2019 Regular Season Recap
The Generals put together their best regular season since the team was created in 1935. They finished with the best record in the league of 31-11. After starting the year 6-5, the Gens won 25 out of their last 31 games. They had three separate winning streaks of at least five games. Those three streaks include the last five games of the regular season that the Gens were able to win. They enter the playoffs hot at the right time.
Offensively, the Gens put up a .285 batting average with just under 100 doubles and 41 long balls. A big contributor in those categories was Wes Clarke (Forest, VA | South Carolina). Wes finished fifth in the league in hitting with a .364 batting average. He led the team in doubles with 14 and home runs with six. Other key players in getting the batting average up to that high number of .285 were Connor Norby (Kernersville, NC | East Carolina) with a .333 batting average with 4 triples and 4 homers, Jack Murphy (Orinda, CA | St. Mary’s) with a .314 batting average with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI, and finally, Gunner Peterson (Salem, WI | Illinois St.) with a .321 batting average with three home runs. The team didn’t just sit around and wait for extra base hits either. They were able to steal 65 bases. Jackson Tate (Pike Road, AL | Alabama) stole 12 to lead the team. Kobe Lopez (Orlando, FL | Florida International) stole 11 bases to follow up Tate. Finally, Bryson Worrell (Sims, NC | East Carolina) stole eight to round out the top three. With all these extra base hits and stolen bases, it should come as no surprise that the team averaged right around eight runs per game. The top five run scorers on the team were Kobe Lopez with 37, Wes Clarke with 33, Jackson Tate with 32, Connor Norby with 31, and Jack Murphy and Joey Kinker (North Port, FL | Florida Gulf Coast) tied with 30. The people with the highest amount of runs driven in looks pretty similar to the people that have scored the most runs. Top five RBI men were Jackson Tate with 31, Wes Clarke with 29, Jack Murphy with 25, Kobe Lopez with 23, and Eli Quiceno (Berryville, VA | Gannon University) with 21. Finally, the Gens organization wants to thank our top five guys in games played. These guys brought it every night for the team and never complained once. Kobe Lopez and Joey Kinker with 40 games played, Jackson Tate and Jack Murphy with 38 games played, Wes Clarke with 37, and Ethan Cady (Soddy Daisy, TN | East Tennessee State) with 32.
Those offensive numbers were phenomenal considering the team’s pitching was so dominant. There were some nights where the pitching had to carry the load, and this team could do it with starters or a suffocating bullpen. Our top 5 pitchers for wins include Deven Judy (Belle Vernon, PA | Gannon University), Zach Kirby (Upland, CA | East Tennessee State), Zach Blankenship (Fleming Island, FL | Valdosta St), Luke Short (Los Gatos, CA | St. Mary’s), and Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL | Florida Gulf Coast). The five-man tie for the team lead in wins saw them get three wins. As for the suffocating bullpen, the team picked up a total of nine saves. McLain Harris (Griffin, GA | Young Harris Col) led the team with three, Christian Edwards (Hartselle, AL | Jacksonville State) had two, and a host of players with one apiece. They include Nick Zegna (Newark, DE | George Mason), Christian Dearman (Pembroke Pines, FL | Florida International), Jan Figueroa (Trujillo Alto, PR | Florida International), and Matt Mercer (Chattanooga, TN | East Tennessee State). The team’s ERA was 3.72 and the total amount of runs given up per game sat at just 4.70. The top five players in ERA for the team were Christian Dearman with a 0.45 ERA, McLain Harris with a 0.85 ERA, Luke Short with a 2.18, Jan Figueroa with a 2.82 ERA, and Deven Judy with a 3.21. The staff was able to strike out a little over nine per game to take pressure off the defense. The top five strikeout men were McLain Harris with 31, Zach Kirby with 29, Deven Judy and Daniel Casto (Olive Branch, MS | Memphis) with 27, and Tyler Shuck and Luke Short with 26.
With the playoffs set, let’s look at how the Generals fared against the possible opponents from both divisions.
#2 Seed in the South: Charlottesville Tom Sox
The Gens were 4-2 against their rivals from just down I-64. However, the Generals won their last four decisions against the Tom Sox. The last time the Tom Sox were victorious over the Gens, it took 10 innings on June 21st. The Tom Sox scored an unearned run in the 10th to win by a score of 2-1. That moved the season series to 2-0 in favor of the Tom Sox. However, the Generals rattled off four straight wins to win the season series. That included three consecutive games for the Generals from July 4th to July 8th.
