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 Take Down Cannons In Rain-Shortened Game
The Generals trailed on the road at Fireman’s Field in the early going, but once they took the lead in the fourth inning, there was no looking back.
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast) started the ball game for the Generals on the mound, and after giving up a first inning run, he was lights out. Singles by Michael Brewer, Bradley Riopelle, and Jose Gutierrez were cause for the run in the bottom of the first. After that inning, the Cannons were never able to bring more than four hitters to the plate, had just one runner reach second base, and also never had a runner reach third. He would finish his five innings allowing five hits, one run, one walk, and he struck out five while picking up his first win of the season.
The pitching staff as a whole was solid once again. Jan Figueroa (Florida International) came in for two innings of relief and kept the Cannons scoreless. He allowed two hits, no runs, no walks, and he struck out one. With the rain setting in, seven innings would be all that the Generals staff would need to complete.
On the offensive side of things, the Gens would churn out runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to pull away from Purcellville.
In the third, the Generals would do all their damage with two outs in the innings. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) doubled down the left field line, just dropping in front of the diving left fielder for the Cannons. Seth Cannady (Florida International) followed up one extra base hit with one of his own. He would drill a triple into the right centerfield gap and later score on a wild pitch to take the lead after three innings. The score rested at 2-1 for just one half inning.
The Generals would jump right back on the bats in the fourth. Back-to-back singles by Jackson Tate (Alabama) and Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) would put runners at first and third. Tate would come into score on a passed ball to make the score 3-1. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) walked to put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice on the next hitter kept runners at first and second, but Murphy was put out at third. After a pitching change, Kobe Lopez would come up big yet again for the Generals with a hit down the left field line. It would score Kinker, but Kobe was thrown out at second trying to stretch the single into a double. The inning wouldn’t stop there. Seth Cannady got hit by a pitch and later stole second to get runners at second and third. After a walk to Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U), Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would drive a run in the hard way. He took a ball right off the elbow for a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. The RBI would mark his team-leading 11th of the summer. After another pitching change, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) would single to bring Cannady in to score and tally their fourth run of the inning to make the score 6-1 after four innings.
The Generals would tack on another run in the sixth inning after yet another two out hit. Seth Cannady would start things off with a leadoff single. Wes Clarke would also single two batters later to put runners at first and second. After out number two was recorded via the strikeout, Jackson Tate came up with his second hit of the evening. This time it was a hustle double to right field to bring in Cannady. The score stood at 7-1 after seven innings of play.
In the eighth, the rain started to fall while the Generals were at-bat. Unfortunately, due to the rules in place, since the Gens didn’t finish their half of the inning, the score reverts back to 7-1. The Gens had put up two runs courtesy of a Bryson Worrell homer after a Wes Clarke single. Jack Murphy also had a double erased from his record. That would have made Jack 3-4 on the night, but will instead have to settle for a solid 2-3. A bit unlucky, but a good win for the Generals.
Key Performers for Purcellville:
Michael Brewer: 2-3, R
Kyle Hayes: 2-3
Jose Gutierrez: 1-3, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, BB
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 2-3, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SB
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast): W (1-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
The Generals (7-5) are back in action Wednesday night when they travel to another North division foe, the Woodstock River Bandits. Game time is set for 7 pm at Falcon Field.
Generals Suffer Sweep to New Market
In order to make up a game that had been rained out, the Generals welcomed New Market to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field for a double-header consisting of two seven inning games. Unfortunately, the Generals were on the losing side of both ball games.
Game 1:
Game one started at 4 pm and saw Bailey Wimberley (Memphis) take the hill for the Generals. His counterpart was Wilhelm Allen for the Rebels. The scoring started early for New Market as the Rebels did all of their hitting with two outs in the inning. Josh Cox hit a single and promptly stole second base on the next pitch. On the stolen base attempt, he moved to third base on an errant throw down from the catcher. He then scored on a single from Samuel Frontino. Frontino would also steal second base. This was the second of five steals that the Rebels pulled in throughout the first game. Brandon Rembert would drive in Frontino with a base hit to left field to finish the scoring for the first frame. The score was 2-0.
