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 Fall to Royals, Snaps Five Game Win Streak
The Winchester Royals came to Waynesboro after being no-hit the night before in Strasburg. They made up for lost time with 11 hits that led to nine runs, including eight runs in the first two innings, to snap Waynesboro’s five game win streak.
A walk and a single got things started in the first inning. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Drenis Ozuna hit a ground ball to the right side that drove in a run and moved the runner at second to third. The next batter struck out for out number two. When a ground ball was hit to third, it looked like the Generals were going to be able to minimize the damage, but an error by the third baseman allowed another run to come in. Then in an 0-2 count to the next batter, John Dyer hammered a no-doubter to left to get the Winchester Royals off and running with four runs in the first.
The second inning didn’t turn out any better for the Gens. The Royals put up four more runs in the frame and the Gens trailed 8-0 while some fans were still finding their seats. A double down the right field line got the rally started in the second. After a groundout to the right side, a single by John Servello drove in the first run. When a ground ball was hit to third, it looked like the Gens had a double play ball to end the inning. However, the back end of the double play wasn’t able to be completed on a low throw that skipped into the dugout and allowed the runner to go to second. On the very next pitch, Jimmy Goldsmith ripped a single up the middle that allowed Ozuna to score. Two pitches later, Aaron Palensky launched another home run to left to put up the final two runs of the inning. It was 8-0 before the Generals knew what hit them.
The Gens responded in the third with a couple of runs to try and get themselves back into the game. A leadoff single by Kobe Lopez (Florida International) put a runner at first for the red-hot hitting Connor Norby (East Carolina). Norby put one off the scoreboard in left center for his third home run in four games. Unfortunately, the Generals weren’t able to add any more in the third. After three complete innings, the score read 8-2.
In the fourth, the Royals took advantage of another General error to pick up another run to make the score 9-2. The error was on a leadoff grounder to third base. The throw across was a low one and wasn’t able to be picked out. A walk pushed the runner to second with nobody out in the inning. After a fly out to center, the Royals put both runners in motion for a double steal and were successful. A sac fly to left allowed their final run of the game to come in off the bat of John Dyer.
The Gens started to chip away in the fifth. A lead off home run to the opposite field for Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s). The home run was the first of the summer for Jack and it pulled the score to 9-3. The next time the Gens would score was the seventh. A walk to Connor Norby put a runner at first, but the Gens would suffer a fly out and strikeout for the first two outs of the inning. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) worked a walk to put two on for Gunner Peterson (Illinois State). Peterson came up with the deepest shot of the night for his first home run of the summer. The three run shot pulled the Gens back in the game and made the score 9-6.
Winchester was solid in the eighth and ninth with Kevin Ledford shutting the door with a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the summer.
Key Performers for Winchester:
John Servello: 3-5, RBI, R
John Dyer: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
Kevin Ledford: SV (4), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
Aaron Palensky: 1-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Gunner Peterson (Illinois State): 3-4, HR (1), 3 RBI, R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-5, HR (1)
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 1-4, HR (3), 2 RBI, 2 R… 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Nick Zegna (George Mason): 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
The Generals (20-9) will be back in action on the road in Strasburg on Wednesday when they take on the Express at First Bank Park. The Express are the leaders in the North division and are owners of the best win percentage in the Valley League. First pitch set for 7 pm.
Generals Fall to River Bandits
The Generals had their six game win streak snapped on the road in Woodstock. The River Bandits out-hit the Gens 13-9 and out scored them 8-3.
The River Bandits jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Sunday night. In the bottom of the first, Aidan Nagle, the team’s leading hitter, started things off with a single. He moved to second on a walk to Lael Lockhart, and two batters later, Nick Holesa drove in Nagle with a single up the middle.
Woodstock scored two more in the bottom of the third before the Generals could answer back. This time, the River Bandits used a couple of two-out extra base hits to bring in their runs. Lael Lockhart doubled to left center. Caleb Ward followed that up with a two-run home run to centerfield. Woodstock now had their lead at 3-0.
