Generals Get Back to Winning Ways On the Road In Harrisonburg
In the final game before the All-Star Break, the Gens faced an important “swing game” for their record. If the Gens won, they’d have a record above .500. If they lost, they would have a record of below .500. The Generals would win the ball game to make it 5 wins in their last 6 opportunities.
The Generals would get on the scoreboard in the very first frame and would never relinquish the lead after that. It started when Chase Cheek (Duke) drew a 1-out walk. He eventually stole second base with 2 outs in the inning to put himself into scoring position. Alex Brait (Florida Gulf Coast) would bring home Cheek with an opposite field double to move the score to 1-0.
The Gens would not score in the second, but they would tack on a run in both the 3rd and 4th innings. In the second inning, the run would be scored after the first two hitters of the inning. Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) would walk to start the inning. He would steal second base and eventually score on a single by Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss). In the 4th inning the Generals would once again start things off with a walk. Jackson Webb (Central Florida) would walk. After the steals of second and third on consecutive pitches by Webb, it drew in the infield for Harrisonburg. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would hit a grounder to the shortstop. When Webb bluffed a few steps, it pressured the shortstop to charge the ball to try and prevent him from scoring. However the ball caromed off his glove into left field. The score after 4 innings was 3-0 in favor of the Generals.
Evan Gillespie (Faulkner) was impressive on the mound. He went 3.2 innings without surrendering a hit to start the game. He had worked 4 shutout innings when he came to a bump in the road in the 5th inning. The Turks would score 2 off of him to tighten the score to 3-2. 2 runners would be on for Harrisonburg with two away in the inning when the newest Turk, Orynn Veillon, drilled a triple into the right centerfield gap. Gillespie would retire the next batter and end his day after 5 stellar innings.
The Generals would answer right back with a run to provide the Waynesboro bullpen with a little more breathing room. It began with a 1-out double by Dalton Wingo (Central Florida). Andrew Orzel would single to drive in his second run of the night to make the game 4-2. The Gens would then turn to Fred Villarreal (Houston) for middle relief and he wouldn’t disappoint. He threw 3 innings, gave up 3 hits, but no runs and struck out 4. He would hand it over to Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee) for the ninth. Harper-Cook would continue to pitch well and would lock down the save.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Orynn Veillon: 2-3, 3B, BB, 2 RBI
- Andrew Llewellyn: 2-4
- Cam Irvine: 2-4, 2B
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Evan Gillespie (Faulkner): W (2-0), 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
- Fred Villarreal (Houston): 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): SV (1), 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-5, RBI
The Generals (14-13) will fire things back up after the All-Star Game this weekend. They’ll start with Woodstock on the road on Monday. Graham Ashcraft (Mississippi State) will be on the hill.
Generals Take Down Turks In Rain-Shortened Game
Friday night in Harrisonburg, the Generals scored at least one run in 6 out of 8 innings. The game got a later start than normal due to rainy conditions. When the rain set in for good in the bottom of the 8th inning, the game was called in favor of the Generals.
The Generals scored in the first frame on an RBI triple by Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) to start the scoring off at 1-0. In the bottom half however, the Turks put up a three spot on the strength of an RBI double by Zach Little, a wild pitch to bring in another, and then an RBI single by Elian Marejo to get the lead to 3-1 for Harrisonburg.
The score was tied up quickly in the second inning. After a Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St) stolen base to put runners on second and third, Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) delivered a 2-out RBI single to tie the game at 3.
The third inning kept the consecutive innings scored streak alive. Chase Cheek (Duke) led off with a single and then stole second. He was brought in to score on a single by Dalton Wingo (UCF) to take the lead. The Turks then induced a double play to clear the bases with two outs. What seemed to be a harmless single from Andrew Orzel (Wofford) then turned into chaos. With a host of wild pitches and passed balls, Orzel went station-to-station all the way home for another tally to make the score 5-3.
The 4th inning continued to show the relentlessness of the Generals with a leadoff walk to Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary). Two batters later, Wrighte stole second and third base. Wrighte then came around to score on a passed ball by the Turks catcher. The score after 4 innings was 6-3.