#3 Seed in the South: Covington Lumberjacks
The Gens were 5-1 against the Jacks on the season. The one victory that the Jacks had against the Gens came on June 4th. They also had a very good opportunity to win a back end of a double header vs. the Gens on July 18th, but the Gens mounted a comeback from three runs down in the top of the sixth of a seven inning game with five runs to win the game 5-4.
#4 Seed in the South: Staunton Braves
The rivalry was a bit one-sided in the regular season. The Gens won all six matchups between the two teams. The Braves had a very good chance on June 26th. The bases were empty in the ninth with two outs in the inning and they were leading by three runs at their home ball park. However, the Gens mounted a comeback that was highlighted by a game-tying 3-run homer by Joey Kinker to tie it up. The Gens would eventually win in the 10th.
#1 Seed in the North: Strasburg Express
The Gens were 3-0 against the North division’s top team. This includes the 17-4 victory in Strasburg on the final day of the regular season for the Gens to clinch the best win-loss record in team history. The other two matchups between the teams saw the Gens winning by a margin of four runs each time.
#2 Seed in the North: Woodstock River Bandits
The Gens finished 2-1 against the River Bandits this season. The two wins they had against Woodstock were both high-scoring affairs. The Gens took the first matchup 20-10 in Woodstock. They mounted a five run comeback in the ninth to tie and eventually win the game in the 11th inning in the second matchup. Finally, the River Bandits came up with a victory against the Gens in Woodstock.
#3 Seed in the North: New Market Rebels
The Gens lost the season series 2-1 to the Rebels this season. The Rebels were only one of two teams in the entire Valley League that had a winning record vs the Generals. The Gens took the opening game in New Market on June 6th by a score of 13-5. But The Rebels swept a double header at Kate Collins Field on June 16th. The Rebels took both games by one run. The first game finished at 5-4 and the second finished at 2-1.
#4 Seed in the North: Winchester Royals
The Winchester Royals were the other of the two teams that had winning records vs. the Gens this summer. The first matchup on June 27th saw the Gens pick up their one win over Winchester with a 10-6 score. A go-ahead 3-run homer by Ethan Cady in the bottom of the 5th would prove to be the game-winner. However, the Royals took the next two games of the series. The first was at Waynesboro that they connected on a couple homers to win 9-6. The other was in Winchester when they shut out the Gens 4-0. That marked the only time the Gens were shutout on the season.
Now that the scene is set, it’s time to enjoy some playoff baseball in the Valley League! Game One of the first series against the Staunton Braves is Sunday, July 28th, at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field at 7 PM. The Gens are looking for their 7th VBL Championship and first since 2014.
Generals Out-Blast Express for 21st Win
The Generals turned four double plays in a game that saw plenty of home runs. The double plays all turned out to be key in the victory in a game that every batter was a threat for a home run.
The scoring got started in the bottom of the second with the first of five home runs hit on the night. This time for the Express, it was Tyler Johnson. Johnson was the winner this past weekend in the Valley League Home Run Derby. He continued his ways in Strasburg to put the Express out to an early 2-0 lead.
The Generals responded in the top of the third with a pair of back-to-back two out doubles. The first was a shot by Kobe Lopez (Florida International) down the left field line that got past the diving third baseman. Connor Norby (East Carolina) followed it up with a double into the right centerfield gap. The Gens cut the lead in half by making the score 2-1.
After a clean bottom of the third, the Generals put up three runs in the top of the fourth to take the lead. A walk by Wes Clarke (South Carolina) and a double by Gunner Peterson (Illinois State) had runners at second and third with nobody out. After a strikeout, it was up to Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) to try and get the runs in. He was extremely successful in his attempt. He got a good pitch to hit and sent it over the wall in centerfield for his first home run of the summer. The three run shot put the Generals ahead 4-2 heading to the bottom of the fourth.
In the top of the fourth, Nick Proto connected on his first home run in his first game for the Express. It was the first run that Christian Dearman (Florida International) had given up all summer. The solo shot made the score 4-3 and gave the Express a bit of momentum.
The biggest momentum swing of the game came in the bottom of the fifth. The first hitter of the inning popped out to Wes Clarke at first. After that, things got a bit tough for the Generals. Three straight singles had the bases loaded with one out. Christian Dearman was still out there trying to find his way out of the inning. Strasburg’s dugout was very involved and chirped quite often at Dearman. However, when the Generals turned a 5-4-3 double play to get out of the jam with the lead intact, the dugout was quiet while Dearman was fired up.