The Generals finally got to Woodstock’s starter in the fifth inning for their first run. It was one of the newest Generals that was almost solely responsible for getting the run on the board. Gunner Peterson (Illinois State) singled to lead off the inning. He later stole second, moved to third on a grounder to the right side, and scored on an errant throw by the catcher that was trying to pick off Peterson on a throw behind him at third base. The score was 3-1 going to the bottom of the fifth.
Woodstock saw the Gens trying to make a comeback and responded with two more runs. Aidan Nagle doubled to get things started. Two batters later, he stole third and Caleb Ward would drive him in from there. The battery for the Generals started to struggle a bit. Ward moved to third on two wild pitches and would end up scoring on a passed ball. The River Bandits had a 5-1 lead now.
The Generals again tried a comeback in the seventh. Brad Burckel (U of Houston) tripled to get the inning started. He scored on the very next play on an error by the Woodstock third baseman. The Gens couldn’t get any more runs in from there, so the score was 5-2 headed to the bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the River Bandits finally broke things open with three more runs. Four straight singles by Escala, Nagle, Lockhart, and Ward put a run on the board and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the inning. A ground ball to the first baseman with the infield drawn in looked as if it would stop the bleeding for the Generals. However, the Waynesboro first baseman decided to try and step on first before throwing home and that allowed another run to score. Finally, Warnner Rincones hit yet another single to drive in the final run of the inning. The score after seven complete was 8-2 in favor of the River Bandits.
The Generals would make one last attempt for a big comeback in the top of the ninth. The past week would lead people to believe that Waynesboro is never out of a game, no matter how late, no matter what the score. They would load the bases with nobody out in the ninth to stir up those thoughts yet again. Two batters were hit by a pitch and in the middle of those two, a Wes Clarke (South Carolina) single happened. However, when Woodstock made a pitching change, they went to their all-star reliever, Seth Comer. Comer induced a pop fly to left that allowed a run to score but then got a double play ball to get the River Bandits out of any further trouble. The final score was 8-3.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Caleb Ward: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Nick Holesa: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Lael Lockhart: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Ryan Mitschele: W (1-0), 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Seth Comer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, GIDP to end the game
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-4
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4
Gunner Peterson (Illinois State): 2-4, R, SB
Brad Burckel (U of Houston): 1-2, 3B, R
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (15-8) are back in action on Monday night in a makeup contest with the Harrisonburg Turks. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field set for 7 pm.
Gens Post Another Comeback In Ninth With Win In Extras
The Generals were down to their last out needing more runs for the second straight night. Tuesday night, it was at home vs the Woodstock River Bandits needing 5 in the ninth. Wednesday it was on the road in Staunton needing three in the ninth.
The game got off to a bit of a slow start for both teams. For Waynesboro, they had just come down off their high from winning over Woodstock in thrilling fashion in a game that lasted well over four hours. Coach Cole admitted after the game that, “We were dead. Everybody was still tired from last night, including me. We had community service early this morning. We were all exhausted.” However, the first run of the game was scored by Waynesboro in the top of the third. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) started things off with a single. After two straight hit-by-pitches, the bases were loaded with nobody out. After a strikeout, a wild pitch allowed Murphy to come in and score. Unfortunately, the Gens couldn’t muster up any more offense in the inning.
The Generals scored again in the top of the fourth to make the score 2-0. A double by Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) got things started. An error on the Braves’ shortstop put runners at the corners with nobody out. The Braves then made another error that allowed Kinker to come in and score. Again the Generals offense stalled with a good situation in front of them. They had runners at first and second with nobody out after the run scored, and they weren’t able to bring anyone else in.
It was in the bottom of the 5th that the Braves struck for all six of their runs in the ballgame. A single by Pastore, a walk to Selden, an RBI double by Brown, and a two RBI single by Brophy put three runs on the board. A pitching change was made for the Generals, but it really didn’t slow down the Braves offense. Two walks loaded the bases before a single brought in another run for the Braves. Finally, it looked like the Gens were going to settle in on the mound. A huge strikeout of the league’s leading RBI man in Andrew Czech gave the Gens their first out of the inning. After a tapper back to the mound looked like it could be the double play the Gens were looking for, an errant throw on the back end sent the ball into the right field corner and allowed another run and gave the Braves another out to work with. Another error by the Gens allowed the sixth and final run to score. The score after five complete innings read 6-2 in favor of the homestanding Braves.
