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 Win Home Finale Over Covington
In the final regular season game at Kate Collins Field, the Generals were able to push across 8 runs on the Lumberjacks to pick up their 23rd win of the season.
The Lumberjacks had played at Purcellville Friday afternoon before making their way back to Waynesboro for a game that ended up getting started around 8:15 Friday night. With their win in Purcellville, they had clinched the South Division Pennant. After locking up the number 1 seed, they would turn to some position players to do the pitching to save their arms for their playoff series starting Sunday. This being said, their offense didn’t waste much time. They scored the game’s first run in the top of the second inning. A lead-off triple set the Jacks up for a groundball to short to score the first run on the RBI groundout.
The Generals would come in and take the lead in the bottom of the second inning with 2 runs. Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) would start things off with a one-out walk. Jackson Webb (UCF) would lay down a perfect drag bunt that hugged the third base line for a bunt single. Teodosio and Webb pulled off a double steal to put 2 runners into scoring position. Marcus Ragan (Arkansas Little Rock) came through with a 2 out double into the right centerfield gap to put the Gens on top 2-1. They would never relinquish the lead after that.
The score in the second inning began a streak of 4 straight innings with a score. In the 3rd, Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) started the inning off by getting on base via Covington error. After 2 wild pitches, Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would send a flyball deep to centerfield for a sacrifice fly. In the 4th, Jackson Webb would lead off with a double and move to third on a balk. Trey Polewski (USC Aiken) was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corner. Hunter Johnson (JMU) would bring in a run on his first RBI of the summer on a sacrifice fly to left. Tyler Bielamowicz wouldn’t waste any time after the sac fly. He ripped the first pitch into left center field to score Polewski. After 4 complete innings the score stood at 5-1 in favor of the Generals.
Covington would mount a bit of a comeback in the 5th. The first two hitters worked their way on by walk and hit-by-pitch. A stolen base and a passed ball would move runners into scoring position. The Jacks would then put together back-to-back RBI groundouts for two runs in the inning to make the score 5-3.
The Gens would respond in the same inning on one swing of the bat. Bryce Teodosio would unload on his 5th home run of the summer in the bottom of the 5th to lengthen the lead just a little more. The score was now 6-3. After a quiet 6th inning, the Generals would score in the bottom of the 7th, making it 5 out of their last 6 innings with a run scored. Andrew Orzel started things off with a double. He was brought in on a triple down the right field line by Joe Bellini (Cincinnati). Bellini would score on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Webb. That made the score 8-3 late in the game.
The Jacks would add one more run in the top of the 8th when a lead off single moved to second on a ground ball to short. He was then brought into score on a single to left to bring the score to its final mark of 8-4.
Key Performers for Covington:
- Max Law: 2-5, 2B
- Connor Hood: 1-2, 3B, R
- Tyler Hill: 1-2, 2 BB, R, 2 SB
- Jordyn Eglite: 2-3, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Marcus Ragan (Arkansas Little Rock): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
- Andrew Orzel (Wofford): 1-2, 2B, RBI
- Bryce Teodosio (Clemson): 1-2, HR, SB, RBI, 2 R
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 2-3, 2B, RBI, SB, 2 R
The Generals (23-18) will travel to Staunton tomorrow to take on the Braves in the last game of the regular season. A game that will play large on the playoff picture. The Harrisonburg Turks need to beat Charlottesville and also need the Gens to take down the Braves to get the 4th spot. The Braves only need a loss by Harrisonburg OR a victory over our Gens.
Covington Snaps 5 Game Win Streak of Waynesboro
In a back and forth battle for first place with Waynesboro, who was only a game back of Covington for the lead in the South division, Evan McAndrew from the Lumerjacks threw the last 5 innings in no-hit fashion to shut down the Generals in a 7-5 loss.
The Gens started out hot in the bottom of the first inning by scoring 2 to take the lead. It all started with a 2 out hit-by-pitch to Alex Brait (FGCU). Andrew Orzel (Wofford) followed him up with a walk. Alex Webb (Chipola) drove in the first run with a single to center. 2 pitches later Orzel came in to score on a wild pitch. The 2-0 lead would stand until the top of the third.
In the top of the third, Covington evened the score at 2 on the strength of 3 base hits. With one out, the Jacks delivered back-to-back singles to start things out. A fielder’s choice on a slowly hit ground ball scored the first run. After the runner moved to second base on a wild pitch, a ground-rule double drove in the tying run. They then took a lead in the top of the 4th. The first two runners reached in the inning and were sacrificed to second and third on a well-executed bunt. A sacrifice fly drove in the run to put them in the lead.