From there, the Generals capitalized on the momentum. They scored four runs in the top of the sixth to break things open a bit. A double by Jackson Tate (Alabama) that glanced off the arm of the third baseman got the rally started for the Generals. The throw into second base got away and allowed Tate to move into third base with just one out in the inning. Strasburg elected to pull the infield in but Eli Quiceno came up large again. This time he shot a single up the middle to get the lead to two runs. After a stolen base and a fly ball to right field, Quiceno found himself at third base. He was able to score on a well hit ball by Brad Burckel (Houston) that was ruled as an error. Two pitches later, Kobe Lopez connected on his second home run of the summer to put the Gens on top 8-3.
The Express would add a run in the bottom of the ninth on Tyler Johnson’s second homer of the game. But ultimately, it was Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) that shut the door with two strong innings to finish the game. The final score was 8-4.
Key Performers for Strasburg:
Tyler Johnson: 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Nick Proto: 2-4, HR
Josiah Ortiz: 3-4
Hunter Blalock: 2-4, 2B
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U): 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 3-5, 2B, RBI
The Generals (21-9) will be back in action Thursday night at home vs. the visiting Harrisonburg Turks. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field is set for 7 pm.
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.
Gens Get Back In Win Column
A two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh by Jackson Tate put the Generals ahead for good on Monday night in a makeup game with the Harrisonburg Turks.
The Turks jumped out to an early lead in the game with two runs in the first inning. All the offense in the first came with two outs in the inning. Cole McNamee singled and Caston Peter was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. Aaron Levy drilled one into left center for a double that scored the first run of the game. The next batter was Jack Roberts who singled up the middle for the second run of the inning. The Gens would sniff out a play that Roberts would steal second, but once the throw was made by the catcher, he stopped in his tracks. Once the throw was made, the runner from third tries to steal home. Fortunately for the Generals, Kobe Lopez (Florida International) delivered a strike to the catcher and the runner was caught stealing at the plate for out number three.
The Generals weren’t able to respond in the bottom of the first, but in the bottom of the second they made up for it with three runs to take the lead after two innings of play. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) started the inning with a double over the left fielder’s head. Two batters later, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) worked his way on with a walk to put runners at first and second. After a strikeout, Connor Norby (East Carolina) bounced a single up the middle to bring in the first run of the game for the Generals. When Worrell tried going from first to third on the hit, the throw got away from the third baseman to allow Connor Norby to scoot into second base. Two runners were now in scoring position for Kobe Lopez. Kobe came up big with a double that was scorched into the left center field gap. Both runs would score and the Gens had the lead.
The Turks would tie things back up with a run in the fourth inning. The run was an unfortunate one for the Gens. The inning started with a routine ground ball that was fielded cleanly at third by Connor Norby. When Norby made the throw across, it was going to be on target, but the ball was right in the sun for the first baseman Wes Clarke (South Carolina). When the ball skipped away, Immanuel Wilder was able to reach second base. Wilder then stole third to put himself just 90 feet away with nobody out in the inning. After a strikeout, the Turks came up with an RBI groundout to short by Nick Zona. The score was tied at 3 going into the bottom of the fourth.
The Generals took the lead right back in the bottom of the fourth. Bryson Worrell came up after the first out was made, and in a 2-2 count, he hammered a no-doubter to right field for his third home run of the summer. Bryson showed exactly why the Gens chose him to be our representative in the home run derby on Sunday in Harrisonburg for All-Star weekend. The Gens led 4-3 after four complete innings.
The Turks didn’t let the lead last very long. They tied the game up in the top of the fifth. Caston Peter led things off with a walk. He moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a ground ball to the right side. Jack Roberts, who had just given up the home run after coming into pitch in the last half inning, made amends with an RBI single up the middle. This tied the game and Roberts got himself off the hook for the loss.
After a few innings of not scoring, the Generals broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh in a big way. After Jack Murphy was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning, Jackson Tate (Alabama) was quickly in an 0-2 hole. He said in his post game interview that after a curveball in the dirt got away and allowed Murphy to go to second that the next pitch had to be a fastball. He was right. He took the elevated fastball deep to left center for his third home run of the summer to give the Generals the lead 6-4 after seven innings.