The Turks would mount a comeback in the bottom of the 5th inning. They had finally kept Waynesboro off the scoreboard in the top half of the inning and were looking to build off that momentum. The second batter of the inning was hit by a pitch. That was followed by a single to put runners on first and second with only one out. Zach Little, the Turk that delivered on an RBI double in the first inning, came through again with an RBI single this time. He advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Two consecutive passed balls allowed the Turks to score again in the inning to tighten the score up at 6-5 with the Generals still leading.
The 6th inning is where the Gens would start to distance themselves. Kyle Wrighte would work himself on with a hit-by-pitch and a steal of second base yet again. Tyler Bielamowicz continued to have a good day at the plate by singling and putting runners on second and third after Wrighte drew a throw to the plate that Bielo moved up on. Chase Cheek delivered one of his 4 hits on the night to bring in Wrighte and Bielo. Dalton Wingo followed that up with another single to continue to threaten the Turks with only one away in the inning. After a pitching change, Wingo and Cheek executed a double steal to get into scoring position. With the infield in at this point, the Turks got a ground out that Cheek had to hold for. Andrew Orzel got himself on base again with a HBP to load the bases. Jackson Webb (UCF) worked a bases loaded walk for an RBI and Bruno Teramoto was hit by another pitch to officially bat around in the inning. The Generals struck for 4 runs, all told, to get their lead to 10-5.
They weren’t quite finished scoring yet, however, as they scored 2 more in the 7th. Alex Webb (Chipola) diminished the hopes of the Turks this time with a 2 RBI single. The score after 7 ended up being the final at 12-5. The General bats finally exploded for 14 hits and 12 runs in the ball game.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Caleb Walls: 2-4, 2 R
- Zach Little: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI
- Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston): 2-5, 3B, RBI, 2 R
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 4-5, 2 RBI, 2 SB, 3 R
- Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary): 2 R, 3 SB
The Generals will be back in action Saturday night when they take on the Staunton Braves at Kate Collins field.
General Bats Continue to Struggle In Loss to Turks
Waynesboro allowed 4 unanswered runs en route to their 4th loss in their last 5 games on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Park when they took on the Turks. Saturday made it 6 out of their first 9 games with 4 runs or fewer.
The Generals started out with a big inning right away in the top of the first inning. Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) started things out with a single up the middle. 2 batters later, Chase Cheek (Duke) hit a chopper to the second baseman, who proceeded to throw the ball into left field trying to force a play at second. This moved both Montenegro and Cheek into scoring position. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) delivered a 2 RBI triple into the right field gap and then came around to score on a groundout to second to make the score 3-0.
The Turks would answer in the bottom of the second. After singles by Whelton and Castillo, Brycen Braswell hit a two RBI single, but was put out trying for second base. Tyler Thompson (Austin Peay), the starting pitcher for the Generals, was able to maneuver his way around further trouble in the second. However, Harrisonburg went right back to work in the bottom of the third. After a one out single, Thompson became a bit wild, delivering a few wild pitches. The last of his wild pitches was on a dropped third strike that allowed the tying run to score. That would be the end of his night after just 2.2 innings.
Bryan Wilcox (Florida Gulf Coast) came on in relief of Thompson to finish the 3rd. He threw a relatively clean 4th with only a two-out single given up. Wilcox began the 5th with 3 out of the first four batters being put on via the free pass or hit-by-pitch. Even though he had loaded the bases, he managed to strike out David Craan for the second out. The next hitter was Paul Castillo. In a 2-2 count, Wilcox induced a short pop fly in foul territory that was destined to get him out of the inning. A bit of miscommunication set in and the ball dropped for a foul ball. His next two pitches were balls to walk in the eventual winning run. Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) then came in for Wilcox and was masterful in his 3.1 innings.
