Gens Sweep Three Game Set With Second Place Charlottesville
Waynesboro opened up a lead in the South division over the second place Tom Sox with three wins in five days. Two wins on the road and another at home has the Gens leading the South division by four games.
Game One
The first game of the three game set was the annual Independence Day clash between the Gens and the Tom Sox.
Waynesboro got off to a hot start with two runs in their first frame in front of a crowd announced at over 2,000 people. Connor Norby (East Carolina) worked his way on to start the inning. He got moved to third two batters later on a single by Kobe Lopez (Florida International). After stolen bases by both Norby and Lopez on separate pitches, Norby came in to score on a balk by Charlottesville’s starting pitcher. Kobe Lopez scored on the single by Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) to give the Gens an early 2-0 lead.
Charlottesville wouldn’t allow the home fans to worry long. They put up six unanswered runs over the next three innings, including a four run first. A walk by Kirby McMullen got things started in the first inning. Thomas Francisco continued his hot hitting with a triple to left center field to drive in McMullen. Trey McDyre ripped a single to drive in Francisco. Finally, Christian Hlinka provided the big blow in the inning with a two-run homer deep to right field.
The Tom Sox added a run in the second on a two-out RBI single by Thomas Francisco to make the score 5-2. In the third it was Christian Hlinka picking up another base hit, this time just a leadoff single. Dan Harwood came up with a double two batters later to drive in Hlinka for what turned out to be the last run the Tom Sox would be able to muster. The score after three complete was 6-2 in favor of the Tom Sox.
The Generals, however, have had the uncanny ability to pull themselves back into ball games this year, and Thursday night was no different. They added runs in the fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings to get themselves back into the game. After Connor Norby homered Wednesday at home vs. Front Royal, he made it back-to-back nights with a homer with his solo blast in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-3. In the sixth, Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) doubled to lead things off. Jackson Tate (Alabama) walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Jackson Greene (Florida State) laid down a safety squeeze to pick up another run. The score now read 6-4. In the eighth, the Gens pulled a bit closer. It was Jackson Tate working a one out walk, moving to second on a wild pitch, and to third on a groundout. Jackson Greene came up big again with a single to center field with two outs in the inning. However, the Generals would strand Greene and would head to the ninth still down by one.
In the ninth, the leadoff hitter Connor Norby singled through the left side. After a deep fly out and a slow roller to shortstop, the Gens would have Norby at second but with two outs. The Generals called on Brad Burckel (Houston) in a pinch hitting opportunity to get the runner in from second. Burckel was coming off the previous night where he picked up three hits, three RBI, and was named “Valley League Hitter of the Night” by AllThingsValleyLeague. Burckel continued his hot hitting in this key situation with a single up the middle that tied the game. After the game-tying single, Charlottesville’s pitcher became a bit rattled. He gave up a four pitch walk to Jack Murphy and hit Jackson Tate with a pitch. After a pitching change, Gunner Peterson (Illinois State) came up with the go-ahead run on another four pitch walk. The Gens took their one run lead into the bottom of the ninth with Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) on to try and record the save.
With it being the fourth of July and the game getting started a bit late due to rain, the fireworks display that is set up for Charlottesville High School started while in between innings. So Christian Edwards would have to try to work through the ninth inning only up one run with +2,000 fans, a good part of the lineup for the Tom Sox, and fireworks going off so close to the field that Coach Cole was quoted as saying they could feel the concussion from the field. Edwards managed to do so beautifully. He got a ground out to third, a strikeout, and after a two-out walk, another strikeout to shut the door for his second save of the summer.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game One:
Thomas Francisco: 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, R
Christian Hlinka: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Dan Harwood: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game One:
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, HR (2), RBI, 3 R
McLain Harris (Young Harris College), Jan Figueroa (Florida International), and Deven Judy (Gannon U): Combined for 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K to hold the Tom Sox down.
Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State): SV (2), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Brad Burckel (Houston): 1-1, Game-tying RBI single
The Generals moved their record to 18-8 and would have a night off Friday before taking on the Tom Sox again Saturday night at home.
Game Two
Charlottesville entered game two having made a huge comeback over South division foe Staunton in the ninth inning on Friday night. The Generals were well rested after having their first true day off in over two weeks. The Generals defended their home territory and made it known quickly that they were ready for the second game with Charlottesville.
In the bottom of the first, Connor Norby started things with a chopper over the pitcher’s head for an infield single. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Kobe Lopez hit a grounder to third and the Tom Sox third baseman delivered a throw that was a bit high to the second baseman that ended up bounding out into right field to allow Norby to score from second base. The Gens were out to a 1-0 lead after one complete inning.