That put the pitcher of record, Christian Dearman (Florida International) in a spot for his second win of the season. Dearman was lights out once again. He threw three innings, allowing just two hits, no runs, walking one, and striking out three. After working the sixth, seventh, and eighth, he turned the ball over to McLain Harris (Young Harris College) for the save opportunity. McLain, as he has been all year, was shut down once again. He allowed a hit and a walk to get the go-ahead run to the plate, but to home fans, the game never really seemed in doubt. Harris was able to strike out two batters in the ninth to pick up his second save of the season.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
Jack Roberts: 2-5, 2 RBI
Cole McNamee: 3-5, R
Nick Zona: 2-4, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 1-4, Go-Ahead HR in 7th (3), 2 RBI, R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, 2B, 2 R
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 1-3, HR (3), RBI, 2 R
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, RBI, R
Christian Dearman (Florida International): W (2-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
McLain Harris (Young Harris College): SV (2), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
The Generals (16-8) are back in action on the road in Covington. They take on the Lumberjacks on Tuesday in a double header consisting of two seven inning games. After the win over South division foe Harrisonburg, the Generals have a good opportunity to put some space between themselves and Covington to lengthen their lead on the rest of the division. First pitch of the first game set for 5 pm with the second game starting approximately 30-45 minutes after the completion of game one.
Gens Win 5th Straight In High Scoring Fashion
The Generals used a five run bottom of the eighth to pull away from the visiting Covington Lumberjacks for their fifth straight win.
Covington came to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field knowing the Gens were on a four game win streak, and the Jacks came out swinging. After getting the first batter to ground out, Christian Torres and Matthew Cocciadiferro singled to put runners at first and second for Domenic Boselli. Boselli worked the count full and then proceeded to hammer a fastball deep to left field for his second home run of the summer. The Jacks were out to a 3-0 lead.
The Generals, as it seems they’ve done all year, responded right away. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) worked his way on after striking out on a pitch that got away from the catcher. He stole second to put himself into scoring position for Seth Cannady (Florida International) with one out in the inning. Cannady singled to left field to put runners at the corners. Wes Clarke (South Carolina), the team leader in RBI, added to his total with a double to left centerfield. This put runners at second and third with one out in the inning. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) continued his hot hitting with a 2 RBI single that drove in Cannady and Clarke. This tied the score at 3.
Jackson Greene (Florida State) started things off with a walk and moved to second on a Connor Norby (East Carolina) single. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) came up two batters later and dropped a single in to right field that scored Greene. This gave the Generals their first lead of the game.
Covington scored four straight runs with two in the third and two in the fourth. A couple of walks started out the top of the third for the Lumberjacks. They were both moved up a bag on a ground ball to first base that wasn’t hit well enough to try to turn a double play. Another walk loaded the bases before a fourth walk in the inning brought in the tying run. A sacrifice by Nick Cicci put the Lumberjacks in front 5-4 after three innings.
In the fourth, the Lumberjacks would lengthen their lead a bit. A ground ball to first base that glanced off of the actual base gave the Lumberjacks a base runner with a quirky single. The next ball was hit sharply on the ground right at the second baseman that looked like it would immediately clear the bases on a double play. Instead, the ball was booted and it put runners at the corners with nobody out. Two batters later, the Lumberjacks would use another sacrifice run to expand on their lead. On the next pitch, Christian Torres tried stealing second on a low pitch. When he realized he was toast, he stopped and headed back for first base. Kobe Lopez saw that and tried to field the throw from the catcher and throw in behind Torres. The ball hit Torres on the back and skipped into right field. Torres was able to move to second on the errant throw. He scored on the very next pitch on a ground ball that was just out of the reach of the second baseman for a single. This made the score 7-4 going into the bottom of the fourth.
The fourth inning got started with another walk to Jackson Greene. He moved to second base on a wild pitch, and with two outs in the inning, Kobe Lopez came up with an RBI single to left field. This brought the Gens a run closer. 7-5 was the score after four complete innings.
Finally in the fifth, the Gens pulled ahead and never looked back. Wes Clarke hit a ball into left center field for what looked to be a one-out single. But when the centerfielder took his time getting to the ball, Clarke took a hard round of first and headed for second base. He would avoid a tag with a slide to the inside part of second base and he turned a single into his second double. After a fly out for out number two, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) worked his way on with a walk. That brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State). On the second pitch of the at-bat, Cady ripped a ball out towards the right field wall. It was hit hard enough, but was it high enough? That question was answered pretty quickly as the ball landed over the fence in a hurry. Cady had pulled the Gens in front by a run with his second homer of the summer. After five complete innings, the Gens led 8-7.
