2019 Regular Season Recap
The Generals put together their best regular season since the team was created in 1935. They finished with the best record in the league of 31-11. After starting the year 6-5, the Gens won 25 out of their last 31 games. They had three separate winning streaks of at least five games. Those three streaks include the last five games of the regular season that the Gens were able to win. They enter the playoffs hot at the right time.
Offensively, the Gens put up a .285 batting average with just under 100 doubles and 41 long balls. A big contributor in those categories was Wes Clarke (Forest, VA | South Carolina). Wes finished fifth in the league in hitting with a .364 batting average. He led the team in doubles with 14 and home runs with six. Other key players in getting the batting average up to that high number of .285 were Connor Norby (Kernersville, NC | East Carolina) with a .333 batting average with 4 triples and 4 homers, Jack Murphy (Orinda, CA | St. Mary’s) with a .314 batting average with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 25 RBI, and finally, Gunner Peterson (Salem, WI | Illinois St.) with a .321 batting average with three home runs. The team didn’t just sit around and wait for extra base hits either. They were able to steal 65 bases. Jackson Tate (Pike Road, AL | Alabama) stole 12 to lead the team. Kobe Lopez (Orlando, FL | Florida International) stole 11 bases to follow up Tate. Finally, Bryson Worrell (Sims, NC | East Carolina) stole eight to round out the top three. With all these extra base hits and stolen bases, it should come as no surprise that the team averaged right around eight runs per game. The top five run scorers on the team were Kobe Lopez with 37, Wes Clarke with 33, Jackson Tate with 32, Connor Norby with 31, and Jack Murphy and Joey Kinker (North Port, FL | Florida Gulf Coast) tied with 30. The people with the highest amount of runs driven in looks pretty similar to the people that have scored the most runs. Top five RBI men were Jackson Tate with 31, Wes Clarke with 29, Jack Murphy with 25, Kobe Lopez with 23, and Eli Quiceno (Berryville, VA | Gannon University) with 21. Finally, the Gens organization wants to thank our top five guys in games played. These guys brought it every night for the team and never complained once. Kobe Lopez and Joey Kinker with 40 games played, Jackson Tate and Jack Murphy with 38 games played, Wes Clarke with 37, and Ethan Cady (Soddy Daisy, TN | East Tennessee State) with 32.
Those offensive numbers were phenomenal considering the team’s pitching was so dominant. There were some nights where the pitching had to carry the load, and this team could do it with starters or a suffocating bullpen. Our top 5 pitchers for wins include Deven Judy (Belle Vernon, PA | Gannon University), Zach Kirby (Upland, CA | East Tennessee State), Zach Blankenship (Fleming Island, FL | Valdosta St), Luke Short (Los Gatos, CA | St. Mary’s), and Tyler Shuck (Cape Coral, FL | Florida Gulf Coast). The five-man tie for the team lead in wins saw them get three wins. As for the suffocating bullpen, the team picked up a total of nine saves. McLain Harris (Griffin, GA | Young Harris Col) led the team with three, Christian Edwards (Hartselle, AL | Jacksonville State) had two, and a host of players with one apiece. They include Nick Zegna (Newark, DE | George Mason), Christian Dearman (Pembroke Pines, FL | Florida International), Jan Figueroa (Trujillo Alto, PR | Florida International), and Matt Mercer (Chattanooga, TN | East Tennessee State). The team’s ERA was 3.72 and the total amount of runs given up per game sat at just 4.70. The top five players in ERA for the team were Christian Dearman with a 0.45 ERA, McLain Harris with a 0.85 ERA, Luke Short with a 2.18, Jan Figueroa with a 2.82 ERA, and Deven Judy with a 3.21. The staff was able to strike out a little over nine per game to take pressure off the defense. The top five strikeout men were McLain Harris with 31, Zach Kirby with 29, Deven Judy and Daniel Casto (Olive Branch, MS | Memphis) with 27, and Tyler Shuck and Luke Short with 26.
With the playoffs set, let’s look at how the Generals fared against the possible opponents from both divisions.