One of the biggest strengths of this General team is that they take the opposing team’s best punch, and always seem to have an answer back. They continued that with Joey Kinker continuing his great night in the very next half inning. He doubled to instantly put a runner in scoring position. Jackson Tate (Alabama) worked a walk to put runners at first and second. After a wild pitch, both runners moved into scoring position with nobody out. Jack Murphy came up with a sacrifice fly to center to bring a run in, but that would end the General rally. The score after six complete was 6-3.
That score would remain until the top of the ninth. In that inning, things seemed to just be on the Braves side. After a walk, the next hitter would hit a ground ball to the shortstop. The ball came up on him, glanced off his chest right into the glove of the second baseman who turned the double play to clear the bases with two outs in the inning and the Generals still needing three runs. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) reached on an error by the Braves’ third baseman to keep things alive. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) then singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of the hot hitting Joey Kinker. Two pitches into the at-bat, Joey drilled one high and deep to right centerfield that disappeared into the pines beyond the right field fence. TIE BALLGAME courtesy of Joey Kinker’s first homer of the summer.
The Braves tried to respond in the bottom of the ninth to pick up a walk-off win. After a walk, Andrew Czech came to the plate again. He ripped a ball that seemed to be destined for center field that would have put runners at first and second. But shortstop Kobe Lopez had other ideas. He dove to his left, making a sensational, full-extension dive and catch for out number one. He then had the presence of mind to get to his feet and deliver a strike across the diamond to double up the runner at first. The momentum had now shifted completely into the Generals favor.
They didn’t waste the momentum in the 10th. Jackson Greene (Florida State) ripped a double down the left field line. Jack Murphy dropped down a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to move Greene to third. The Gens tried to play more small ball with Brad Burckel (U of Houston) at the plate. His bunt was a hard one right back to the pitcher who was able to flip on to the catcher to nab Greene for out number two. However, on the very first pitch in the next at-bat, Burckel stole second base and headed for third on an errant throw by the catcher. The centerfielder saw Burckel going to third and was going to try to throw him out. There was only one problem… He forgot to field the ball, and it rolled past him deeper into centerfield. Burckel then rounded third and headed for home, making it easily on the second error on the Braves on the same play. The Generals lead going into the bottom of the 10th by a score of 7-6.
Waynesboro turned to Nick Zegna (George Mason) to shut the door in the bottom of the 10th. The tall righty came to the mound filled to the brim with confidence. He went three up, three down, and struck out two in the process for his first save of the summer. The Gens had completed their second comeback victory in as many nights.
Key Performers for Staunton:
Duncan Pastore: 2-4, 2 SB, R
Colin Brophy: 2-4, 2 RBI
Ronald Brown: 1-5, 2B, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, RBI, R
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-5, SB, R
Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Daniel Casto (Memphis): W (1-1), 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Nick Zegna (George Mason): SV (1), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The Cardiac Gens (12-7) will be back in action on Thursday night at home vs the Winchester Royals. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field is set for 7 pm.
Teams Combine for 30 Runs In Generals 8th Win
After four hours and some change, Woodstock and Waynesboro put up 10 and 20 runs respectively. The rest of the box score had the Generals having 16 hits and making three errors. For Woodstock, they had 17 hits and six errors.
Things got started with a bang for Waynesboro. They scored eight runs in the top of the first inning after sending 13 batters to the plate. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) started it all with a walk. After a fly out to right field, the Generals would have their next seven batters reach safely. Eli Quiceno (Gannon U) doubled, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) singled to bring in Kobe, and Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) had an infield single to load the bases. After Quiceno scored on a wild pitch, Jackson Tate (Alabama) singled to left to bring in Clarke. An error by the third baseman allowed Worrell to score and keep the line moving. Connor Norby (East Carolina) and Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) were hit by pitches. Proffitt’s was with the bases loaded and allowed Tate to score. After a pitching change, the River Bandits managed the second out of the inning. But the clean record didn’t last long, as Seth Cannady (Florida International) cleared the loaded bases with a double. The score after the first three outs of the game was 8-0 in favor of the Generals.
