Dan Harwood: 2-4, RBI
Ramon Garza: 2-4, 2B
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Deven Judy (Gannon U): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State): 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Santiago Garcia (Alabama State): 1-4, HR (1)
The Generals (9-6) will be back in action Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Ballpark when they take on the Harrisonburg Turks. The Turks are winners of their last four. First pitch set for 7:30 pm.
Generals Take Down Braves With Stellar Offense
The Generals exploded Saturday night for 13 runs on 15 hits to take down one of the top teams in the South Division by a score of 13-5.
The scoring didn’t start until the third inning, but once the seal was broken, runs came in bunches. The top of the third belonged to the Braves as they tallied their first run. After they loaded the bases after two singles and a walk, Eli Davis hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to get the Braves out in front.
The Generals would then bat around in the bottom half of the inning to regain the lead. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) would start things with a one-out single. His college teammate, Seth Cannady (Florida International) would also single. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) would hit a double down the left field line to bring in Lopez. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would follow it up with a double of his own to bring in Cannady. Jackson Tate (Alabama) would drive one deep to right for a sacrifice fly to bring in Quiceno and allow Clarke to move into third base. Santiago Garcia (Alabama St) drilled a single in to centerfield to keep the line moving. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) would pick up his first hit in a Generals uniform and would move into second base as the centerfielder tried to throw out Garcia at third base. After a dropped third strike, all the Braves needed to do to stop the bleeding was a throw from the catcher to first base. The throw was a wild one from the catcher and that allowed Garcia to score the final run of the inning. In total, the third inning saw the Gens score five runs on six hits and a Braves error to take the lead 5-1.
The scoring would halt again until the bottom of the 6th. The Generals got back on the scoreboard in a big way. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) would start things with a single. After a Kobe Lopez walk and a Seth Cannady single, the bases were loaded with nobody out. Elijah Quiceno would come up huge again, this time with a bases clearing double into left center. But the scoring wasn’t done there. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) got a pinch-hit opportunity and took the most of it by smoking a sinking liner into right field. It was enough to bring in Quiceno from second base for the final run of the inning. The Generals scored four runs to make the score 9-1.
The Braves would bounce back in the top of the 7th. They scored two off of reliever Zach Blankenship (Valdosta St) after not having much success of the lefty. Ryan McCarty would start things off with a lead-off triple to left center. He would be followed up nicely by newly-inserted Chet Moore, who drilled a double to right center. Chet would later come in to score on an RBI groundout. After 7 innings, the score would sit at 9-3.
The Gens would add some much needed insurance in the bottom of the 8th. They would score four runs, mostly off of RBI bases loaded walks to get the score to 13-3. But the Braves would score 2 runs in the top of the 9th to pull the score a bit closer, but that’s all they could muster. 13-5 was the final score.
Key Performers for Staunton:
Devon Adams: 2-2, BB, R
Chet Moore: 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Kent Rooklin: 1-4, RBI, BB
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon): 2-5, 2 2B, 5 RBI
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-4, 2B, RBI
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 2-5, RBI, 2 R
Santi Garcia (Alabama St): 2-3, RBI, R
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-4, R, RBI
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 2-4, R, RBI
The win moved the Generals to 6-3 while the loss dropped the Braves to 9-4. The Generals will be back in action on Sunday when they welcome the New Market Rebels for a double header tomorrow afternoon starting at 4 pm at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field.