The Generals would tie the game in the bottom of the 4th when the first two runners also reached. However, when trying to bunt for the first two strikes, the hitter was unsuccessful. He would end up grounding into a double play, but the run would score on an RBI single by Blake Johnson (UAB) to tie the game back up.
Covington would take the lead 4-3 in the top of the 5th. Covington hit a leadoff single to right that would end up playing into a 2 base error to put the leadoff runner on third. Eventually he would score on a one out single up the middle. The back and forth continued with the two top teams. Waynesboro scored 2 to take the lead back at 5-4. Chase Cheek (Duke) would reach on an error and would be followed up by another free pass to Alex Brait. Orzel would attempt to lay down a bunt and would do so successfully. When the Covington third baseman would make the throw, it would sail over the first baseman’s head. Cheek and Brait would both score on the play but the Generals would not capitalize and would be struck out twice to end then inning.
Covington drove in another run to tie the game again at 5 in the 6th inning. They would also tack on 1 run in both the 7th and 8th innings to take a 7-5 lead. It capped off a came where Covington scored in 6 straight innings.
Key Performers for Covington:
- Evan McAndrew: W, 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
- Bennett Hostetler: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
- Connor Hood: 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R
- JC Santos: 3-3, BB, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 1-2, BB, HBP, R
- Alex Brait (FGCU): 0-1, 2 BB, HBP, 2 R
- Aron Solis (Texas Southern): 1.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Waynesboro (18-14) will be back in action Saturday night on the road in Charlottesville when they take on the TomSox.
Mundy Grand Slam Lifts Jacks Over Generals
Thursday night at Casey Field in Covington saw the Generals run into the offensive powerhouse of the Lumberjacks. The Jacks pounded out 8 runs that included a 5 run 4th inning.
Things looked very promising early on for Waynesboro. They managed to score 2 in the very first frame. Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) led off the game with a hit-by-pitch. Dylan Cloonan (Miami) followed with a walk to get runners to first and second for the league’s leading hitter in Chase Cheek (Duke). He didn’t disappoint, sharply singling through the right side to bring home Wrighte and moving Cloonan to third. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) then rolled into a fielder’s choice for the second run of the inning.
Covington would tie things right back up after scoring two in the first as well. After a two out walk, Tyler Hill hit a rocket over the left field fence to tie the game. The 3 and 4 hitters in the Covington lineup would prove to be a problem all night long.
The Generals would get back in front with a run in both the 3rd and 4th inning. In the 3rd, Andrew Orzel hit a single with a man already out in the inning. He was immediately followed by an Alex Brait (FGCU) RBI double. The Gens had moved back in front 3-2. In the 4th, the Jacks had two men out when they hit Dylan Cloonan to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Chase Cheek came up again and had a swinging bunt down the 3rd baseline that the pitcher ended up airmailing into right to score an unearned run for Waynesboro. The score was 4-2 and Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) had settled in after surrendering the homer in the first.
Covington got two men on to start the inning via the walk and a single. When the next batter laid down a sacrifice bunt, Bielo also airmailed the first baseman to allow the first run of the bottom of the inning to score. The next batter was walked and it was the end of the night for Bielo. Justin Beyer (Wagner) came on to stop the bleeding with the bases loaded and the 3rd hitter JD Mundy stepping to the plate. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Mundy deposited the pitch way over the right field fence for a grand slam to put the Jacks ahead 7-4.
The Generals wouldn’t go away quietly however, and would put two more runs on the board the inning after the Jacks took the lead. The Gens got the first two men of the inning on with nobody out. After a groundball to first that advanced both runners, Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) continued his hot streak he had been on with a 2 out, 2 RBI single to bring the score to 7-6 headed to the bottom of the 5th inning.
The offense would slow in the later innings. For 3 innings, the Gens only trailed by a run but weren’t able to push one across. In the 8th, the Jacks delivered an insurance run to bring the score to 6-8. After a leadoff single and a wild pitch, Peter Bataglia hit a single to center to score. That would end up being the final score at 6-8.
Key Performers for Covington:
- JD Mundy: 1-3, Grand Slam (9), 4 RBI, 2 R
- Tyler Hill: 2-5, HR (3), 2 RBI, R
- Bennett Hostetler: 2-4, 2B, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 2-5, RBI
- Alex Brait (FGCU): 2-4, 2B, RBI
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-4, 2 RBI
The Generals will be back in action Friday night vs. the Winchester Royals. The game will take place at Kate Collins at 7 pm.
Covington Pitching Staff Blanks General Hitters
The pitching trio of Tyler Burnham, Zachary Burch, and Jordyn Eglite for the Covington Lumberjacks shut out the Generals on Friday night in front of a great crowd at Kate Collins Field.