The Generals got right back on the board in the second inning. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) singled to right field with one out. Two batters later, Wes Clarke drilled a double to the warning track in right center field. It brought Kinker all the way around to score. The Gens made it 2-0 after two innings.
The game fell into a bit of a lull. Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast) worked through five shutout innings while scattering nine base runners. He allowed five hits and four walks, but picked up some key double plays as well as three strikeouts to work through danger. He left the game with a 2-0 lead and Jan Figueroa (Florida International) came in for relief. Jan tossed two more shut out innings while the General offense provided some breathing room.
In the bottom of the sixth, Jack Murphy got a ball to drop in perfectly down the left field line and hustled his way into second for a double. Two batters later, his host brother Jackson Tate ripped a single into left to allow Murphy to score. In the seventh, the Generals provided the pitching staff with more breathing room after another shutout inning by Figueroa. Back-to-back singles from Norby and Clarke had runners at first and second. Kobe Lopez dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put both runners into scoring position. Jack Murphy took advantage with a single up the middle to score Norby and move Clarke to third. Eli Quiceno (Gannon U) followed things up with an RBI infield single to bring in another run and push the score to 5-0.
The Generals turned to Christian Dearman (Florida International) for the top of the eighth. As he’s done all year, he threw up yet another zero for the opposing team. He tossed a scoreless top half while allowing just one hit. As teams were switching from offense to defense and vice versa, the skies opened up with some of the hardest rain and wind that the area had seen in awhile. This soaked the field beyond its playing point and the Generals walked away with a 5-0 win in eight innings.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game Two:
Cayman Richardson: 2-4
Cal Greenfield: 1-2, BB
Kirby McMullen: 1-1, BB
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game Two:
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, 2 R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast): W (2-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Christian Dearman (Florida International): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
The Generals moved their record to 19-8 the night before the Valley League All-Star Game. They knew they would have to face Charlottesville one more time this week on Monday. First pitch at C-Ville Weekly Ballpark was set for 7 pm for a makeup game from a previous rain-out.
Game Three
The Generals had a three game lead going into Monday night with an opportunity to sweep the three game set with Charlottesville and take a four game lead over the Tom Sox.
The Tom Sox opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first with two quick runs. A single by Cayman Richardson and a double by Thomas Francisco had runners at second and third with just one out. Trey McDyre had an RBI groundout and Christian Hlinka sharply singled to right to bring in both runners. The Gens had once again fallen victim to those first inning runs.
But as they do so often, they responded quickly with a run in the top of the second. A fielder’s choice on Jackson Tate put him on first. Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) singled through the right side to put runners at first and second. A walk to Joey Kinker loaded the bases for Brad Burckel. Burckel was able to bring in the run on a fielder’s choice to second base. The score was 2-1 after two innings of play.
The Generals tied the game up with another run in the third inning. Connor Norby singled to get things started. However after two outs, the Tom Sox looked like they had things under control. Gunner Peterson singled to center and brought Norby to third. A couple pitches into the next at-bat, the catcher mishandled a ball at the plate and with heads up base running, Norby was able to slide in safely at home. The score was tied at 2.
The Tom Sox bounced back to with a run in the bottom of the third to retake the lead. Cayman Richardson started things out with another single. Kirby McMullen followed up with a single to put runners at first and second. Thomas Francisco singled through the right side that brought Richardson around to score. The Tom Sox held their lead until the top of the fifth.
The fifth is when the Generals would bust out with five runs to take the lead. After three straight walks loaded the bases to begin the inning, Gunner Peterson ripped a single to right field. The ball scooted under the glove of McMullen and ran a good bit past him. This allowed all three runs to score as well as getting Peterson to third base. Jackson Tate doubled to right to bring in the fourth run of the inning. Tate wasn’t content with second base, so he decided to steal third with still nobody out in the inning. Ethan Cady came up with an RBI ground out to put the score at 7-3 in favor of the Generals.
This put Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) in line for the win if he could work through the fifth inning. Kirby seized his opportunity with a three up-three down inning in the fifth. He allowed six hits and three earned runs over his five innings, but held the Tom Sox down for the most part. He also scattered six strikeouts over his five innings to pick up his first win of the summer.