The Rebels would also score in the second inning. There was a ton of traffic on the base paths so it was a small victory for the Generals to only allow one run on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. Benito Varela would be the runner to come in and score. The score after two complete innings was 3-0 in favor of the Rebels.
The bottom of the third was the first time the Generals offense got going. They were able to pick up one run, but with the inning they had formulating, the one run felt like a bit of a let down. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) connected on his first home run of the season with just one away in the inning. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would follow up the homer with a double into the left center field gap. A couple pitches later, he would move to third base on a wild pitch with still just one out. The Generals weren’t able to bring in the run after a strikeout and a ground out.
The top of the fourth was another good inning for the New Market Rebels. They would tack on two more runs to extend the lead to 5-1. After being hit by a pitch, Ramon Machado would steal another base before being moved to third on a ground out. A single by Kyle Decker would drive in Machado for the first run of the inning. Decker would steal second base to put yet another runner into scoring position for the Rebs. When he tried to steal third, Josh Cox hit a slow chopper to the shortstop. Decker never broke stride and continued on towards home plate. As the play was developing, Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast), the Generals shortstop, would throw across the diamond to try and retire Cox. His throw was late and Decker made it all the way home safely without a throw.
The Generals would also respond with two runs in the bottom half of the same inning. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would work his way on with a walk to lead off the inning. When Connor Norby (East Carolina) would lay down a bunt, the catcher who came out to field the ball air mailed the throw deep into the right field corner. Kinker would come all the way around to score and Norby would get to third. Christian Proffitt would single to bring in Norby, but the rest of the inning proved unfruitful.
The game rested at a score of 5-3 until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Generals would make a big push to try and win the game in walk off fashion. The newly inserted New Market pitcher would struggle with command. He hit Seth Cannady (Florida International), walked Bryson Worrell and Wes Clarke, and was then lifted from the game. The Rebels would turn to Jeremiah McCollum to try to put out the fire. After an RBI fielder’s choice by Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U), McCollum would pick up two punch outs to end the game. He picked up his second save of the season.
Game 2:
Game two of the double header got under way at about 7:25 pm and saw the matchup of Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) for the Gens and Gregory Strickland for the Rebels.
The Rebels got off to a very similar start in game two by scoring a run in the opening frame. Kyle Decker hit in the leadoff spot for the Rebels and hit a double into the left centerfield gap. Josh Cox followed with a single to right that advanced Decker to third. Giovanny Lorenzo hit a roundball to shortstop to drive in the first run.
The Rebs would score again in the top of the second to extend the lead to 2-0. Brandon Rembert was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. He would steal second and move to third on an errant throw by the catcher. He was brought in on the very next pitch on an error by the first baseman of the Gens. The Rebs would have all they needed to win the game.
The Generals would score in the bottom of the second, but that would finish up the scoring for the rest of the game. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) would start things off with a double into the left center field gap and would move to third on the next pitch on a fly ball to right. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) drove in Murphy on a high fly ball to centerfield for a sacrifice fly.
From the third inning on, the pitching staffs for both teams were dynamic. The teams combined for only 4 hits in the entire game and the score finished at 2-1.
Key Performers for New Market:
Kyle Decker: 2-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Josh Cox: 3-7, R, RBI
Jeremiah McCollum: SV (2), IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Christian Horner: W (1-1), 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Austin Elliott: SV (1), 2 IP, 1 H, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-4, 2 RBI
Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-4, 2B
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 1-5, HR
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 1-3, 2B
Matt Mercer (East Tennessee State): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
The Generals drop to 6-5 while the Rebels move to 6-7 on the summer. The Generals will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Purcellville to take on the Cannons at Fireman’s Field.