The General pitching staff pitched well, only allowing 1 earned run on only 6 hits. However, the top of the 2nd inning wasn’t a good one for Waynesboro. After a 1-out walk, starting pitcher Justin Beyer (Niagara County CC) managed to roll a ground ball to first base for a double play opportunity when the throw to second base wasn’t handled. That was followed by a walk to load the bases. After an RBI groundout, Nathan Loyd singled to center to pick up 2 more RBI to make the score 3-0. Trevor Rogers added a run in the top of the 6th on an RBI ground out to second base to make the score 4-0.
Justin Beyer had a strong pitching line of 5.1 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, and 2 K but ended up taking the loss. Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee) pitched well in relief of Beyer. Harper-Cook threw 3.2 innings, allowing 0 runs on 3 hits and 1 walk. He also managed to strike out 2.
The Generals will be back in action Saturday night on the road at Harrisonburg when they take on the Turks at Veterans Memorial Park.
Rain Showers and Flooding Wreak Havoc on Generals Schedule
The storms that have run through the Shenandoah Valley have put a hold on the Valley Baseball League games. A few teams have completed at least one game, while others haven’t been so lucky.
The Generals were able to get their opening night game against Covington in on Friday, June 1st. Since then, they have had three games postponed. Saturday was supposed to be their home opener vs. Charlottesville, but Mother Nature had other plans. Sunday’s game at New Market and Monday’s game at home against Strasburg have both been moved to other dates, as well.
The official make-up dates are as follows:
- Friday, June 2nd vs. Charlottesville is now Monday, June 18th.
- Sunday, June 3rd @ New Market is now Wednesday, June 13th.
- Monday, June 4th vs. Strasburg is now Wednesday, June 6th
With these make-up dates, the Generals are now slated to play a grueling 16 days in a row, starting tomorrow night at Winchester.
The much-anticipated home opener for the Generals will be Wednesday, June 6th vs. Strasburg at Kate Collins Field. The players, coaches, and staff of the Gens are all ready to start playing baseball, and hope to see a great crowd Wednesday night at 7 pm.
Lumberjack Bats Prove to be Too Much for Generals
The Waynesboro Generals opened up the 2018 season on the road in Covington with an 8-3 loss to the Lumberjacks. While the Gens struck first, a six run 5th inning from Covington put them in too deep of a hole.
Matt Ellmyer (Wofford) started the Opening Night ballgame for the Generals. Other than a solo shot by Covington’s Tyler Hill in the bottom of the 2nd, Ellmyer seemed to be in control. However, six straight two-out hits by the Jacks put runs on the board quickly. Ellmyer wasn’t able to finish the 5th and gave way to Cole Trichel (Louisiana Monroe). Trichel ended up giving up a run in the 7th inning for the final score on either side. Overall, the Jacks rail out 8 runs on 10 hits with 5 of those hits being of the extra-base variety.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Generals struggled to get anything going in the right direction. Covington pitchers allowed only six hits, but gave up eight walks and one hit-by-pitch. Covington’s defense also made three errors, one of which brought in a run for the Gens. There were 13 runners left on base in total for Waynesboro and only 1 RBI.
Top performers for the Generals:
- Tyler Trovinger (Oakland): 2-4, 2B, RBI
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 1 K
Top Performers for the Lumberjacks:
- Tyler Hill: 2-3, 2B, Solo HR, 2 R, 2 RBI
- Ryan Fitzgerald: 2-2, 2 2B, RBI
The Generals are slated to open up at Kate Collins field Saturday night against the Charlottesville Tom Sox. Graham Ashcraft, the highly touted right-hander from Mississippi State, is the probable pitcher for Waynesboro.
Generals Advance to VBL Finals with 2-0 Win Over Covington
The Waynesboro Generals have advanced to the Valley League Championship after a 2-0 road victory over the Covington Lumberjacks. With the win, the Generals sweep the Lumberjacks in the South Division Championship series two games to zero.
Vince Braman pitched a complete game shutout, the second by a Generals’ pitcher this postseason, on his way to earning his sixth win in as many starts this summer.
The offense for the Generals was held mostly in check as the team was only able to muster two runs in the top of the seventh inning. After a single by Andrew Bullock and a double by Kyle Jackson, a wild pitch allowed Bullock to score the game’s first run. T.J. Condon followed with an RBI single, Waynesboro’s lone RBI on the night, to score Jackson and make it 2-0 Waynesboro. The slim two run lead would hold for the road team as they would escape with the game and series victory.
Braman held the Covington offense completely in check throughout the evening, allowing only five hits in the game. He also finished with just one walk and six performances in his dominating performance.
UP NEXT: The Generals await the winner of the North Division Championship series between Front Royal and Strasburg. Game 1 will take place the day after their series concludes.