The Gens blew the game open in the seventh inning with four more runs to suck the life out of the sparse already sparse crowd at C-Ville Weekly Ballpark. After a couple of walks and a single by Jackson Tate, the bases were loaded with nobody out in the inning. After a pitching change, Joey Kinker ripped a two RBI single to right field to drive in Peterson and Tate. Ethan Cady later came into score on a wild pitch and Kinker was brought home on a sacrifice fly to center by Kobe Lopez. This got the score to 11-3.
The Tom Sox would add a couple of runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the game was well in hand for the Gens. They took home the win with a final score of 11-5.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game Three:
Thomas Francisco: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
Cayman Richardson: 2-4, 2 R
Christian Hlinka: 2-4, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game Three:
Gunner Peterson (Illinois State): 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 3-5, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-3, RBI, R
Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State): W (1-2), 5 IP, 6 K, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
The Generals moved their record to 20-8 after the three game sweep of the Charlottesville Tom Sox over the last five days. Overall, the Gens have won 11 out of their last 12 games and five games in a row. They hold a four game lead over the rest of the division and will host the Winchester Royals on Tuesday night at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Waynesboro Takes A Beating in 11-1 Loss to Charlottesville
Charlottesville was able to put up all 11 of their runs in the first 4 innings. The Gens never really threatened their lead afterwards.
It started right away in the first. After the Gens went 3 up, 3 down, Charlottesville started by getting their first three batters on. The lead-off batter reached on the first of 5 errors made by the Gens on the night. He was followed with a walk before Dom DAllessandro’s RBI double. The next batter grounded into an RBI 5-3 put out to put up the final run in the first inning.
The Generals once again couldn’t formulate much other than a 2-out single by Bryce Teodosio (Clemson). Teodosio had a pretty good night at the park, but that was about the only bright spot. In the bottom of the 2nd, the TomSox really opened it up by scoring 6 runs. It wasn’t until the 9th batter in the inning that the Gens were able to record the first out of the inning. By that time, they had already scored 5 runs. The 6th and final run was put on the board by an RBI fielder’s choice.
The TomSox would continue to prove relentless. They scored 3 more in the bottom of the 4th inning. The Generals made 2 errors, walked one, and gave up only 1 hit in the inning. However, the TomSox made the most of the hit and also added a sacrifice fly to put up their 3 runs to make it 11-0.
The only bit of offense for the Generals came on a solo home run by Bryce Teodosio in the top of the 7th inning. Teodosio racked up 3 hits to lead the club in that aspect. The 11-1 score after the homer would be the final
Key Performers for Charlottesville:
- Zac Ching: 2-4, 3 RBI
- Dom DAllessandro: 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI
- Kirby McMullen: W, 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Bryce Teodosio (Clemson): 3-4, HR, RBI
- Blake Johnson (UAB): 2-4
- Jacob Weirich (Southern Miss): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
The Generals (18-15) will travel to the North division leading Front Royal Cardinals Sunday night to try and snap a small 2 game skid.
Generals Drop 3rd Straight in Charlottesville
Back-to-back 3-run innings were too much to handle for the Generals on Monday night in Charlottesville. The Generals were only able to muster 4 runs on 13 hits.
Things looked promising in the early going for the Generals. They were looking to snap a minor 2 game skid heading into the home of the most recent Valley League Champions in Charlottesville. In the top of the 2nd, the Gens were looking for a huge inning after a leadoff single from Andrew Orzel (Wofford) was followed by a double by catcher, Alex Brait (FGCU). The Generals ended up only getting one run in the inning after a pop up to short, a sacrifice fly to deep left by Jackson Webb (UCF), and a strike out.
In the 3rd inning, the Gens started with three straight hits. Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) led off with a double and was brought in by a Chase Cheek (Duke) double. Cheek was brought around to score immediately after that on an RBI single by Tanner Thomas (Virginia Tech). The inning took an abrupt turn, however, when Thomas stole second on a 3rd strike and the home plate umpire ruled Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) leaned across the plate, deeming it batters interference. The score after 3 was 3-0 in favor of the visiting Generals.
It wasn’t until the 4th that the TomSox were able to crack Waynesboro starter Nathan Schneider (St. Mary’s). Schneider was on to work another inning and was ambushed by three straight hits and a walk to the first four batters, chasing him from the game early. Pat McColl started things out with an infield single. He was followed by two straight doubles to bring in two runs. Fred Villarreal (Houston) came on to relieve Schneider with nobody out in the inning and runners on first and second base. Villarreal was able to roll a double play ball to give him a chance to get out of the inning with the lead still intact. However, the next hitter scorched one to the right center gap. Tanner Thomas gave a leaping attempt, but couldn’t quite bring it down. The score was tied after 4 complete at 3-3.
