Generals Win in Walk-Off Fashion Over Strasburg in 11
In a game that saw Strasburg out-hit Waynesboro 14 to 6, both teams were stuck on 3 after the first 9 innings. In the bottom of the 11th, it was a sacrifice fly from Joe Bellini (Cincinnati) that walked it off and gave the Gens their 2nd win in a row.
Both teams started quickly by scoring in the first frame. After 1 full inning, the score was tied 1-1. Strasburg manufactured their runs by picking up a few infield singles. The first was a liner off of the starting pitcher Nathan Schneider (St. Mary’s) with one out in the inning. He was moved to second base on a groundout and ended up scoring on a weird play that resulted in an RBI infield single.
In the bottom of the inning, Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) led the game off with a walk and Blake Johnson (Alabama Birmingham) followed him up with a single to center. Later in the inning, Andrew Orzel (Wofford) came through with a two out RBI single but Johnson was thrown out at the plate attempting to score. The Gens would also score in the bottom of the 2nd inning to take a 2-1 lead. They were able to load the bases but only scored one on the strength of a sacrifice fly by Tyler Bielamowicz.
The Generals would lengthen their lead by scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the 5th. Blake Johnson would work his way on with 2 outs in the inning by way of a walk. When the Strasburg pitcher attempted to pick off Johnson, the first baseman assumed he was throwing to the plate. The ball sailed way down into the right field corner. Johnson, who was stealing on first movement, was able to come all the way around to score on the play.
The Express were able to tie the game in the top of the 6th after the rally started with a two out single. It was followed with another single, but the runner moved up to second on the throw to third. A run scored on a dropped third strike and followed with an RBI single. After 6 the score was tied at 3. Neither team was able to push across any more runs until the bottom of the 11th inning. The first two runners worked their way on by drawing a walk and forcing an error by the shortstop. After 2 failed bunt attempts by Joe Bellini, the Gens caught a break with a wild pitch. Bellini then hit the next pitch into right center. Justin Hayes, the Strasburg centerfielder made a highlight reel type catch, but Keegan Morrow (Alabama Birmingham) was able to easily tag up and score the winning run.
Key Performers for Strasburg:
- Colton Schultz: 3-6, RBI
- Hogan Brown: 2-6, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken): W (1-2), 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
- Aron Solis (Texas Southern): 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
- Nathan Schneider (St. Mary’s): ND, 6+ IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
- Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St.): 2-4, BB
- Joe Bellini (Cincinnati): 1-2, Walk-Off RBI
The Generals (20-15) will be back in action tomorrow night at home when they take on the Woodstock River Bandits.
Generals Put Up 20 Runs In Win Over Woodstock
Monday night in Woodstock was the second time this summer that the Gens have put up 20 hits in a game. Both have come within a week of each other. To go along with those 20 hits, they also put up 20 runs.
The Generals started the second half of the year with a bang. They put up 5 runs in the top of the first inning. The first batter of the game was Tyler Bielmaowicz (Houston) and he drew a walk. After recording an out, Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) walked to put runners at first and second. Alex Webb (Chipola) would single to load the bases. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would be hit by his league leading 14th pitch to bring in the first run. Jackson Webb (UCF) would single through the left side to bring in another run with only one out in the inning. His teammate at UCF, Dalton Wingo, would follow him up with an RBI bases loaded walk. Joe Bellini (Cincinnati) would ground into an RBI fielder’s choice, but when Woodstock tried turning two, the throw was wide of the first baseman to allow another run to score. That would make the score 5-0.
Woodstock showed some fight early by getting on the scoreboard early. It started with a lead-off single by Anthony Cuozzi. He would move to second on a wild pitch, to third on a groundout to the right side, and would score on a 2 out single by Alex Goebel. The score after 1 complete would be 5-1. After the first, the game started to get ugly little by little.
In the second inning, Tyler Bielamowicz led off the inning with his first home run of the summer to make the score 6-1. We move on to the third where the Generals would score again. Dalton Wingo would start things off with a double. Joe Bellini would follow him up with a single. With runners on first and third, Tyler Bielamowicz would bring in another run by way of groundout. A close play at the plate would go in favor of Waynesboro. In the 4th innning, the Generals would score once again. This inning started with another double. This time it was Bryce Teodosio. Teodosio would steal third for Andrew Orzel who would single to bring him in.