It would be immediately apparent that the River Bandits wouldn’t just lay down. They scored one in the bottom of the first. Jaylon Deshazier started things right out of the gate with a double. He was followed by Aidan Nagle with a single. The Generals would make their first error of the ball game on the third hitter that allowed Deshazier to score. Things would settle down after that and the score after one complete inning was 8-1.
The second inning saw the Generals continue to pile on. Bryson Worrell would start it out with a single to left, but would move to second as the throw back into the cutoff man was a wild one. After a couple of strikeouts, Connor Norby would join his collegiate teammate on base via the walk. Bases became loaded on a walk to Christian Proffitt. Kobe Lopez would come up large with a long double to left center field that brought in both ECU boys. The score after two was 10-1.
The Generals would hold the River Bandits in the bottom of the second inning. They continued their scoring in the top of the third. Wes Clarke was hit by a pitch and soon after, Jackson Tate drove him in from first base with a double over the left fielder’s head. The score moved to 11-1.
This is where the River Bandits said enough is enough. They responded in the bottom of the third with six runs to make the game a bit tighter. Andrew Puglielli started things out with a double past the diving Norby at third base. Caleb Ward singled to put runners at the corners for Lael Lockhart. Lockhart singled to right field to drive in Puglielli. The throw in from the right fielder was a wild one and allowed Ward to get to third and Lockhart to second. An error by the shortstop allowed Ward to score and put runners on the corners with still nobody out. The next batter hit a grounder to short to allow the runner at third to come home, and the Gens couldn’t turn it quickly enough to get a double play out of the deal. After a Will Escala double to put runners at second and third, Jaylon Deshazier drilled a triple into right center to bring in two more runs. The next batter, Aidan Nagle, hit a double to drive in Deshazier to finish the scoring in the third. The score after three was 11-7.
The Generals lengthened their lead a bit in the top of the 5th. Eli Quiceno was hit by a pitch and moved to third on an Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) double. Worrell would come up and drive in Quiceno on a ground ball to second base. The score going to the bottom of the fifth was 12-7.
The River Bandits made their last big push in the bottom of the fifth. They scored three runs to push the score to 12-10. Austin Bates was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Two batters later, Will Escala came up with his second double of the game to put runners at second and third. Bates scored on a wild pitch to put up their first of three runs. After a strikeout, Aidan Nagle came up and delivered a very controversial home run. If you ask the folks in the outfield bleachers in Woodstock, just about all of them would tell you that the ball bounced a good 15 feet in front of the fence, took a high bounce, and landed over the fence for what should have been a ground rule double. However, the umpires came together to discuss it. Their final ruling was a home run to bring the River Bandit deficit to just two.
The Generals would finally settle down and pull away with five runs in the top of the sixth. Connor Norby singled to get things going. After a Christian Proffitt walk, Kobe Lopez singled to left and the left fielder botched the ball to allow runners to advance. Connor Norby scored the first of five runs. The next play was ruled as an error on the shortstop that allowed two more runs to score. Quiceno would come up with another single to put runners at first and third. After Ethan Cady was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Bryson Worrell worked a bases loaded walk. Another error by the River Bandit third baseman allowed the final run of the inning. That put the score at 17-10.
The Generals added three more in the top of the 9th for insurance runs. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) walked with one away in the inning. Eli Quiceno came through with his third hit of the ball game to make him 3-5. A second Ethan Cady double drove in the first run of the top of the 9th. Bryson Worrell singled to bring in the second run, and the final error of the ballgame by the River Bandit third baseman allowed the final run of the game to score. The final score of the ball game was 20-10.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Jaylon Deshazier: 3-6, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI
Aidan Nagle: 4-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
Will Escala: 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U): 3-5, 2B, 4 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-7, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 3-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
McLain Harris (Young Harris): 2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
The Generals (8-5) are back in action Thursday night at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field when they take on the Staunton Braves. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Gens Suffer First Loss
Covington churned out nine runs on 12 hits to hand Waynesboro their first loss of the season Tuesday night in front of a nice crowd at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field.
