Double Plays and Pitching Key In Generals Win
The Generals moved to 2-0 vs their cross-town rival Staunton Braves thanks to three double plays and more great pitching.
Bailey Wimberley (Memphis) was the starter in the game for the Generals. Wimberley said after the game that he didn’t have his best stuff, but was good enough to get key outs in key situations. It started in the very first inning. After getting the first batter of the game out, the Braves hit back to back singles to put runners at the corners with just one away. Wimberley was able to induce his first double play ball on Logan Worley who grounded into the 6-4-3 double play.
In the next inning, Staunton would get their leadoff hitter on with a single. This is where Wimberley induced his second double play ball, a carbon copy of the one in the first. Another 6-4-3 double play to delete a lead-off base runner.
In the third, Wimberley would run into some more trouble. This time, the Braves were able to capitalize on their runners in scoring position. Colin Brophy started things with a double to start the top of the third. He was then bunted to third base with one out. Kent Rooklin worked a walk to put runners on the corners and in the back of Wimberley’s mind, he thought about maybe getting that third straight inning with a double play ball. Instead he would strike out the Staunton hitter to give the Generals two outs in the inning. Coach Zac Cole then decided to intentionally walk Andrew Czech, the league leader in RBI by a large margin. However in doing so, this put two runners in scoring position for Logan Worley. Worley would take advantage and drill a single up the middle to bring in two runs. After three complete innings, the Braves led 2-0.
Finally in the bottom of the fourth, the General bats came alive. It all started with one out in the inning and Jackson Tate (Alabama) at the plate. Jackson singled and was followed up by a Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) double down the right field line to put runners at second and third. Jackson Greene (Florida State) then delivered the big blow in the ball game by slicing a triple down the right field line to tie the game up at two, while also putting himself at third base with just one out. Brad Burckel (Houston) would continue the hit train by laying down a safety squeeze and beating out the throw to first for an RBI bunt single. From there, the inning would sputter, but the Generals had taken the lead 3-2.
Bailey Wimberley finished his night after back-to-back quick innings. Wimberley needed just 16 pitches to get through the 4th and 5th innings to make himself eligible for the win. For the sixth inning, the Generals turned to Zach Blankenship (Valdosta St) in a hold situation. He was stellar in his two innings, allowing two hits, no runs, striking out two, and inducing the third double play ball of the game for the Generals. Another 6-4-3 double play ended the seventh inning as well as Blankenship’s outing.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Generals gave themselves just a bit more breathing room. The rally began with a two out walk to Wes Clarke (South Carolina) who walked three times in the game. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) then came to the plate and drilled a triple off the centerfield wall to bring Clarke in from first. The score after seven innings was 4-2 in favor of Waynesboro.
The Generals didn’t stop there. After a good eighth inning thrown by Matt Mercer (East Tennessee State), the Gens responded with another run in the bottom half. Jack Murphy delivered his third hit of the game to lead off the inning. Jackson Greene pushed him to second on a walk. After an infield fly, Kobe Lopez (Florida International) singled to centerfield to load the bases. Seth Cannady (Florida International) followed it up with a sharp single past the drawn in infielder’s to drive in the fifth run of the game for the Generals. The lead going to the ninth inning was 5-2.
Matt Mercer jogged back out for his second inning of work to try to pick up the six-out save. He had already struck out the side in the eighth when he started the ninth with a strikeout. After that, two weak pop ups in the infield were enough to slam the door shut and to pick up his first save of the season.
Key Performers for Staunton:
Andrew Czech: 2-3, BB
Logan Worley: 1-4, 2 RBI
Duncan Pastore: 2-4, 2B
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Bailey Wimberley (Memphis): W (1-1), 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Zach Blankenship (Valdosta State): 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Matt Mercer (East Tennessee State): SV (1), 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R
Jackson Greene (Florida State): 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 2-3, RBI
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 2-4, 3B, RBI
The Generals (9-5) will be back in action Friday night when they welcome the Charlottesville Tom Sox to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Teams Combine for 30 Runs In Generals 8th Win
After four hours and some change, Woodstock and Waynesboro put up 10 and 20 runs respectively. The rest of the box score had the Generals having 16 hits and making three errors. For Woodstock, they had 17 hits and six errors.