In the 5th, the TomSox jumped right back on it. After getting the first out, Villarreal hit 2 batters and walked another to load the bases. One run was brought in on a slow roller to second base, moving runners to second and third with 2 outs. The TomSox took advantage of having runners in scoring position with a 2 out, 2 RBI single to push the score to 6-3 after 5 innings.
The Generals would make a small comeback attempt in the top of the 8th inning with 3 straight 2 out singles by Alex Brait, Tyler Trovinger (Oakland), and Jackson Webb. Webb’s was enough to bring in Brait to cut into the lead 6-4. The Generals left Trovinger stranded on third base to end the inning.
In the bottom of the 8th, the TomSox were able to do something no team has been able to do this year. They were able to get a hit and a couple runs off of closer Gio Soto (FIU). After all the dust settled in the bottom half of the inning, the TomSox lead 8-4. The top of the 9th proved to be unfruitful for the Gens and that score proved to be the final.
Key Performers for Charlottesville:
- Brett Centracchio: 1-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R
- Nick DiPonzio: 2-2, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, R
- Cameron Weinberger: W (3-0), 3.2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 2 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 2-5, 2B, RBI, R, SB
- Tanner Thomas (Virginia Tech): 2-5, RBI
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 2-3, 2 RBI, SB
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-4, 2B, SB, R
- Alex Brait (FGCU): 2-4, 2B, R
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The Generals will look to snap out of this cold stretch with a home game against the Harrisonburg Turks at Kate Collins Field.
Generals Split Double Header at Charlottesville
The Waynesboro Generals (28-12) split a double header Sunday evening at the Charlottesville Tom Sox (13-26), losing the first game 4-2 and winning the second 14-6.
In the first game, the Waynesboro offense failed to get going, managing only five hits on the night. Each team put one run on the board in the first inning to tie the game at 1-1. For the Generals, Tanner Poole came home when an error by the third baseman allowed him to score. Charlottesville would score two runs in the bottom of the third to give them the a lead they would never relinquish.
Waynesboro scored only one more run in the top of the fifth when Poole scored again on an RBI single by Andrew Bullock. The Tom Sox scored once more in the sixth to make the final score 4-2 in a shortened 7 inning game.
Dylan Burns pitched all six innings for Waynesboro in the loss. He allowed four runs on seven hits, struck out one batter, and walked one as well.
In the second game, the Waynesboro used fourteen runs on eleven hits to outscore the Tom Sox in a rout. The Generals struck first on a Kyle Jackson RBI double in the second, but the lead did not last long after three Tom Sox runs in the bottom of the inning.
Another RBI double by Jackson in the fourth made the score 3-2 Charlottesville before the Generals would take the lead in the fifth with three runs. Poole crushed a three-run home run to score Charles Zaloumis and Kirk Sidwell to geve Waynesboro their first lead of the game at 5-3. The Tom Sox cut into the lead with a run in the fifth as well to make the score 5-4 after five.
The offense came alive in the sixth inning as Waynesboro scored eight runs to extend their lead to nine runs. Jackson started things off with a solo home run and his third RBI of the evening. Zaloumis then added two runs to the lead with a two-RBI single and would later score on a wild pitch. Tracy Hadley scored Poole with an RBI double to score the fifth run of the inning. Sam Palensky scored on a wild pitch, Hadley on a bases loaded walk, and Jackson on an RBI single by Kirk Sidwell to make it 13-4. Charlottesville scored one run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to eight after six.
Waynesboro scored one more run when Tanner Poole hit his second home run of the evening, a solo shot, to make it fourteen of the evening. Charlottesville would score one more as well, making the final score 14-6.
Merritt Huber started the game, going three innings and allowed three runs on six hits with a strikeout and two walks. Alex Ernestine earned the win in his two innings after giving up just one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Conner Loeprich allowed two runs, struck out one, and walked one batter in his two innings of relief.
UP NEXT: The Generals face the Covington Lumberjacks at home Monday evening beginning at 7:00 pm.
Generals Win Third Straight with Win Over Charlottesville
Andrew Bullock earned player of the game honors Friday with a double and home run for 3 RBIs.
The Waynesboro Generals (18-9) won their third straight game with a home victory over the Charlottesville Tom Sox (8-20) 7-3 Friday evening.
The Generals’ offense continued its hot streak as the team had ten hits on the evening in putting up their seven runs.