#2 Seed in the South: Charlottesville Tom Sox
The Gens were 4-2 against their rivals from just down I-64. However, the Generals won their last four decisions against the Tom Sox. The last time the Tom Sox were victorious over the Gens, it took 10 innings on June 21st. The Tom Sox scored an unearned run in the 10th to win by a score of 2-1. That moved the season series to 2-0 in favor of the Tom Sox. However, the Generals rattled off four straight wins to win the season series. That included three consecutive games for the Generals from July 4th to July 8th.
#3 Seed in the South: Covington Lumberjacks
The Gens were 5-1 against the Jacks on the season. The one victory that the Jacks had against the Gens came on June 4th. They also had a very good opportunity to win a back end of a double header vs. the Gens on July 18th, but the Gens mounted a comeback from three runs down in the top of the sixth of a seven inning game with five runs to win the game 5-4.
#4 Seed in the South: Staunton Braves
The rivalry was a bit one-sided in the regular season. The Gens won all six matchups between the two teams. The Braves had a very good chance on June 26th. The bases were empty in the ninth with two outs in the inning and they were leading by three runs at their home ball park. However, the Gens mounted a comeback that was highlighted by a game-tying 3-run homer by Joey Kinker to tie it up. The Gens would eventually win in the 10th.
#1 Seed in the North: Strasburg Express
The Gens were 3-0 against the North division’s top team. This includes the 17-4 victory in Strasburg on the final day of the regular season for the Gens to clinch the best win-loss record in team history. The other two matchups between the teams saw the Gens winning by a margin of four runs each time.
#2 Seed in the North: Woodstock River Bandits
The Gens finished 2-1 against the River Bandits this season. The two wins they had against Woodstock were both high-scoring affairs. The Gens took the first matchup 20-10 in Woodstock. They mounted a five run comeback in the ninth to tie and eventually win the game in the 11th inning in the second matchup. Finally, the River Bandits came up with a victory against the Gens in Woodstock.
#3 Seed in the North: New Market Rebels
The Gens lost the season series 2-1 to the Rebels this season. The Rebels were only one of two teams in the entire Valley League that had a winning record vs the Generals. The Gens took the opening game in New Market on June 6th by a score of 13-5. But The Rebels swept a double header at Kate Collins Field on June 16th. The Rebels took both games by one run. The first game finished at 5-4 and the second finished at 2-1.
#4 Seed in the North: Winchester Royals
The Winchester Royals were the other of the two teams that had winning records vs. the Gens this summer. The first matchup on June 27th saw the Gens pick up their one win over Winchester with a 10-6 score. A go-ahead 3-run homer by Ethan Cady in the bottom of the 5th would prove to be the game-winner. However, the Royals took the next two games of the series. The first was at Waynesboro that they connected on a couple homers to win 9-6. The other was in Winchester when they shut out the Gens 4-0. That marked the only time the Gens were shutout on the season.
Now that the scene is set, it’s time to enjoy some playoff baseball in the Valley League! Game One of the first series against the Staunton Braves is Sunday, July 28th, at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field at 7 PM. The Gens are looking for their 7th VBL Championship and first since 2014.
Gens Sweep Three Game Set With Second Place Charlottesville
Waynesboro opened up a lead in the South division over the second place Tom Sox with three wins in five days. Two wins on the road and another at home has the Gens leading the South division by four games.
Game One
The first game of the three game set was the annual Independence Day clash between the Gens and the Tom Sox.
Waynesboro got off to a hot start with two runs in their first frame in front of a crowd announced at over 2,000 people. Connor Norby (East Carolina) worked his way on to start the inning. He got moved to third two batters later on a single by Kobe Lopez (Florida International). After stolen bases by both Norby and Lopez on separate pitches, Norby came in to score on a balk by Charlottesville’s starting pitcher. Kobe Lopez scored on the single by Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) to give the Gens an early 2-0 lead.
Charlottesville wouldn’t allow the home fans to worry long. They put up six unanswered runs over the next three innings, including a four run first. A walk by Kirby McMullen got things started in the first inning. Thomas Francisco continued his hot hitting with a triple to left center field to drive in McMullen. Trey McDyre ripped a single to drive in Francisco. Finally, Christian Hlinka provided the big blow in the inning with a two-run homer deep to right field.
The Tom Sox added a run in the second on a two-out RBI single by Thomas Francisco to make the score 5-2. In the third it was Christian Hlinka picking up another base hit, this time just a leadoff single. Dan Harwood came up with a double two batters later to drive in Hlinka for what turned out to be the last run the Tom Sox would be able to muster. The score after three complete was 6-2 in favor of the Tom Sox.