Things got started with a bang for Waynesboro. They scored eight runs in the top of the first inning after sending 13 batters to the plate. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) started it all with a walk. After a fly out to right field, the Generals would have their next seven batters reach safely. Eli Quiceno (Gannon U) doubled, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) singled to bring in Kobe, and Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) had an infield single to load the bases. After Quiceno scored on a wild pitch, Jackson Tate (Alabama) singled to left to bring in Clarke. An error by the third baseman allowed Worrell to score and keep the line moving. Connor Norby (East Carolina) and Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) were hit by pitches. Proffitt’s was with the bases loaded and allowed Tate to score. After a pitching change, the River Bandits managed the second out of the inning. But the clean record didn’t last long, as Seth Cannady (Florida International) cleared the loaded bases with a double. The score after the first three outs of the game was 8-0 in favor of the Generals.
It would be immediately apparent that the River Bandits wouldn’t just lay down. They scored one in the bottom of the first. Jaylon Deshazier started things right out of the gate with a double. He was followed by Aidan Nagle with a single. The Generals would make their first error of the ball game on the third hitter that allowed Deshazier to score. Things would settle down after that and the score after one complete inning was 8-1.
The second inning saw the Generals continue to pile on. Bryson Worrell would start it out with a single to left, but would move to second as the throw back into the cutoff man was a wild one. After a couple of strikeouts, Connor Norby would join his collegiate teammate on base via the walk. Bases became loaded on a walk to Christian Proffitt. Kobe Lopez would come up large with a long double to left center field that brought in both ECU boys. The score after two was 10-1.
The Generals would hold the River Bandits in the bottom of the second inning. They continued their scoring in the top of the third. Wes Clarke was hit by a pitch and soon after, Jackson Tate drove him in from first base with a double over the left fielder’s head. The score moved to 11-1.
This is where the River Bandits said enough is enough. They responded in the bottom of the third with six runs to make the game a bit tighter. Andrew Puglielli started things out with a double past the diving Norby at third base. Caleb Ward singled to put runners at the corners for Lael Lockhart. Lockhart singled to right field to drive in Puglielli. The throw in from the right fielder was a wild one and allowed Ward to get to third and Lockhart to second. An error by the shortstop allowed Ward to score and put runners on the corners with still nobody out. The next batter hit a grounder to short to allow the runner at third to come home, and the Gens couldn’t turn it quickly enough to get a double play out of the deal. After a Will Escala double to put runners at second and third, Jaylon Deshazier drilled a triple into right center to bring in two more runs. The next batter, Aidan Nagle, hit a double to drive in Deshazier to finish the scoring in the third. The score after three was 11-7.
The Generals lengthened their lead a bit in the top of the 5th. Eli Quiceno was hit by a pitch and moved to third on an Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) double. Worrell would come up and drive in Quiceno on a ground ball to second base. The score going to the bottom of the fifth was 12-7.
The River Bandits made their last big push in the bottom of the fifth. They scored three runs to push the score to 12-10. Austin Bates was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Two batters later, Will Escala came up with his second double of the game to put runners at second and third. Bates scored on a wild pitch to put up their first of three runs. After a strikeout, Aidan Nagle came up and delivered a very controversial home run. If you ask the folks in the outfield bleachers in Woodstock, just about all of them would tell you that the ball bounced a good 15 feet in front of the fence, took a high bounce, and landed over the fence for what should have been a ground rule double. However, the umpires came together to discuss it. Their final ruling was a home run to bring the River Bandit deficit to just two.
The Generals would finally settle down and pull away with five runs in the top of the sixth. Connor Norby singled to get things going. After a Christian Proffitt walk, Kobe Lopez singled to left and the left fielder botched the ball to allow runners to advance. Connor Norby scored the first of five runs. The next play was ruled as an error on the shortstop that allowed two more runs to score. Quiceno would come up with another single to put runners at first and third. After Ethan Cady was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Bryson Worrell worked a bases loaded walk. Another error by the River Bandit third baseman allowed the final run of the inning. That put the score at 17-10.
The Generals added three more in the top of the 9th for insurance runs. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) walked with one away in the inning. Eli Quiceno came through with his third hit of the ball game to make him 3-5. A second Ethan Cady double drove in the first run of the top of the 9th. Bryson Worrell singled to bring in the second run, and the final error of the ballgame by the River Bandit third baseman allowed the final run of the game to score. The final score of the ball game was 20-10.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Jaylon Deshazier: 3-6, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
Aidan Nagle: 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Will Escala: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U): 3-5, 2B, 4 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-7, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
McLain Harris (Young Harris): 2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
The Generals (8-5) are back in action Thursday night at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field when they take on the Staunton Braves. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Gens Take Down Cannons In Rain-Shortened Game
The Generals trailed on the road at Fireman’s Field in the early going, but once they took the lead in the fourth inning, there was no looking back.