In the sixth, the Gens were able to get a little breathing room. After a lead off walk to Connor Norby, Kobe Lopez got himself into a 2-0 count and didn’t waste the advantage count. He hit a high, majestic blast to straight away left field. The two-run shot was Kobe’s first home run of the summer and it put the Gens ahead by three.
The Lumberjacks would put together one more rally to try and tie the game, or maybe even pull ahead. In the top of the eighth, a walk and two singles loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning. Christian Dearman (Florida International) came on to try and get the Generals out of the bases loaded jam. The first run of the inning came in on a fielder’s choice when the Gens tried to turn a double play, but were only able to get the runner at second for out number one. An error allowed the second run to score and put runners at first and second with only one out. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases and put the go ahead run at second base. Then Dearman really settled in. He got a shallow fly ball for the second out of the inning that Covington couldn’t tag up on. He then got another pop fly to center that was easily handled by Cannady. The Gens escaped the inning with a one run lead.
The Generals then broke it open in the bottom of the eighth to help everybody on the third base side breathe a little easier. Jackson Greene was hit by a pitch, Connor Norby picked up another single, and Joey Kinker singled over the shortstop’s head to load the bases with just one out. Seth Cannady and Wes Clarke both worked bases loaded RBI walks to put the first two runs of the inning on the board. Jack Murphy came up with an infield single on a nice diving stop by the Covington second baseman to only allow one run. Ethan Cady added to the run total with an infield single for his fourth RBI of the night. This scored Cannady, but an error by the second baseman on the same play also allowed Wes Clarke to score. That brought the score to its final total. The Gens brought home a 15-9 victory over their South Divison foe Covington Lumberjacks.
Key Performers for Covington:
Jonathon Barditch: 3-6, 2B, 2 R
Domenic Boselli: 1-3, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
Christian Torres: 2-5, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-5, 3 RBI
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Christian Dearman (Florida International): SV (1), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (14-7) put their five game win streak on the line Saturday night when they travel down the road to Staunton to take on the Braves. First pitch is set for 7:30 pm.
Generals Move to 4-1 With Win Over New Market
A pair of four run innings broke things open in the early going for Waynesboro and they never really looked back. The Gens managed to score in six out of their nine offensive frames.
The first four run inning came in the very first frame. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) would get things started with a walk. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) would follow it up with a walk of his own, and Seth Cannady (Florida International) would load the bases with an infield single with nobody out in the inning. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would get the scoring underway with an RBI single up the middle that the second baseman made a diving stab on but wasn’t able to come up with it cleanly. After a passed ball scored the second run of the inning, Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Cannady. Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) would drive in the final run of the first inning to make the score 4-0.
After a quiet couple of innings, Waynesboro would get their second four run inning in the fourth. After a strikeout, single, and a fielder’s choice, the Gens had a runner on first and two outs. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) would single, Kobe Lopez would walk, and Elijah Quiceno would also draw a walk to bring in the first run of the inning. It also kept the bases loaded for Seth Cannady. Cannady drove one deep into the right centerfield gap to bring in all three runners to make the score 8-0 in favor of the Gens.
The outburst of runs would cause a pitching change for the Rebels, who wouldn’t completely lay down. In fact, they’d respond with a run in the bottom of the 4th inning. After a single and an error, by Brady Harju, Alvaro Valdez would drive in a run for the Rebels to make the score 8-1.
The top of the 5th came around and Waynesboro would make it 3 of the first 5 innings with runs scored. Jackson Tate (Alabama) would start things off with a 0ne-out double and a steal of third. That’s all Jackson Greene (Florida State) would need. He would hit a deep fly ball to left field for a sacrifice fly to get the Generals’ lead back to eight runs.
The Rebels answered once again in the bottom of the 5th. After a leadoff single and then two quick outs, they were able to put together a nice rally. The Generals would walk a batter, hit another with a pitch, and finally give up a run on an error. Alvaro Valdez would then be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the second run of the inning. After 5 complete innings, the Generals held a 9-3 lead.