The Generals, however, have had the uncanny ability to pull themselves back into ball games this year, and Thursday night was no different. They added runs in the fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth innings to get themselves back into the game. After Connor Norby homered Wednesday at home vs. Front Royal, he made it back-to-back nights with a homer with his solo blast in the top of the fifth to make the score 6-3. In the sixth, Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) doubled to lead things off. Jackson Tate (Alabama) walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. After a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, Jackson Greene (Florida State) laid down a safety squeeze to pick up another run. The score now read 6-4. In the eighth, the Gens pulled a bit closer. It was Jackson Tate working a one out walk, moving to second on a wild pitch, and to third on a groundout. Jackson Greene came up big again with a single to center field with two outs in the inning. However, the Generals would strand Greene and would head to the ninth still down by one.
In the ninth, the leadoff hitter Connor Norby singled through the left side. After a deep fly out and a slow roller to shortstop, the Gens would have Norby at second but with two outs. The Generals called on Brad Burckel (Houston) in a pinch hitting opportunity to get the runner in from second. Burckel was coming off the previous night where he picked up three hits, three RBI, and was named “Valley League Hitter of the Night” by AllThingsValleyLeague. Burckel continued his hot hitting in this key situation with a single up the middle that tied the game. After the game-tying single, Charlottesville’s pitcher became a bit rattled. He gave up a four pitch walk to Jack Murphy and hit Jackson Tate with a pitch. After a pitching change, Gunner Peterson (Illinois State) came up with the go-ahead run on another four pitch walk. The Gens took their one run lead into the bottom of the ninth with Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) on to try and record the save.
With it being the fourth of July and the game getting started a bit late due to rain, the fireworks display that is set up for Charlottesville High School started while in between innings. So Christian Edwards would have to try to work through the ninth inning only up one run with +2,000 fans, a good part of the lineup for the Tom Sox, and fireworks going off so close to the field that Coach Cole was quoted as saying they could feel the concussion from the field. Edwards managed to do so beautifully. He got a ground out to third, a strikeout, and after a two-out walk, another strikeout to shut the door for his second save of the summer.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game One:
Thomas Francisco: 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, R
Christian Hlinka: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Dan Harwood: 2-4, 2B, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game One:
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, HR (2), RBI, 3 R
McLain Harris (Young Harris College), Jan Figueroa (Florida International), and Deven Judy (Gannon U): Combined for 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K to hold the Tom Sox down.
Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State): SV (2), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Brad Burckel (Houston): 1-1, Game-tying RBI single
The Generals moved their record to 18-8 and would have a night off Friday before taking on the Tom Sox again Saturday night at home.
Game Two
Charlottesville entered game two having made a huge comeback over South division foe Staunton in the ninth inning on Friday night. The Generals were well rested after having their first true day off in over two weeks. The Generals defended their home territory and made it known quickly that they were ready for the second game with Charlottesville.
In the bottom of the first, Connor Norby started things with a chopper over the pitcher’s head for an infield single. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) walked to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Kobe Lopez hit a grounder to third and the Tom Sox third baseman delivered a throw that was a bit high to the second baseman that ended up bounding out into right field to allow Norby to score from second base. The Gens were out to a 1-0 lead after one complete inning.
The Generals got right back on the board in the second inning. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) singled to right field with one out. Two batters later, Wes Clarke drilled a double to the warning track in right center field. It brought Kinker all the way around to score. The Gens made it 2-0 after two innings.
The game fell into a bit of a lull. Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast) worked through five shutout innings while scattering nine base runners. He allowed five hits and four walks, but picked up some key double plays as well as three strikeouts to work through danger. He left the game with a 2-0 lead and Jan Figueroa (Florida International) came in for relief. Jan tossed two more shut out innings while the General offense provided some breathing room.
In the bottom of the sixth, Jack Murphy got a ball to drop in perfectly down the left field line and hustled his way into second for a double. Two batters later, his host brother Jackson Tate ripped a single into left to allow Murphy to score. In the seventh, the Generals provided the pitching staff with more breathing room after another shutout inning by Figueroa. Back-to-back singles from Norby and Clarke had runners at first and second. Kobe Lopez dropped down a perfect sacrifice bunt to put both runners into scoring position. Jack Murphy took advantage with a single up the middle to score Norby and move Clarke to third. Eli Quiceno (Gannon U) followed things up with an RBI infield single to bring in another run and push the score to 5-0.