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast) started the ball game for the Generals on the mound, and after giving up a first inning run, he was lights out. Singles by Michael Brewer, Bradley Riopelle, and Jose Gutierrez were cause for the run in the bottom of the first. After that inning, the Cannons were never able to bring more than four hitters to the plate, had just one runner reach second base, and also never had a runner reach third. He would finish his five innings allowing five hits, one run, one walk, and he struck out five while picking up his first win of the season.
The pitching staff as a whole was solid once again. Jan Figueroa (Florida International) came in for two innings of relief and kept the Cannons scoreless. He allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, and he struck out one. With the rain setting in, seven innings would be all that the Generals staff would need to complete.
On the offensive side of things, the Gens would churn out runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to pull away from Purcellville.
In the third, the Generals would do all their damage with two outs in the innings. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) doubled down the left field line, just dropping in front of the diving left fielder for the Cannons. Seth Cannady (Florida International) followed up one extra base hit with one of his own. He would drill a triple into the right centerfield gap and later score on a wild pitch to take the lead after three innings. The score rested at 2-1 for just one half inning.
The Generals would jump right back on the bats in the fourth. Back-to-back singles by Jackson Tate (Alabama) and Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) would put runners at first and third. Tate would come into score on a passed ball to make the score 3-1. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) walked to put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice on the next hitter kept runners at first and second, but Murphy was put out at third. After a pitching change, Kobe Lopez would come up big yet again for the Generals with a hit down the left field line. It would score Kinker, but Kobe was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double. The inning wouldn’t stop there. Seth Cannady got hit by a pitch and later stole second to get runners at second and third. After a walk to Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U), Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would drive a run in the hard way. He took a ball right off the elbow for a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. The RBI would mark his team-leading 11th of the summer. After another pitching change, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) would single to bring Cannady in to score and tally their fourth run of the inning to make the score 6-1 after four innings.
The Generals would tack on another run in the sixth inning after yet another two out hit. Seth Cannady would start things off with a leadoff single. Wes Clarke would also single two batters later to put runners at first and second. After out number two was recorded via the strikeout, Jackson Tate came up with his second hit of the evening. This time it was a hustle double to right field to bring in Cannady. The score stood at 7-1 after seven innings of play.
In the eighth, the rain started to fall while the Generals were at-bat. Unfortunately, due to the rules in place, since the Gens didn’t finish their half of the inning, the score reverts back to 7-1. The Gens had put up two runs courtesy of a Bryson Worrell homer after a Wes Clarke single. Jack Murphy also had a double erased from his record. That would have made Jack 3-4 on the night, but will instead have to settle for a solid 2-3. A bit unlucky, but a good win for the Generals.
Key Performers for Purcellville:
Michael Brewer: 2-3, R
Kyle Hayes: 2-3
Jose Gutierrez: 1-3, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, BB
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 2-3, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SB
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast): W (1-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
The Generals (7-5) are back in action Wednesday night when they travel to another North division foe, the Woodstock River Bandits. Game time is set for 7 pm at Falcon Field.
Generals Suffer Sweep to New Market
In order to make up a game that had been rained out, the Generals welcomed New Market to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field for a double-header consisting of two seven inning games. Unfortunately, the Generals were on the losing side of both ball games.
Game 1:
Game one started at 4 pm and saw Bailey Wimberley (Memphis) take the hill for the Generals. His counterpart was Wilhelm Allen for the Rebels. The scoring started early for New Market as the Rebels did all of their hitting with two outs in the inning. Josh Cox hit a single and promptly stole second base on the next pitch. On the stolen base attempt, he moved to third base on an errant throw down from the catcher. He then scored on a single from Samuel Frontino. Frontino would also steal second base. This was the second of five steals that the Rebels pulled in throughout the first game. Brandon Rembert would drive in Frontino with a base hit to left field to finish the scoring for the first frame. The score was 2-0.
The Rebels would also score in the second inning. There was a ton of traffic on the base paths so it was a small victory for the Generals to only allow one run on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. Benito Varela would be the runner to come in and score. The score after two complete innings was 3-0 in favor of the Rebels.
The bottom of the third was the first time the Generals offense got going. They were able to pick up one run, but with the inning they had formulating, the one run felt like a bit of a let down. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) connected on his first home run of the season with just one away in the inning. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would follow up the homer with a double into the left center field gap. A couple pitches later, he would move to third base on a wild pitch with still just one out. The Generals weren’t able to bring in the run after a strikeout and a ground out.
The top of the fourth was another good inning for the New Market Rebels. They would tack on two more runs to extend the lead to 5-1. After being hit by a pitch, Ramon Machado would steal another base before being moved to third on a ground out. A single by Kyle Decker would drive in Machado for the first run of the inning. Decker would steal second base to put yet another runner into scoring position for the Rebs. When he tried to steal third, Josh Cox hit a slow chopper to the shortstop. Decker never broke stride and continued on towards home plate. As the play was developing, Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast), the Generals shortstop, would throw across the diamond to try and retire Cox. His throw was late and Decker made it all the way home safely without a throw.
