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.
Clarke Homers and Gens Win 6-1
The Generals’ offense was relentless in their 6-1 win over the Turks on Saturday night. They scored in five of their nine offensive frames with nine hits.
Scoring started in the second inning for the Gens. They loaded the bases thanks to a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a Seth Cannady (Florida International) single. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring in Santiago Garcia (Alabama St) for the first run of the game. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) kept the line moving with his RBI single to bring in Wes Clarke (South Carolina) to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Generals.
The Gens would get back on the scoreboard in the 4th when Wes Clarke hit his first homer of the season on the second pitch of the inning. He blistered the ball over the right-center field wall for the first home run hit by a General this season.
In the 5th, the Generals would get on the board again. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) drilled a one-out double and was brought in on the very next pitch. Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) singled to put the Gens up 4-0.
The 6th inning got off to a slow start with the first two batters being retired, but when Christian Proffitt drew a two-out walk, the Gens would put together a nice two out rally. Kobe Lopez would follow up with his second single of the night, Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would load the bases with a walk, and Elijah Quiceno drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Proffitt. This made the score 5-0 after six complete innings
The 7th inning would make it four straight innings that the Gens would push one run across. They did their damage with two outs in the inning just as they had done in the 6th. This time it was Wes Clarke with a two-out double. He would move to third on a wild pitch and then come in to score on a Seth Cannady single to make the score 6-0.
The Turks would add a run in the bottom of the 9th to make it 6-1, but for Harrisonburg it was a story of missed opportunities. They pumped out seven hits, they were walked seven times, and they also had one hit batsman. Not only did they just get runners on, they also got them into scoring position plenty of times. They stole two bases and only struck out four times as a team. They just could never come up with that situational hit, so a ton of credit has to go to the pitching staff for working through pressure packed situations all night.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
Travis Reifsnider: 2-2, BB, HBP
McCann Mellett: 1-3, RBI, SB
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Kobe Lopez (FIU): 2-4, RBI, BB
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R
Seth Cannady (FIU): 2-4, RBI
Alex Tyson (Valdosta St): 4 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB
Bailey Wimberley (Memphis): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals are back in action Sunday night when they welcome the Purcellville Cannons to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Four Bucs Set Sail for Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
After not having a single Buccaneer on the roster last summer, East Tennessee State University will make up for it this year with four players making their way to Waynesboro. ETSU is currently the 6th seed in the Southern Conference and will look to make a run in the tournament. The Bucs finished with an overall record of 32-19 and an 11-12 mark in conference play. Of the four players that ETSU will send, there will be one position player and three pitchers. Matt Mercer is a left-handed pitcher, Zach Kirby and Joseph Acosta are right-handed pitchers, and Ethan Cady is a first baseman and corner outfielder.
Matt Mercer – Left-Handed Pitcher
Matt Mercer is a 6’0 178 pound sophomore from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He’s a graduate of Chattanooga Christian School. Matt appeared in five games for ETSU as a true freshman and, even with limited playing time, showed flashes of brilliance. He had five strikeouts in his first career start vs Northern Kentucky in just three innings. This season, Matt has appeared in 19 ball games to place second on the Bucs pitching staff. Over those 19 appearances, he’s made one start. He’s 1-2 with a 5.08 ERA over 28.1 innings pitched. In just over 28 innings, Matt has only allowed 25 hits and has struck out 34 to lead all bullpen arms for ETSU. He’s also one of six total pitchers on the staff that have recorded at least one save. He’s recorded two to tie himself for the 2nd most on the team. Matt looks to continue what has been a solid sophomore campaign in Waynesboro this summer. Welcome, Matt Mercer!
Zach Kirby – Right-Handed Pitcher
Zach Kirby is the son of Lauren and John Kirby. The 6’0 212 pound righty is a native of Upland, California and a graduate of Damien High School in La Verne, California. After compiling a 6-1 record at Damien in his senior season, Kirby has provided an immediate impact. He’s appeared in 17 games for the Bucs and has made a start. Kirby has thrown 28 innings in his 17 games on the bump, and has only given up 13 earned runs en route to a 4.18 ERA and a 1-1 record. He, like Mercer, has recorded a save this season. All these numbers tell the story that Kirby is one of the top guys out of the pen for ETSU and we look forward to him possibly shutting the door a few times in Waynesboro this summer. Welcome, Zach Kirby!
Joseph Acosta – Right-Handed Pitcher
Joseph is the son of Alicia and Joseph Acosta. The 6’1 165 pound freshman hails from Vineland, New Jersey and Vineland High School. He was a four-year letter winner at Vineland and led them to a conference championship in his junior season. Now in Johnson City, Tennessee, Acosta has appeared in nine games for the Bucs this season. He’s 1-0 and, you guessed it, he has also recorded a save just like his two teammates above. Joseph is averaging just below a strikeout per inning this season where he’s struck out 10 in 10.2 innings. The ERA may be a little higher than Joseph wants it, but it’s another reason for excitement for the Generals as he’ll show up determined to get better this summer. Welcome to Waynesboro, Joseph Acosta!
Ethan Cady – Outfielder
Ethan Cady is the son of Tammy and Colin Cady. Listed at 5’11 195 pounds, the junior is a true left-hander from Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. This is Ethan’s first year with the Bucs after transferring from Lipscomb to Columbia State Community College, then ending up in Johnson City. With Columbia State, Cady showed that he had some pop. He hit 15 homers and racked up 52 RBI while hitting for a solid .295 average. This year for the Bucs, Ethan has appeared in 47 out of 51 games and has hit .242 with 11 doubles, three triples, five homers, and 24 RBI. Look for Cady to cause problems on the base paths in the Valley this summer. He’s a perfect 13 for 13 in stolen bases to lead the team. A solid left-handed bat in the lineup for the Gens this summer that could end up seeing his name written into middle of the order. Welcome to Waynesboro, Ethan Cady!