Waynesboro wasted no time getting on the board as they put up three runs in the bottom of the first inning. After legging out a triple, Zach Sterry scored the first run of the game after a throwing error by the Charlottesville second baseman. Andrew Bullock then delivered a two-RBI double into right center to score Trey Stine and Eli Putnam and make it 3-0 Waynesboro.
In the next inning, Sterry came through again with a two-run home run over the right field wall to add two more runs and set the score at 5-0. The home run was Sterry’s league-leading ninth of the season and fifth in his last six game.
The Tom Sox did not go away quitely, however, putting up two runs in the top of the third inning to close the deficit. An RBI double by D.J. Lee followed by a triple by Bruce Steel made the score 5-2 and put Charlottesville on the board. Another run by them in the top of the fifth made it a two run game at 5-3.
Waynesboro would score again in the bottom of the fifth, as well, as Andrew Bullock checked in with his first home run of the year, a solo shot. to make it 6-3. The Generals would put one more on the board in the eighth on a Brent Sakurai RBI triple to make the final score 7-3.
Vince Braman threw five innings in the start for Waynesboro. He allowed five runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and earned the win to put his record at 3-0. Dylan Burns and Darren Kelly each pitched two scoreless innings of relief to finish the game. Burns had one strikeout, and Kelly had two.
Coach Williams’ Player of the Game: DH Andrew Bullock (2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI)
UP NEXT: The Generals travel to take on the New Market Rebels Saturday night beginning at 7:00 pm.
Generals Stretch Winning Streak to Six Games
Alex Ernestine (Nicholls State) earned the win for the Generals by tossing 6.0 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 earned runs and 0 walks, while striking out 5.
The Waynesboro Generals (12-3) stretched their win streak to six games and have now won twelve of their last thirteen by defeating the Charlottesville Tom Sox (6-9) 9-3 on Monday night at Linco Park. This win proved to be much less stressful coming off back-to-back walk-off wins in the previous nights.
The Generals received a quality start by Alex Ernestine (Nicholls State) as he went 6.0 strong innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 earned runs, and 0 walks, while striking out 5 and earning the win. Tyler Elwer (Georgia State) and Merritt Huber (Wofford) threw the final three innings in scoreless relief, while giving up 0 hits. The Generals’ pitching staff completed the night by throwing only 122 pitches and surrendering 0 walks.
At the plate, the Generals were led by Tracy Hadley (Southern Miss) as he went 3-4 with 1 run scored, 3 RBI’s, and 2 doubles. Zach Sterry (Oakland) finished the night 1-3 and added to his home-run total (3) by launching a solo home-run in the first inning. Tanner Poole (Mississippi State), Trey Stine (New Mexico St.) and Kyle Jackson (Elon) all had multiple hits for the Generals.
Waynesboro returns to action Tuesday night as they take the short trip to face the Staunton Braves (5-9) and Tyler Howe (Alabama State) will get the start.
Sunday Night Game vs. Charlottesville Postponed
Sunday evening’s game against the Charlottesville Tom Sox has been postponed due to inclement weather and poor field conditions.
The game have been rescheduled to Monday, June 20 at Linco Park at Kate Collins Field.
Waynesboro Generals top Charlottesville, 5-1, ready for playoffs
Robert Pearson threw five innings of two-hit ball, and Alex Mauricio and Enderson Velasquez each drove in two runs, leading the Waynesboro Generals to a 5-1 win over the Charlottesville Tom Sox Saturday night at Linco Park at Kate Collins Field.
The win leaves Waynesboro (22-20) in third place at the end of its Valley League regular season. The Generals open the Valley League playoffs on the road on Monday.
Charlottesville (17-24) has one regular-season game left, at home on Sunday against the Winchester Royals. The Tom Sox need a win and maybe some help to clinch the fourth seed in the South Division playoffs.
Pearson (2-3, 4.81 ERA) had a quiet, efficient outing on the mound Saturday night for Waynesboro, giving up two hits in five scoreless innings, striking out three without issuing a walk, throwing just 58 pitches on the night, 41 for strikes.
Waynesboro got on the board with two runs in the fourth, on RBI singles by Mauricio and Aubrey McCarty.
The Generals tacked on two more runs in the seventh on a two-out, two-run single by Velasquez that put Waynesboro up 4-0.
A Mauricio sac fly in the eighth added an insurance run for Waynesboro.
Charlottesville finally got a runner home in the ninth on an RBI double by Brad McKay.