The Generals turned to Christian Dearman (Florida International) for the top of the eighth. As he’s done all year, he threw up yet another zero for the opposing team. He tossed a scoreless top half while allowing just one hit. As teams were switching from offense to defense and vice versa, the skies opened up with some of the hardest rain and wind that the area had seen in awhile. This soaked the field beyond its playing point and the Generals walked away with a 5-0 win in eight innings.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game Two:
Cayman Richardson: 2-4
Cal Greenfield: 1-2, BB
Kirby McMullen: 1-1, BB
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game Two:
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4, 2 R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Tyler Shuck (Florida Gulf Coast): W (2-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
Christian Dearman (Florida International): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
The Generals moved their record to 19-8 the night before the Valley League All-Star Game. They knew they would have to face Charlottesville one more time this week on Monday. First pitch at C-Ville Weekly Ballpark was set for 7 pm for a makeup game from a previous rain-out.
Game Three
The Generals had a three game lead going into Monday night with an opportunity to sweep the three game set with Charlottesville and take a four game lead over the Tom Sox.
The Tom Sox opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first with two quick runs. A single by Cayman Richardson and a double by Thomas Francisco had runners at second and third with just one out. Trey McDyre had an RBI groundout and Christian Hlinka sharply singled to right to bring in both runners. The Gens had once again fallen victim to those first inning runs.
But as they do so often, they responded quickly with a run in the top of the second. A fielder’s choice on Jackson Tate put him on first. Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) singled through the right side to put runners at first and second. A walk to Joey Kinker loaded the bases for Brad Burckel. Burckel was able to bring in the run on a fielder’s choice to second base. The score was 2-1 after two innings of play.
The Generals tied the game up with another run in the third inning. Connor Norby singled to get things started. However after two outs, the Tom Sox looked like they had things under control. Gunner Peterson singled to center and brought Norby to third. A couple pitches into the next at-bat, the catcher mishandled a ball at the plate and with heads up base running, Norby was able to slide in safely at home. The score was tied at 2.
The Tom Sox bounced back to with a run in the bottom of the third to retake the lead. Cayman Richardson started things out with another single. Kirby McMullen followed up with a single to put runners at first and second. Thomas Francisco singled through the right side that brought Richardson around to score. The Tom Sox held their lead until the top of the fifth.
The fifth is when the Generals would bust out with five runs to take the lead. After three straight walks loaded the bases to begin the inning, Gunner Peterson ripped a single to right field. The ball scooted under the glove of McMullen and ran a good bit past him. This allowed all three runs to score as well as getting Peterson to third base. Jackson Tate doubled to right to bring in the fourth run of the inning. Tate wasn’t content with second base, so he decided to steal third with still nobody out in the inning. Ethan Cady came up with an RBI ground out to put the score at 7-3 in favor of the Generals.
This put Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) in line for the win if he could work through the fifth inning. Kirby seized his opportunity with a three up-three down inning in the fifth. He allowed six hits and three earned runs over his five innings, but held the Tom Sox down for the most part. He also scattered six strikeouts over his five innings to pick up his first win of the summer.
The Gens blew the game open in the seventh inning with four more runs to suck the life out of the sparse already sparse crowd at C-Ville Weekly Ballpark. After a couple of walks and a single by Jackson Tate, the bases were loaded with nobody out in the inning. After a pitching change, Joey Kinker ripped a two RBI single to right field to drive in Peterson and Tate. Ethan Cady later came into score on a wild pitch and Kinker was brought home on a sacrifice fly to center by Kobe Lopez. This got the score to 11-3.
The Tom Sox would add a couple of runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the game was well in hand for the Gens. They took home the win with a final score of 11-5.