Generals Neutralize Cannons
The Generals blasted three home runs in the five-run fifth inning on the road in Purcellville to blow the game open and improve their record to 5-2.
Waynesboro got things started right from the start with a two run inning in the top of the first. After a double play ball turned by the Cannons, there was nobody on and two out in the inning. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would start things with a walk. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would walk as well to put runners at first and second. Jackson Tate (Alabama) would deliver the big blow with a double scorched down the left field line to bring in both Kinker and Clarke. The double marked Jackson’s 4th of the year and also gave him his 4th and 5th RBI of the summer.
The Generals would wait until the fourth inning to strike again, this time just for one run. Santiago Garcia (Alabama State) would start things with a single. Two batters later, the cannons would commit an error, a category they dubiously lead the league in. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) would drive in Garcia with a sacrifice fly to deep center field. The Gens would have the lead with a 3-0 mark after three and a half innings.
The Cannons would respond with their first run in the bottom of the fourth. To this point, the starter for the Gens, Eric Sapp (Gannon University) was dealing with not much resistance. However, when Sapp barely missed with a very close 2-2 count pitch, Jose Aquino would make the most of his opportunity. He blasted a solo shot to straight away left field to make the score 3-1 after four complete innings.
The Generals saw Aquino having fun with his homer in the fourth and wanted to have some fun of their own. Seth Cannady (Florida International) would start things out with a sharp single to left. Two batters later, Wes Clarke would unload on a ball to center that drilled off the press box in straight away centerfield. It was the second homer for Clarke on the season, and to that point, he had the only two home runs the Generals had hit this summer. Fans were still settling back into their seats when Jackson Tate would hit a deep drive to left centerfield. After the ball hit off the concrete warning track at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville, the sky high bounce provided Jackson with some time to motor around the bases. He would eventually use his top level speed to come all the way around for an inside-the-park home run to tally his first of the summer, and the first homer for the Generals by someone not named Wes Clarke. Santi Garcia would keep the line moving with a single. If two homers in the inning wasn’t enough, Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) would hammer a high deep drive right down the right field line. After a few moments of suspense in waiting for the umpire’s decision of whether it was fair or foul, Cady was allowed to continue his trot around the bases to record his first homer of the season. The score after all this was said and done in the fifth inning was 8-1.
The Cannons would add a run in the bottom of the sixth and another in the bottom of the ninth to make the score 8-3, but the game was never really in doubt after the power display in the fifth. The win would improve the Generals to 5-2 and would drop the Cannons to 1-7.
Key Performers for Purcellville:
Jose Aquino: 4-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
Michael Brewer: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Kyle Hayes: 2-4, 2B, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 1-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB
Santiago Garcia (Alabama State): 3-4, 2 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 2-5, 2B, HR (1), 3 RBI
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 1-5, HR (1), 2 RBI
Eric Sapp (Gannon University): 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Waynesboro will be back in action on Wednesday when they welcome the Front Royal Cardinals to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field for a 7 pm game.
Generals Fall to Tom Sox
In their first trip back to C-VILLE Weekly Ballpark since being eliminated from the playoffs last summer, the Generals lost to Charlottesville by a score of 7-2.
The Tom Sox got on the board in the bottom of the first and would lead the rest of the game. They would load the bases with nobody out in the inning. The fourth hitter in the inning would tap back to the mound where the Generals pitcher couldn’t corral and would be saddled with an error and a run scored. The next run would happen on a big double play ball that would allow starting pitcher Alex Tyson (Valdosta St) to keep things manageable for Waynesboro. After one inning of play, the deficit for the Gens was 2-0.
The Tom Sox would strike for two more runs in the third inning to get their lead to 4-0. Kevin Madden would hit a one-out triple for Charlottesville and would stay at third until a Josh Simon two out double would bring in both Madden and Cole McNamee who had walked earlier in the inning.