The Generals struggled to figure out Turks starter Kyle Arjona who moved to 2-0 on the year by pitching deep into the ball game. Only 3 Generals tallied hits and the lineup tallied 11 strikeouts throughout the night.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Kyle Arjona: W (2-0), 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
- Cameron Irvine: 2-4
- Paul Castillo: 1-3, R, RBI, BB
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-4, R
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 2-4, 2B, R
- Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
The Generals will be back in action tomorrow night when they go on the road to take on the North Division leading Front Royal Cardinals (9-2) at Bing Crosby Stadium.
Generals Shut Out Turks 5-0
Campbell Scholl tossed eight shutout innings in earning the win for Waynesboro.
Campbell Scholl pitched eight shutout innings while the offense put up five runs on eight hits as the Waynesboro Generals (27-11) topped the Harrisonburg Turks (26-14) 5-0 in another home victory Saturday evening.
Waynesboro now has a two game lead over the Turks in the South Division. The win puts the Generals just one win away from clinching the South Division title for the 2016 season.
Andrew Bullock drove in the first run of the game for the Generals with a sacrifice fly that scored Tracy Hadley and gave them a 1-0 lead. Then in the fifth inning, it was Hadley scoring again on an RBI groundout by Trey Stine that widened the lead to two runs.
The score held at 2-0 until the bottom of the eighth when Waynesboro pushed three runs across to extend the lead to 5-0. Tanner Poole scored the first run on a squeeze play, and Sam Palensky followed with a two-RBI single to score the fourth and fifth runs.
Scholl allowed just three hits and walked four batters in his eight innings of work. He now has a record of 2-0 in six starts and boasts an ERA of 1.04. Darren Kelly pitched the final inning while allowing just one hit and walking one batter.
Coach Williams’ Players of the Game: P Campbell Scholl (8.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 4 BB) and SS Brent Sakurai (2-2, 2 1B, BB, Sacrifice Bunt)
UP NEXT: The Generals will play a doubleheader at the Charlottesville Tom Sox Sunday, July 24th with the first game beginning at 6:00 pm.
Generals Top Turks at Home 10-3
Vince Braman had a strong eight inning start in the 10-3 victory over Harrisonburg.
The Waynesboro Generals (24-10) defeated the Harrisonburg Turks (23-12) Monday night at home by a score of 10-3.
The Generals scored their ten runs using eighteen hits where all but one starter had a base hit in the game. With the win, the Generals extend their South division lead to 1.5 games.
Harrisonburg struck first in the top of the first inning after back to back doubles put them ahead 1-0. The lead did not last long, though, as the Generals tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Tanner Poole led off with a single, and a misplay by the center fielder allowed him to advance to third. Sam Palensky drove him home with an RBI single to tie the game at 1 a piece.
Waynesboro would break the tie quickly in the bottom of the second, exploding for six runs to make it 7-1. After Eli Putnam reached on a single, Kyle Jackson hit an RBI triple to give the team a 2-1 lead. T.J. Condon followed with an RBI double to score Jackson to make it 3-1. Then, a throwing error by Harrisonburg pitcher Donte Lindsay on a Tanner Poole bunt allowed two more General runs to score. Trey Stine had an RBI single later in the inning and another misplay by the center fielder allowed another run to score stretching the lead to 7-1.
More Harrisonburg miscues would allow two more Waynesboro runs to score in the bottom of the third. A throwing error on a double play attempt allowed Brent Sakurai to score, and Stine delivered another RBI single to make the score 9-1.
Mason George would hit a two-run home run in the seventh for Harrisonburg to cut the lead to 9-3, and Charles Zaloumis delivered an RBI single in the eighth, making the final score 10-3.
Vince Braman had a strong start on the mound, going eight full innings while only allowing three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out eight batters in earning the victory. Vazquez pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout.
Coach Williams’ Player of the Game: SP Vince Braman (8.0 IP, 3 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 8 SO)
UP NEXT: The Generals are off on Tuesday before traveling to Covington Wednesday to face the Lumberjacks.
7/12 Game Against Harrisonburg Postponed
The Waynesboro Generals game scheduled for Tuesday, July 12 against the Harrisonburg Turks has been postponed. The game has been rescheduled to Monday, July 18 at 7:00 pm. Dupont Community Credity Union will sponsor the game, and it will be free admission to anyone wishing to attend.