Key Performers for Charlottesville in Game Three:
Thomas Francisco: 2-3, 2B, RBI, R
Cayman Richardson: 2-4, 2 R
Christian Hlinka: 2-4, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro in Game Three:
Gunner Peterson (Illinois State): 3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 3-5, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-3, RBI, R
Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State): W (1-2), 5 IP, 6 K, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K
Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
The Generals moved their record to 20-8 after the three game sweep of the Charlottesville Tom Sox over the last five days. Overall, the Gens have won 11 out of their last 12 games and five games in a row. They hold a four game lead over the rest of the division and will host the Winchester Royals on Tuesday night at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Home Runs Help Gens To Their 6th Straight Win
Ethan Cady and Wes Clarke each hit their team-leading third home run of the year to help the Gens take down the Staunton Braves on the road Saturday night.
Staunton jumped out to a one run lead in the bottom of the first. A walk and a hit-by-pitch with one out in the inning set the stage for Devon Moore to hit a single up the middle that scored the runner from second. They would hold the lead for a half inning before relinquishing it for the rest of the game.
The Gens responded with a vengeance in the top of the second. After retiring the first two hitters of the inning, things got started with a single to left by Jackson Tate (Alabama). The next batter was Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State). He would fall behind in the count, 0-2. However, the next pitch was over the heart of the plate and Ethan didn’t miss it. He cranked a high fly ball that banged off the sponsorship wall above the out field wall in John Moxie Stadium for his third home run of the season. This put Ethan alone for the team lead in homers over a number of players that had hit two. It put the Gens up 2-1, but the weren’t finished yet. Jackson Greene (Florida State) singled after the homer and moved to second on a walk to Connor Norby (East Carolina). Kobe Lopez (Florida International) came up with another single that drove in Greene, but when the centerfielder whiffed the ball, Norby came all the way around to score. The score after the top of the second was 4-1 in favor of the Gens.
The Gens wouldn’t wait long to score again. After starter Deven Judy (Gannon U) worked out of a bit of a jam in the bottom of the second, Eli Quiceno (Gannon U) hit the first of his two doubles to get things off and running in the third. The very next batter was Wes Clarke (South Carolina). He hit an absolute no doubter to left center field to continue the fireworks. That was his third of the season, which tied himself with Cady once again. Cady had held the team lead in homers for a total of one inning. The score was now 6-1.
The fourth inning would make the third consecutive inning that the Gens scored. Again, they would do their damage after the first two hitters of the inning were retired. A two-out single by Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) brought up Eli Quiceno. Eli put a charge into one that had the crowd thinking it was a third consecutive inning with a homer for Waynesboro. Instead, the ball banged off the wall and Eli was able to pull into second base with an RBI double. The score after the top of the fourth was 7-1.
The Braves would mount a bit of a comeback with three unanswered runs. They scored one in the fourth and two in the seventh. In the fourth, a walk and two singles loaded the bases for Staunton with one out in the inning. A ground out would score a run and put runners at second and third, but Judy escaped further damage. Judy also got into a bases loaded jam in the fifth, but a couple of strikeouts got him out of the inning and finished his night after five innings. In the seventh, the inning got started with an error on the Waynesboro third baseman. A single by Logan Worley put runners at first and second. Duncan Pastore ripped a double past the diving third baseman to bring in the runner from second. A sacrifice fly by Jacob Selden brought in another run but really settled in Luke Short (St. Mary’s). Luke had already pitched a clean 6th before having just a little trouble in the sixth. After the sacrifice fly gave Waynesboro their first out, Short proceeded to strikeout two more batters to finish the inning. He was able to punch out four in just two innings. The score after seven complete innings had the Gens on top by three, 7-4.
The Generals were able to add some insurance runs in the top of the ninth to put things out of reach for the Braves. But just before that in the bottom of the eighth, Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State) put up an immaculate inning. He threw 9 pitches, 9 strikes, and recorded 3 punch outs. The craziest part of the immaculate inning was that Edwards threw only fastballs. He was bringing the gas and Staunton couldn’t catch up with it. He also went on to strikeout three more in his second inning of work to pick up his first save of the season. Jackson Tate was hit by at pitch and made Staunton pay for it. He stole second and then third all within a matter of four pitches. With a drawn in infield, Jackson Greene hit a chopper to the shortstop. The shortstop tried to throw out Tate at home, but was late in doing so. An RBI fielder’s choice for Jackson Greene put the first run of the inning on the board. Connor Norby got hit by a pitch and Kobe Lopez walked to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed the other runner to come in to put the score at 9-4. That score ended up being the final as the Gens won their sixth in a row and also moved their record vs the Staunton Braves to 4-0 on the season.