The game would then fall into a bit of a lull. Neither team could get much going. For the Generals, they could get a few one or two-out hits, but really weren’t able to string multiple hits together. With this lull, it felt like Charlottesville had everything under control until the top of the 8th inning. The Generals would be able to take advantage of a Charlottesville pitcher struggling to hit the strike zone. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) would start things with a single up the middle. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would then reach via the infield single on a slow roller hit to the shortstop. After a fly out, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would walk to load the bases. Jackson Tate would (Alabama) would also walk to bring a run in, and the bases were still loaded with one out. After a pitching change and a subsequent strikeout, Santi Garcia (Alabama State) would bring in a run after being hit by a pitch to make the score 4-2. However the Generals were not able to bring any more runners in and would end up giving up three runs in the bottom of the 8th to get the score to 7-2. That score would be the final.
Key Performers for Charlottesville:
Ramon Garza: 2-4, R
Kevin Madden: 2-3, 3B, RBI, 2 R
Mike Nickles: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Jack Friedman: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Bailey Wimberley (Memphis): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-5, R
Santi Garcia (Alabama State): 2-3, RBI
The Generals will be back in action Saturday as they continue their road trip. They’ll take on the Covington Lumberjacks at Casey Field. First pitch set for 7 pm.
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.
Offense Explodes for 12 Runs On 14 Hits
The Generals jumped all over Purcellville’s pitching staff tonight for 12 runs. The pitching staff for Waynesboro was equally impressive with 16 strikeouts.
After a clean top of the first, the Gens wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) led off the game with a walk, worked his way to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by the second hitter, Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast). Kinker would steal second base two pitches later and would move to third on an infield single by Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) and then throwing error. Jackson Tate (Alabama) would ground into an RBI fielder’s choice to tack on the second run of the inning.
Purcellville would bounce back in the third inning with a run of their own. Things got started with a lead-off double by Kyle Hayes. He would be brought in to score two batters later on a single by Michael Brewer. Not to be outdone, the Generals would get the run right back in the bottom of the third. When Jackson Tate grounded into a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning, it looked as if the Gens would go quietly. However, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) hit an RBI triple to deep centerfield. That brought the score back to a 2 run cushion of 3-1.
The game remained close until the bottom of the 5th. The Generals would strike for 5 runs to blow the game open. Cole Jackson (Young Harris) would start things out with an infield single. Jackson Tate would double down the left field line to put runners on second and third. Wes Clarke then singled to bring both runners in for the first 2 runs of the inning. After a fielder’s choice, a Cannons error, and a strikeout, Kobe Lopez would double off the wall in left field to bring both runners in. Kobe would score a few pitches later on a single by Joe Kinker again. The score now read 8-1.
The Generals would tack on another run in the 6th. Cole Jackson started things off with a double and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Wes Clarke walked, Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring in Cole Jackson.
The 7th inning proved to be another fruitful one for Waynesboro as they put up three more runs. Kobe Lopez would get a one-out infield single and would steal second when there was nobody around to cover the bag. Joe Kinker would reach on an error by the shortstop. Santiago Garcia (Alabama St.) stepped up in his pinch hit opportunity and drilled a two RBI single to right field after the right fielder missed the ball, allowing two runs and Garcia to get to third base. Cole Jackson would pick up his 3rd hit of the night to drive in Garcia to make the score 12-1.
The Cannons would add 3 runs in the top of the 8th, but overall, the pitching staff for the Gens was impressive as well. Eric Sapp (Gannon U) led the way with 5 strong innings where he struck out nine batters and picked up his first win of the season.
Key Performers for Purcellville:
Michael Brewer: 3-4, RBI, R
Jose Gutierrez: 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R
Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
Cole Jackson (Young Harris): 3-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-3, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BB
Eric Sapp (Gannon U): W (1-0), 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
Dylan Nix (Young Harris): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K
The Generals will take tomorrow off but will be back in action at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field on Tuesday when the Covington Lumberjacks come back to town.
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.