Waynesboro Offense Shines in 13-8 Victory over Harrisonburg.
Sam Palensky was 2-4 with 2 RBIs in the Generals victory.
Returning home Thursday night, the Waynesboro Generals (17-9) beat their division rival Harrisonburg Turks (19-9) by a score of 13-8.
The Generals put up thirteen runs for the second consecutive evening in addition to thirteen hits.
Harrisonburg would put the first run on the board after a solo home run by Jason Serchay in the top of the third.
Waynesboro would claim their first lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning, though. After a walk and a single by Zach Sterry, Trey Stine drove in the team’s first run with a sacrifice fly. Andrew Bullock drove in the second run of the inning with an RBI single as the Generals took a 2-1 lead.
The Generals’ bats came alive in the bottom of the fifth inning, as well, putting up three runs. Palensky got the scoring started with an RBI single. Sterry followed with a double off the right field wall that would score two more runs and make the score 5-1.
Waynesboro broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth with seven runs tacked on as the team fully batted around the lineup. T.J. Condon began the scoring with an RBI double that would make the score 6-1. An infield single by Palensky and a bases loaded hit batsmen would each score one run to give the Generals a seven run lead. Then, Trey Stine would unload the bases with a Grand Slam to make the score 12-1. Kirk Sidwell would add another run with a solo home run in the seventh as Waynesboro continued to pour it on the visiting Turks.
Harrisonburg would not go quietly at the end, however, with two runs in the eighth and five runs in the top of the ninth. The deficit would prove to be too much, though, as the Generals hung on for a 13-8 victory.
The newly-made All-Star Campbell Scholl started on the mound for Waynesboro going three full innings in a short start. He gave up only one run on the solo shot in the third and finished with two strikeouts. Brent Sasse earned the win in his relief appearance throwing four scoreless innings with two strikeouts and one walk. Ivanniel Vazquez pitched one inning giving up two runs, and Conner Loeprich gave up five runs pitching the ninth. Vazquez had one walk while Loeprich had one walk with two strikeouts.
Coach Williams’ Player of the Game: Sam Palensky (2-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs scored)
UP NEXT: The Generals will face the Charlottesville Tom Sox at home Friday, evening July 8, beginning at 7:00 pm.
Waynesboro Drops Fourth Straight in Loss at Harrisonburg
For the fourth straight game, the Waynesboro Generals (14-9) could find the win column after losing to the Harrisonburg Turks (17-7) 9-8.
Harrisonburg walked off in the bottom of the ninth when Tripp Shelton singled home the go-ahead run. The win was the Turks’ second walk-off win against the Generals this season.
Waynesboro broke through early in the top of the first after scoring one run when Tracy Hadley hit an RBI single to score Brent Sakurai from second. Zach Sterry helped the team score two more runs in the third when he hit his sixth home run of the year, a two-run shot, put the team up 3-0 early.
The Turks pushed one run across in the bottom of the third, but the Generals quickly answered in the top of the fourth when T.J. Condon also crushed a two-run home run. The Turks had a big fourth inning as well, however, as they scored five runs in the frame to gain their first lead at 6-5.
Harrisonburg put two more on the board in the bottom of the fifth, but the Generals would have an answer later in the game. In the top of the seventh, Waynesboro scored three times to tie the game at 8 runs each. An error by the right fielder allowed Sakurai and Sterry to score, and Trey Stine drove Eli Putnam in with an RBI single. The Turks would then end the game with the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
Both Sterry and Stine had big nights at the plate for the Generals. Sterry was one for three with the home run and two RBIs while Stine went three for four with one RBI.
Tyler Howe started for Waynesboro and had a rough outing on the mound. He pitched five full innings while giving up eight runs on ten hits with three walks and four strikeouts. Merritt Huber pitched two innings of scoring relief before Ivanniel Vazquez earned the loss in the final one and two-thirds innings.
The loss put the Generals two and a half games behind the Turks for the South Division lead.
UP NEXT: The Generals will not play again until July 4 when the travel to Charlottesville to take on the Tom Sox.