Key Performers for Staunton:
Logan Worley: 2-5, R
Duncan Pastore: 1-4, 2B, RBI
Mitchell Guerrieri: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 2-4, 3B, HR (3), 2 RBI, R
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon University): 2-6, 2 2B, RBI, R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 1-3, HR (3), 2 RBI, R, 2 BB
Deven Judy (Gannon University): W (1-0), 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K
Christian Edwards (Jacksonville State): SV (1), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (First Inning- “Immaculate Inning”)
The Generals (15-7) will be back in action on the road on Sunday night. They’ll travel to Woodstock to take on the River Bandits. The two games with Woodstock have both lasted over four hours, had at least 32 combined hits, and at least 29 combined runs. So Sunday night promises to be a fireworks display a little bit before July. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Gens Win 5th Straight In High Scoring Fashion
The Generals used a five run bottom of the eighth to pull away from the visiting Covington Lumberjacks for their fifth straight win.
Covington came to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field knowing the Gens were on a four game win streak, and the Jacks came out swinging. After getting the first batter to ground out, Christian Torres and Matthew Cocciadiferro singled to put runners at first and second for Domenic Boselli. Boselli worked the count full and then proceeded to hammer a fastball deep to left field for his second home run of the summer. The Jacks were out to a 3-0 lead.
The Generals, as it seems they’ve done all year, responded right away. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) worked his way on after striking out on a pitch that got away from the catcher. He stole second to put himself into scoring position for Seth Cannady (Florida International) with one out in the inning. Cannady singled to left field to put runners at the corners. Wes Clarke (South Carolina), the team leader in RBI, added to his total with a double to left centerfield. This put runners at second and third with one out in the inning. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) continued his hot hitting with a 2 RBI single that drove in Cannady and Clarke. This tied the score at 3.
Jackson Greene (Florida State) started things off with a walk and moved to second on a Connor Norby (East Carolina) single. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) came up two batters later and dropped a single in to right field that scored Greene. This gave the Generals their first lead of the game.
Covington scored four straight runs with two in the third and two in the fourth. A couple of walks started out the top of the third for the Lumberjacks. They were both moved up a bag on a ground ball to first base that wasn’t hit well enough to try to turn a double play. Another walk loaded the bases before a fourth walk in the inning brought in the tying run. A sacrifice by Nick Cicci put the Lumberjacks in front 5-4 after three innings.
In the fourth, the Lumberjacks would lengthen their lead a bit. A ground ball to first base that glanced off of the actual base gave the Lumberjacks a base runner with a quirky single. The next ball was hit sharply on the ground right at the second baseman that looked like it would immediately clear the bases on a double play. Instead, the ball was booted and it put runners at the corners with nobody out. Two batters later, the Lumberjacks would use another sacrifice run to expand on their lead. On the next pitch, Christian Torres tried stealing second on a low pitch. When he realized he was toast, he stopped and headed back for first base. Kobe Lopez saw that and tried to field the throw from the catcher and throw in behind Torres. The ball hit Torres on the back and skipped into right field. Torres was able to move to second on the errant throw. He scored on the very next pitch on a ground ball that was just out of the reach of the second baseman for a single. This made the score 7-4 going into the bottom of the fourth.
The fourth inning got started with another walk to Jackson Greene. He moved to second base on a wild pitch, and with two outs in the inning, Kobe Lopez came up with an RBI single to left field. This brought the Gens a run closer. 7-5 was the score after four complete innings.
Finally in the fifth, the Gens pulled ahead and never looked back. Wes Clarke hit a ball into left center field for what looked to be a one-out single. But when the centerfielder took his time getting to the ball, Clarke took a hard round of first and headed for second base. He would avoid a tag with a slide to the inside part of second base and he turned a single into his second double. After a fly out for out number two, Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) worked his way on with a walk. That brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State). On the second pitch of the at-bat, Cady ripped a ball out towards the right field wall. It was hit hard enough, but was it high enough? That question was answered pretty quickly as the ball landed over the fence in a hurry. Cady had pulled the Gens in front by a run with his second homer of the summer. After five complete innings, the Gens led 8-7.