The Generals would also respond with two runs in the bottom half of the same inning. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would work his way on with a walk to lead off the inning. When Connor Norby (East Carolina) would lay down a bunt, the catcher who came out to field the ball air mailed the throw deep into the right field corner. Kinker would come all the way around to score and Norby would get to third. Christian Proffitt would single to bring in Norby, but the rest of the inning proved unfruitful.
The game rested at a score of 5-3 until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Generals would make a big push to try and win the game in walk off fashion. The newly inserted New Market pitcher would struggle with command. He hit Seth Cannady (Florida International), walked Bryson Worrell and Wes Clarke, and was then lifted from the game. The Rebels would turn to Jeremiah McCollum to try to put out the fire. After an RBI fielder’s choice by Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U), McCollum would pick up two punch outs to end the game. He picked up his second save of the season.
Game 2:
Game two of the double header got under way at about 7:25 pm and saw the matchup of Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) for the Gens and Gregory Strickland for the Rebels.
The Rebels got off to a very similar start in game two by scoring a run in the opening frame. Kyle Decker hit in the leadoff spot for the Rebels and hit a double into the left centerfield gap. Josh Cox followed with a single to right that advanced Decker to third. Giovanny Lorenzo hit a roundball to shortstop to drive in the first run.
The Rebs would score again in the top of the second to extend the lead to 2-0. Brandon Rembert was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. He would steal second and move to third on an errant throw by the catcher. He was brought in on the very next pitch on an error by the first baseman of the Gens. The Rebs would have all they needed to win the game.
The Generals would score in the bottom of the second, but that would finish up the scoring for the rest of the game. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) would start things off with a double into the left center field gap and would move to third on the next pitch on a fly ball to right. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) drove in Murphy on a high fly ball to centerfield for a sacrifice fly.
From the third inning on, the pitching staffs for both teams were dynamic. The teams combined for only 4 hits in the entire game and the score finished at 2-1.
Key Performers for New Market:
Kyle Decker: 2-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Josh Cox: 3-7, R, RBI
Jeremiah McCollum: SV (2), IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Christian Horner: W (1-1), 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Austin Elliott: SV (1), 2 IP, 1 H, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-4, 2 RBI
Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-4, 2B
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 1-5, HR
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 1-3, 2B
Matt Mercer (East Tennessee State): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
The Generals drop to 6-5 while the Rebels move to 6-7 on the summer. The Generals will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Purcellville to take on the Cannons at Fireman’s Field.
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.
Nationally Ranked ECU Pirates Send Two
Waynesboro, Virginia
East Carolina University is one of the premier baseball schools in the country and recently were named as an NCAA Regional Host. The Pirates are currently 43-15 and 20-4 in the American Athletic Conference. They were recently bounced from their conference tournament but look poised to make a run to Omaha. After the completion of their season, they plan to send a couple of position players to Waynesboro. Our newest Gens from ECU are Bryson Worrell and Connor Norby!
Bryson Worrell – Outfielder
Bryson Worrell is the son of Dawn and Greg Worrell. The sophomore is listed at 6’2 204 pounds from Sims, North Carolina and Hunt High School. The highly accomplished Worrell came to ECU and immediately made an impact. He played in 31 games for the Pirates in his freshman campaign and hit .256. In those 31 games, he picked up four doubles, a triple, and a home run. He had 10 rbi on the season and a highlight of a multi-hit game in the conference tournament. Last summer, he played for the Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plains League where he hit .288 with four doubles, five homers and 20 rbi. This year, he increased his playing time by playing in 43 ball games and making 18 starts. He hit .226 with three doubles and three homers. Bryson will look to increase his skill set and hopefully move into a full time starting role with the Pirates next season after improving his game in Waynesboro this summer. Welcome to Waynesboro, Bryson Worrell!
Connor Norby – Infielder
Connor Norby is the son of Jill and Dave Norby. The freshman is listed at 5-10 177 pounds from Kernersville, North Carolina and East Forsyth High School. The All-state selection has done a nice job for the Pirates this season. Most of his playing time has been later in the season and he has picked up his play as of late. His .231 batting average has been buoyed by his lates ball game where he had two hits vs Wichita State in the conference tournament. His first collegiate home run was off of Memphis pitcher and future teammate for the Gens this summer, Bailey Wimberley. When Connor arrives, that should be a fun conversation between the two. Welcome to Waynesboro, Connor Norby!