Covington jumped out to a very early lead by scoring one in the top of the first inning. Christian Torres would sting a single to center field, move to second on a wild pitch, and score on a Matthew Cocciadiferro single to center. It was the first of four RBI on the night for Cocciadiferro.
Waynesboro would respond quickly in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at one. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) would lead off with a single that just got over the leaping second baseman. After the first out was recorded on a pop fly, Kobe would steal second base to get into scoring position. After a strikeout by Covington’s starter Bo Brutti, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would deliver, like he has so many other times already this season, with a single up the middle to drive in Lopez.
The game remained close even after Covington scored a run in both the 3rd and 4th innings. In the 3rd, back-to-back singles and a runner moving up on a throw would have runners at second and third with one out. Christian Torres would drive in a run with a ground out to the second baseman. In the 4th, Tom Caufield would come up with a 2-out RBI single to get the score to 3-1.
Unfortunately for the Gens, the 5th inning was really the deciding factor. After a single and a walk to lead the inning off, a Matthew Cocciadiferro double into the left field corner drove in both runs. Cocciadiferro proceeded to steal third base and would be brought home on a single by Tyler Sanfilipo. Sanfilipo would be brought around to score on a double by Joe Fortin for the 4th run of the inning. Finally, Tom Caufield would come up with another 2-out RBI single to get the score to 8-1.
For good measure, Covington would add one more in the sixth inning to make it four straight frames with a run. Christian Torres would double, move to third on a wild pitch, and score on another RBI by Cocciadiferro. That brought the score to 9-1 after six complete innings.
Finally in the bottom of the 7th, the Generals were able to crack the code of Bo Brutti a bit. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) would lead off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Santiago Garcia (Alabama St.) would walk to get runners at first and second. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) then drilled a single to center field to drive in Quiceno for the first run of the inning. A few batters later, Seth Cannady (Florida International) would triple in two more runs to get the score to its final tally of 9-4.
Key Performers for Covington:
Matthew Cocciadiferro: 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, SB
Christian Torres: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Tom Caufield: 2-4, 2 RBI
Michael Rotenberry: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-4, 2B, RBI
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 1-2, 3B, 2 RBI
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 1-2, RBI, 2 BB
Dylan Nix (Young Harris): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The Generals have Wednesday night off but will be back in action on Thursday night when they travel to Rebel Park to take on the Rebels. It will be the first time that head coach Zac Cole has been back to the field where he won the 2018 VBL Championship. First pitch is set for 7:30.
Tiger Arms Set for Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
The University of Memphis Tigers will be sending a pair of arms to Waynesboro this summer. The Tigers will send left-handed pitcher Daniel Casto as well as right-handed pitcher Bailey Wimberley. It’s the first time the Gens will have players from the University of Memphis in recent memory. However, Memphis competes in an American Athletic Conference that will see a total of four schools represented on the Generals roster to begin this summer.
Daniel Casto – Left-Handed Pitcher
Daniel is the son of Gary and Lesliane Casto. A native of Olive Branch, Mississippi, the 6’1 205-pound freshman is a graduate of Northpoint Christian. When he joined the Tigers this year, he was the first player to join a Division I baseball program from Northpoint. He was given 2018 Division II-A All-State honors in the state of Mississippi. Daniel will be looking to compete and improve his game this summer and the Generals are excited to bring him aboard. Welcome, Daniel!
Bailey Wimberley – Right-Handed Pitcher
Bailey is the son of Shannon Williams and Joey Wimberley. A native of Eads, Tennessee, the 5’10 170-pound redshirt freshman is a graduate of First Assembly Christian School where he played as a middle infielder as well as pitched. This is his second year with the Tigers, but the first season he’s seen action. After Bailey redshirted his freshman year, he has seen action in 11 games including his 2 starts. He’s chewed up 18 innings for the Tigers and has struck out 20 batters in that time. Only 5 pitchers on the entire staff have seen more action that Bailey, but of those 5, only 3 have thrown more innings. The Generals are excited to bring Bailey in to bolster the staff of the Generals. Welcome, Bailey!