In the sixth, the Gens were able to get a little breathing room. After a lead off walk to Connor Norby, Kobe Lopez got himself into a 2-0 count and didn’t waste the advantage count. He hit a high, majestic blast to straight away left field. The two-run shot was Kobe’s first home run of the summer and it put the Gens ahead by three.
The Lumberjacks would put together one more rally to try and tie the game, or maybe even pull ahead. In the top of the eighth, a walk and two singles loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning. Christian Dearman (Florida International) came on to try and get the Generals out of the bases loaded jam. The first run of the inning came in on a fielder’s choice when the Gens tried to turn a double play, but were only able to get the runner at second for out number one. An error allowed the second run to score and put runners at first and second with only one out. A hit-by-pitch loaded the bases and put the go ahead run at second base. Then Dearman really settled in. He got a shallow fly ball for the second out of the inning that Covington couldn’t tag up on. He then got another pop fly to center that was easily handled by Cannady. The Gens escaped the inning with a one run lead.
The Generals then broke it open in the bottom of the eighth to help everybody on the third base side breathe a little easier. Jackson Greene was hit by a pitch, Connor Norby picked up another single, and Joey Kinker singled over the shortstop’s head to load the bases with just one out. Seth Cannady and Wes Clarke both worked bases loaded RBI walks to put the first two runs of the inning on the board. Jack Murphy came up with an infield single on a nice diving stop by the Covington second baseman to only allow one run. Ethan Cady added to the run total with an infield single for his fourth RBI of the night. This scored Cannady, but an error by the second baseman on the same play also allowed Wes Clarke to score. That brought the score to its final total. The Gens brought home a 15-9 victory over their South Divison foe Covington Lumberjacks.
Key Performers for Covington:
Jonathon Barditch: 3-6, 2B, 2 R
Domenic Boselli: 1-3, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R
Christian Torres: 2-5, 2 R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State): 2-5, HR, 4 RBI, R
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-5, 3 RBI
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB
Jan Figueroa (Florida International): W (1-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Christian Dearman (Florida International): SV (1), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (14-7) put their five game win streak on the line Saturday night when they travel down the road to Staunton to take on the Braves. First pitch is set for 7:30 pm.
Gens Win Fourth Straight
Even though the Generals were facing one of the top arms in the league on Thursday night, they managed 10 runs on 15 hits to put up their 13th win of the season and fourth win in a row.
With Winchester’s Michael Anderson on the mound, the Gens figured to have a low scoring affair. Anderson was 3-0 with a 2.94 ERA coming into the ballgame with wins over some of the top teams in the league. However, when Winchester came out swinging, the Gens knew they needed to keep swinging the bats the way they have been the past 5 games.
The Royals scored two runs right out of the gate. An error, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning. After a strikeout recorded the first out of the inning, Winchester came up with a sacrifice fly to center field to score the game’s first run. The next batter hit a ground ball to short stop for what looked to be the third out of the inning. However, the throw across the infield was a low one and wasn’t able to be dug out. The first inning for Winchester included two runs on no hits and two errors by the Gens.
The Generals didn’t take long to bounce back in the bottom of the first. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) started things off with a single down the left field line. He took a big round and thought about heading for second, but decided against it. It ended up being a great decision because in an 0-2 count on the very next batter, Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) hammered a no-doubter into the pine trees in straight away left field for his second home run of the summer. It was also his second consecutive at-bat with a home run after hitting the game tying homer against Staunton the night before.
The Royals responded right away in the top of the second inning. A single by Will Long lead off the inning. He was moved to second base on a tapper back to the mound that the Generals fielded cleanly for out number one. Another single, this time by Trent Burgreen, put runners on the corners with one out in the inning. Mason Prososki then skied one to left to drive in their third run of the ball game.
The Gens would match the run total in the inning to tie the game again in the bottom of the second inning. Back-to-back singles by Jackson Tate (Alabama) and Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) had things off and running. Jackson Greene (Florida State) rolled a grounder to the third baseman, but it was so well placed and slowly hit that Murphy was able to move into second, and Tate was able to score from third. The game was tied after 2 complete innings with a score of three to three.
The Royals scored for a third consecutive inning to start the ball game. Singles from Dyer and Palenski had runners at first and second with nobody away. After a strikeout for the first out, Will Long would come up huge with a double that perfectly directed the center and right fielders for a bases clearing double. The score going to the bottom of the third was now 5-3.