It was in the 5th that the Generals started to score more than just one in an inning. They put up 4 runs in the 5th and 4 more in the 6th. The 5th started out with a lead off walk by Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St), a hit-by pitch for Tyler Bielamowicz, a strikeout, and a single by Teodosio to load the bases. After another strike out to make it two outs in the inning, Andrew Orzel drew a bases loaded walk for an RBI. Jackson Webb would try his hand at the bases loaded situation and would also work a walk. Tyler Trovinger (Oakland) would be subbed into the game and would promptly follow suit with another bases loaded walk. Joe Bellini would make it 4 straight with a walk to bring in the 4th and final run of the 5th inning.
In the 6th, the inning was started by Tyler Bielamowicz with more of the same… A walk. Dylan Cloonan (Miami) would then double to put runners at second and third. Teodosio would load the bases with a hit-by-pitch. Alex Webb would contribute a sacrifice fly for the first run in the inning. Orzel would re-load the bases with another walk. Jackson Webb would draw his second bases loaded walk in the last 2 innings. Joe Bellini would hit a 2-out 2 RBI single to right field to bring in the final run of the 6th inning. After 6 complete, the score would read 16-1 in favor of Waynesboro.
The top of the 7th was the only inning the Generals didn’t score in. No worries though, they scored 2 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th. Alex Webb started the 8th with a single. He was followed by a flyout, a walk to Jackson Webb, and a single by Tyler Trovinger to load the bases. Joe Bellini would drive in another run with a single to centerfield. Bruno Teramoto would get in on the fun and drive in a run with a single to left field. That would be the end of that threat. In the 9th, Coach Jeanes would turn to an almost complete pitcher’s lineup. Right Handed Pitcher Fred Villarreal (Houston) would start things out with an infield single. Villarreall would be brought in by a Nick Parr (Oakland), a Right Handed Pitcher. Parr ripped a double over the head of the right fielder to bring in Villarreal. Parr reportedly went to Oakland as a two-way player but the coaching staff elected to keep him as a pitcher only. Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken), another Right Handed Pitcher, would also get in the fun with a single through the right side. Finally, Joe Bellini would drive in Parr for his 6th RBI of the night to bring the score to 20-1. That would be the final score in Woodstock.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
- Brock Johnson: 2-4
- Alex Goebel: 1-2, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Joe Bellini (Cincinnati): 4-6, 6 RBI, BB
- Bryce Teodosio (Clemson): 3-4, 2B, HBP, BB, 4 R
- Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston): 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HBP, 4 R
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 1-2, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 2 R
- Andrew Orzel (Wofford): 1-2, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 3 R
- Nick Parr (Oakland): 1-1, 2B, RBI, R
- Graham Ashcraft (Mississippi St): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
- Jacob Weirich (Southern Miss): W (1-1), 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
- Pat O’Shea (St. Mary’s): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (15-13) will return home on Tuesday night at 7 pm for a divisional match-up with the Harrisonburg Turks at Kate Collins Field.
Generals Bats Quieted In Loss to Staunton
The Generals entered the game with Staunton on Thursday night with a 4-game win streak. The last loss that the Generals had suffered was at the hands of the Staunton Braves last Saturday. The Braves pitching staff would find a way to shut down the bats of the Gens this time, allowing only 6 hits and 2 runs.
The big blow to the Generals in the game was a 3-run 3rd inning by the Braves. The inning started with an error by the Generals. After being moved to second base on a swinging bunt up the first baseline, Dean Hermanson came through with an RBI single to centerfield to open the scoring. After recording another out, a 2-out walk would come back to haunt the Gens. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Brett Willett stepped in. A wild pitch would move both runners into scoring position, and Willett would deliver with a single to drive both in. The score after 3 innings was 3-0 in favor of Staunton.
In the top of the 4th, the Braves would be threatening again. They had runners on first and second with nobody out. However, when Eric Conner sent a 2-hopper to the third baseman Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St.), he would step on third and deliver a strike to Jackson Webb (UCF) at second base. Webb would then make a quick transfer and throw to Andrew Orzel (Wofford) that was in time for the 5-4-3 TRIPLE PLAY!
Alex Webb (Chipola) would follow the inning ender up with a triple to right center field to start the inning. Dalton Wingo (UCF) would eventually bring him in with an RBI groundout, but that would be the only run in the inning. After 4 complete, the score was 3-1 Braves.
Both teams would score one run each in the 6th inning. Staunton’s came off of a solo home run by Brandon Hernandez. Waynesboro’s came on an error with 2 outs in the inning. This would lead to the final score with not much happening offensively in the last three innings of the game.
Key Performers for Staunton:
- Evan Flynn: W (1-1), 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
- Brandon Wilkes: SV (3), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
- Brandon Hernandez: 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Andrew Orzel (Wofford): 1-2, 2B, BB, HBP
- Bryce Teodosio (Clemson): 1-2, BB, HBP, R
- Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken): 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (13-13) will be back in action one more time before they start their All-Star break. They’ll travel to Harrisonburg to take on the Turks on Friday in an important swing game for their record.