In the 6th inning, the Gens remained relentless. After two walks to lead off the inning, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would drive in a run with another single. Later in that inning, Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would pick up another run with an RBI groundout to shortstop. The score after 6 read 11-3.
The 7th inning would prove to be another inning with a run for the Generals. Christian Proffitt would pick up a one-out double down the right field line and would be moved to third later in the inning on a fielder’s choice. He was brought in by Seth Cannady’s second double of the ball game to make the score 12-3 in Rebel Field.
The 8th inning would mark the fifth straight inning that the Generals would score. After two walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out, Jackson Greene hit his second sacrifice fly of the ball game to get the Generals to the 13-3 mark. The Rebels would add two in the bottom of the 9th to make the score a bit more respectable, but it just seemed to be the Generals’ night.
Key Performers for New Market:
Alvaro Valdez: 1-2, HBP, 2 RBI
David Smith: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 R
Ramon Machado: 1-4, 2B, RBI, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 3-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-5, 2 RBI, R
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 3-4, 2B, 2 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-4, 2B, SB
Christian Dearman (Florida International): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
The Generals move to 4-1 on the season and will be back in action Friday night when they travel to Charlottesville to take on the TomSox at C-VILLE Weekly Ballpark. First pitch is set for 7 PM.
FIU Sends Four
Waynesboro, Virginia
Florida International University will help fill the roster this summer by sending the maximum four players to Waynesboro. The Panthers finished the season at 23-32 and 12-18 in Conference USA. Two of the four players that FIU will send to Waynesboro are Valley League Champions with the New Market Rebels from just last summer. Kobe Lopez and Jan Figueroa were instrumental in the Rebels’ championship run, and will be key to the Generals success this summer as well. Seth Cannady and Christian Dearman will also make their way north from Miami.
Kobe Lopez – Middle Infielder
Kobe is the son of Arnaldo Lopez and Leida Gonzalez. The junior from Orlando, Florida and Archbishop McCarthy High School is listed at 5’4 and 152 pounds. While small in stature, Kobe can cause big problems for opposing teams. Last year in the Valley League, Kobe was named to the All-Star team and finished the season with a .307 batting average while playing the majority of his time at second base for the Rebs. While he’s struggled a bit at FIU, Kobe is revered for his work ethic, attitude, and love for the game and it payed off last summer. While it can be tough to keep players all the way through the playoffs in summer ball, Kobe was a big part in winning the championship as he drove in 4 runs from the leadoff spot. Welcome to Waynesboro, Kobe Lopez!
Seth Cannady – Outfielder
Seth is the son of Craig and Tanya Cannady. The sophomore from Sebring, Florida and Sebring High School is listed at 6’2, 201 pounds. While Seth is an extremely capable ball player, he’s also extremely studious. He graduated high school with a 4.32 GPA and was named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2018. As for his baseball side, Seth had an immediate impact in his freshman campaign. He played in 42 games and hit .200 with three doubles and nine runs driven in. This season, Seth took a bit of a step back this season. He played in 31 games and made 15 starts. He picked up his first collegiate home run this season and drove in 11 runs. While he had a lower batting average, Seth still worked his way on base at a decent clip. His on-base percentage was at .311, which was about .150 points higher than his average. Seth will be looking to improve this summer and will play a strong defensive outfield.
Christian Dearman – Right-Handed Pitcher
Christian is the son of Bill and Lilli Dearman. The junior from Pembroke Pines, Florida and West Broward High School is listed at 6’0 and 195 pounds. Christian just finished up his first season with the Panthers after transferring from Tallahassee Community College. He was one of the top guys out of the bullpen for FIU. He made 20 appearances on the season, all out of the bullpen. He was 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA. Christian is a strike-thrower. He only walked 8 people in a little over 25 innings. Over that time he struck out 15 batters and gave up just 11 earned runs. We look forward to Christian making his way to Waynesboro this summer!
Jan Figueroa – Right-Handed Pitcher
Jan is the son of Ruben Figueroa and Magda Francisco. He’s a native of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. The sophomore was a member of the Valley League Champion New Market Rebels last summer. While his numbers look rough on the surface, he showed spirts last summer of dominance. After the summer, Jan figured some things out for the Panthers this season. He picked up 5 saves with a 4.03 ERA over 22.1 innings pitched. This year was a nice step up for Jan after a freshman year that saw him pitch in nine games with a 4.50 ERA. Jan will look to continue his momentum into this summer. Welcome to the Generals, Jan Figueroa!