Gens Outlast Turks In Walk-Off Fashion
After what turned into a little bit of a chippy affair between the Generals and Turks, Alex Brait (FGCU) delivered a walk-off single to get the last laugh over the Turks.
Both starting pitchers had their good stuff working for the first half of the game on Monday night. Jake Brace for the Turks was the first to be cracked, while Nathan Schneider (St. Mary’s) was a bit more masterful in what was originally a pitcher’s dual. Schneider actually worked the first 4.2 innings in perfect fashion until he gave up back-to-back singles with 2 away in the inning. He was able to keep the shut-out in tact by stopping the threat there with one of his seven punch outs on the night.
In the bottom of the 5th, the Gens drew first blood by starting a rally with 2 outs in the inning. Joe Bellini (Cincinnati) started things off with his first hit of the summer since joining the Gens only 2 games prior to Monday night. The hit was a double down the right field line to get him into scoring position for the top of the lineup and the hot-hitting, Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss). Montenegro was able to hit one into the hole at shortstop, but it was fielded cleanly by the Turks. However, the long and off-balance throw across the diamond was a bit wide of the mark. This errant throw allowed Bellini to score from second on an infield single. The Gens kept the line moving on a single to right by Chase Cheek (Duke) that brought Montenegro to third for Andrew Orzel (Wofford). Orzel promptly singled for the Generals 4th straight hit in the inning to score Montenegro. The Generals now had a 2 run lead for Nathan Schneider.
In the 6th is where the in-game drama began. A 1-out single started the inning for the Turks. The runner then moved up to second on a pickoff attempt that trickled into the dugout. After Schneider got another Turk to go down swinging for out number 2, he gave up an infield single to Zach Little. Runners were now on the corners for Paul Castillo, the cleanup hitter for Harrisonburg. After a 2-0 pitch caught the corner, Schneider called his catcher Alex Brait (FGCU) out to the mound. Nate had noticed that the hitter Castillo was peaking at Brait’s pitch calling signs. When Brait confronted Castillo, things got a bit heated. Brait and Castillo had to be separated, and both coaches came out to calm their players down. Once things got settled down, the very next pitch to Castillo was hit into left field for an RBI single. When Castillo got too big of a round of first, he got caught in a run down that allowed Little to score on a single from 1st base to tie the game at 2.
The Generals would bounce right back, but the chippyness continued. Jackson Webb (UCF) started the hitting with a 1-out infield single. Tyler Trovinger (Oakland) then drilled another single to center to put runners at 1st and 2nd. Bellini would come up with his second hit to make it 3 straight singles, but this time, the centerfielder botched the ground ball rolling towards him to allow both runs to score and Bellini to move up to second. Gabe Montenegro then worked a walk off of the new pitcher Connor Roberts. With men on 1st and 2nd, Chase Cheek ripped a single to right that scored Bellini and moved Montenegro to 3rd. During Andrew Orzel’s at-bat, Cheek stole second to open up a base. After Orzel struck out, the next hitter was Alex Brait. It all seemed to be a perfect storm for Harrisonburg. The player that confronted a Turk was at the plate with a base open and 2 outs in the inning. On the very first pitch of the at-bat, Alex Brait was hit by a fastball. Home plate umpire Mike Mackey immediately ejected Roberts for what looked to be an intentional bean ball. With all this told, the Generals had scored 3 runs to put themselves on top, 5-2.
After a clean 7th by both teams, Schneider would be back on the mound to try for his 8th inning of work. After a lead-off walk in the inning, the Gens would turn to Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) to try and strand Schneider’s runner. Unfortunately, Shuff had some issues. He walked the first batter he saw to put runners on 1st and 2nd and then gave up a single to load the bases. He was able to get an out on a fielder’s choice, but a run scored. The score was now 5-3 with runners on the corner and 1 out. Shuff then walked the next hitter to load the bases again. Luke Nussman got another run in on a sac fly, but there were now 2 outs and runners at first and second. Elian Merejo came up huge with a sharply hit single to right field that was able to score Little on a close play at the plate. The score was now tied after the Turks had their chance to hit in the 8th.
In the bottom half of the 8th, it looked like the Gens were destined to score when they loaded the bases with nobody out. Harrisonburg turned to Cade Bullinger to try and get them out of a tough mess. He did just that with a strikeout, a pop-up in the infield, and a ground ball to third base to not allow a run. Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee) came on to try and hold off the Turks to give his offense a chance to win it in a walk-off. He did just that by working 2 perfect innings in the top of the 9th and 10th.
In the 10th the Generals would have to try and figure out Bullinger, who was looking dominant. But after the lead-off double by Gabe Montenegro down the left field line, Bullinger’s job would become much tougher. Cheek was the next batter and successfully sacrificed himself to move Gabe to 3rd. The Turks chose to intentionally walk Andrew Orzel to get to the controversial figurehead of the night, Alex Brait. On a 1-2 count, Brait was able to put good wood onto a fastball to single to left to end the ball game. The Generals had walked it off in the 10th to win 6-5 for their second straight win.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Elian Merejo: 3-4, 2B, RBI
- Zach Little: 1-5, SB, RBI, 2 R
- Cade Bullinger: L (0-1), 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 IBB, 3 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Alex Brait (FGCU): 3-5, Walk-Off RBI
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 3-5, 2B, SB, RBI
- Nate Schneider (St. Mary’s): ND, 7+ IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
- Alex Harper-Cook (Tennessee): W (2-0), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 3-5, 2B, 2 R
The Generals (11-12) will try to get back to the .500 mark with their game at Rebel Park Tuesday night when they take on New Market. The game is slated for 7:30. A win would make 3 in a row for the Generals.
Generals Take Down TomSox in “Relentless” Fashion
Wednesday night saw the Charlottesville TomSox come to Kate Collins Field on a good stretch of 4 wins in their last 5 games. The Generals were one of those wins earlier on in the week when they traveled to Charlottesville.
Head Coach John Jeanes (Chipola) called this victory one of the most relentless efforts he’s seen from the team all summer. Pitchers pitched their way out of jams, hitters came up with hits in key moments, and the defense was impeccable.
After the TomSox got runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, Gens starter Matt Ellmyer (Wofford) worked two straight strikeouts. The hitter for Charlottesville, Max Bazin, then slashed a ball towards the right center gap that looked destined to be 2 RBIs on the play. However, new addition to the club Dylan Cloonan (Miami) had different ideas. He laid out, using full extension, to bring down the snow cone diving grab to end the inning.
The Generals would ride that momentum right into the bottom half of the 2nd inning. Alex Brait (FGCU) would lead things off with a single, only to be picked off during the next at bat. Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) would officially start the rally with a walk. Dalton Wingo (UCF), Tyler Trovinger (Oakland), Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St), and Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) would connect on consecutive singles to drive in a total of 3 runs in the inning.
The TomSox got right back to business in the top of the 3rd with a leadoff double. He would eventually come around to score on a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly to tighten the score to 3-1. It was the first of 3 straight runs. The other runs came in the 5th. It started with another lead off hit for the TomSox and was followed up by an Anthony Lazar double off the top of the fence. Finally, Bazin was brought in to score later in the inning on an infield single. The TomSox had tied the score at 3.
The Gens would answer right away with a big inning in the bottom of the 5th. Gabe Montenegro started with a bunt single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Following a walk by Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary), Dylan Cloonan dropped down yet another bunt single to load the bases with nobody out. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) hit a deep sacrifice fly that allowed all three runners to tag up. Alex Brait followed up with another sac fly to deep right. That made the score 5-3 with a runner on third base and 2 outs. Tyler Bielamowicz drove in what ended up being the final run of the game.
The TomSox would threaten in the later innings by loading the bases twice, but could never get the big hit they needed in the game. Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) would work a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the game.
Key Performers for Charlottesville:
- Anthony Lazar: 2-5, 2B, RBI, R
- Jake Allen: 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, R
- Nick Oar: 1-4, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St): 3-4, RBI
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 3-4, RBI, SB
- Tyler Trovinger (Oakland): 2-4, RBI, R
- Aron Solis (Texas Southern): W (1-0), 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
The Generals will look for their 3rd straight win when they travel to Covington on Thursday to take on the Lumberjacks at 7 PM
Evan Gillespie’s Outing Spoiled in Loss to Cannons
Gillespie held the Cannons scoreless through 6 full innings Sunday night.
Evan Gillespie (Faulkner) shined on Sunday night against the Purcellville Cannons. However, a lack of run support ended up costing the Generals late in the game.
Both Gillespie and Will Guay, the starting pitcher for Purcellville, pitched well in what proved to be pitchers dual. The first run of the game came in the bottom of the 3rd for the Generals. Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) worked a one out walk, Tanner Thomas (Virginia Tech) sharply singled, and Andrew Orzel (Wofford) was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the clean-up hitter Chase Cheek (Duke). Cheek was first pitch swinging and hit a sinking line drive to left. Purcellville’s left fielder made a nice sliding catch but wasn’t able to throw out a speedy Kyle Wrighte on the sacrifice fly. The Generals would end up getting two more runners in scoring position, but failed to cash in. That seemed to be a theme throughout the night. However at this point, the Gens led 1-0.
Gillespie didn’t give up a hit until the top of the 4th, but still faced the minimum after he was able to pick the runner off at first base. He managed to get his 4th straight inning with only facing 3 batters. He had thrown 6 scoreless innings when he toed the rubber in the 7th. He gave up a leadoff walk that was sacrifice bunted to second. The runner then managed to steal third to set up Kam Armstrong for a sacrifice fly. The score after 7 was 1-1.
After a 3 up 3 down inning in the bottom of the 7th for the Generals, Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) entered the ball game. After getting the first out, a swinging bunt started things off. After a fielder’s choice by Purcellville’s leadoff hitter Kenny Oyama, Christian Garabedian stepped in to face Shuff. Oyama would eventually steal second to put himself in scoring position. 3 pitches later, Garabedian smoked a ball down the left field line to plate the go ahead run in the top of the 8th.
The Generals would mount a small rally in the bottom of the 9th, only to fall a bit short. The final score in the ball game was 2-1
Key Performers for Purcellville:
- Christian Garabedian: 1-4, 2B, RBI
- Will Guay: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
- Anthony Zimmerman: SV (2), 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Evan Gillespie (Faulkner): 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K
- Tanner Thomas (Virginia Tech): 3-5
- Tyler Trovinger (Oakland): 2-4
The Generals will travel to CVille Weekly Ballpark to take on the Charlottesville TomSox on Monday night. Nathan Schneider (St. Mary’s) will be on the mound.
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 Surge Late to Nip Strasburg
The Waynesboro Generals opened their home schedule at Kate Collins Field with a three run 7th and a four run 8th to post an 8-5 comeback victory over the Strasburg Express.
Usually in an 8-5 ballgame, there would be plenty of hitting going on. However Wednesday night, that was not the case. Strasburg opened the scoring with a bases loaded walk in the top of the second. That lead didn’t last long though, as Dalton Wingo (UCF) lead off the bottom half with a monstrous solo homer that landed, and eventually crossed, Hopeman Parkway to even the score at 1-1.
The scoring picked back up in the 4th for Strasburg when Austin Thompson ripped a 2-RBI single to centerfield off of starter Bryan Wilcox (Florida Gulf Coast). Two batters later Tyler Krabbe rolled a ball to third that was mishandled by General third baseman Tyler Trovinger (Oakland), allowing another run to score and lengthen Strasburg’s lead to 3.
After a few quiet middle innings, Waynesboro sprung for 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to tie the game at 4. Jordan Ammons (Mercer) came through with a one-out RBI single to right to drive in Jackson Webb (UCF). Later in the inning, Tanner Thomas (Tallahassee CC) hit a ground ball to Express first baseman Stephen Baughan, who threw the ball into right field to allow Ammons to score the second run of the inning. Two pitches later, a pickoff attempt caught Thomas in a rundown between first and second. When Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary) tried stealing home while Thomas was in a pickle, he was caught by Stephen Baughan. Later in the same at-bat, Thomas stole third and forced an errant throw from catcher Jimmy Jefferies, allowing Thomas to score the tying run.
Patrick O’Shea (St. Mary’s) replaced Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) to start the top of the 8th, but allowed a leadoff walk to come around to score on another RBI single by Austin Thompson, moving the score to 5-4.
The Generals did most of their damage off of Strasburg’s Sylvester Toe in the bottom of the 8th. Toe loaded the bases and then walked in the tying run. He lasted 0.1 innings giving up four earned runs on one hit and 3 walks.
Jordan Ammons came through in another clutch situation with a sacrifice fly to right field to give Waynesboro the lead. After a balk, Kyle Wrighte hit a 2-RBI single to right field for some insurance runs. The score moved to 8-5 in favor of the Gens after 8 complete.
Gio Soto (FIU) came on to fire an impressive 9th inning to earn his first save of the summer, racking up 2 strikeouts in the process.
Strasburg Key Performers:
- Austin Thompson: 2-4, 3 RBI, 2 SB
- Jimmy Jeffries: 1-2, 2 BB, 2 R
- Garrett Richards (ND): 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
Waynesboro Key Performers
- Dalton Wingo (UCF): 2-3, Solo HR (1)
- Jordan Ammons (Mercer): 1-3, 2 RBI
- Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary): 1-4, BB, 2 RBI
- Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
The Generals (2-1) are back in action tomorrow night, June 7th, at home vs. the Purcellville Cannons (2-2) at Kate Collins Field.