Finally in the bottom of the third, the Gens said enough is enough and would take the lead instead of just matching scores. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon University) would start the hitting with a one out single. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) rolled into a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning. However, he would steal second to put himself in scoring position for Seth Cannady (Florida International). Cannady wouldn’t waste the opportunity. He ripped a single to center field for an RBI single. A couple pitches later, Cannady would also steal second base. This time it was Jackson Tate who wouldn’t waste the opportunity. He hooked a line drive down the left field line for an RBI double. Finally, it was Jack Murphy with another 2-out RBI single to drive in Tate to take the lead 6-5.
After a scoreless fourth inning from both sides, the Royals would tie things up yet again in the 5th. Back-to-back one-out singles from Palenski and Barnett had runners at first and second. After a strikeout, it again looked like the Generals were going to get out of the inning unharmed with a ground ball to shortstop. However, the throw was low once again and not able to be dug out at first. The throw skipped away and allowed the Royals to tack on the tying run. Three out of the six runs that had score were unearned runs.
But the Generals did what they seemed to do all year when a team scores on them. They responded with more runs of their own. A walk to Eli Quiceno lead things off, but after two straight outs, it looked like the inning may stall. The good thing for the Generals is that they had Jackson Tate and Jack Murphy up, who went a combined 7 for 8. Tate kept the inning going with a single through the left side. Jack Murphy then doubled to left center field to drive in Quiceno. This gave the Gens the lead, but they weren’t done there. Jackson Greene drilled a single up the middle after a pitching change to put up two more runs. The Gens led 9-6 after 5 complete innings.
From there, things really calmed down. Zach Blankenship (Valdosta State) settled in and dealt a strong three innings to eventually pick up his third win of the season to lead the Generals in that category. The Generals would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the 8th to make the score 10-6. Eli Quiceno ended up being the guy to start things again, this time with a two out single. He moved into second base on an error by the left fielder. Ethan Cady (East Tennessee State) then drilled a double to left center field to drive in Quiceno. That brought the score to its final tally of 10-6.
Key Performers for Winchester:
Will Long: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Aaron Palensky: 2-4, RBI, 2 R
Jordan Barnett: 2-5
John Dyer: 2-5, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 3-4, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 4-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U): 2-4, 2 R
Jackson Greene (Florida State): 1-3, 3 RBI
Zach Blankenship (Valdosta State): W (3-0), 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
The Generals (13-7) will be back in action Friday night at home vs the Covington Lumberjacks in a South division matchup. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field is set for 7 pm. The Gens look to win their fifth in a row.
Gens Post Another Comeback In Ninth With Win In Extras
The Generals were down to their last out needing more runs for the second straight night. Tuesday night, it was at home vs the Woodstock River Bandits needing 5 in the ninth. Wednesday it was on the road in Staunton needing three in the ninth.
The game got off to a bit of a slow start for both teams. For Waynesboro, they had just come down off their high from winning over Woodstock in thrilling fashion in a game that lasted well over four hours. Coach Cole admitted after the game that, “We were dead. Everybody was still tired from last night, including me. We had community service early this morning. We were all exhausted.” However, the first run of the game was scored by Waynesboro in the top of the third. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) started things off with a single. After two straight hit-by-pitches, the bases were loaded with nobody out. After a strikeout, a wild pitch allowed Murphy to come in and score. Unfortunately, the Gens couldn’t muster up any more offense in the inning.
The Generals scored again in the top of the fourth to make the score 2-0. A double by Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) got things started. An error on the Braves’ shortstop put runners at the corners with nobody out. The Braves then made another error that allowed Kinker to come in and score. Again the Generals offense stalled with a good situation in front of them. They had runners at first and second with nobody out after the run scored, and they weren’t able to bring anyone else in.
It was in the bottom of the 5th that the Braves struck for all six of their runs in the ballgame. A single by Pastore, a walk to Selden, an RBI double by Brown, and a two RBI single by Brophy put three runs on the board. A pitching change was made for the Generals, but it really didn’t slow down the Braves offense. Two walks loaded the bases before a single brought in another run for the Braves. Finally, it looked like the Gens were going to settle in on the mound. A huge strikeout of the league’s leading RBI man in Andrew Czech gave the Gens their first out of the inning. After a tapper back to the mound looked like it could be the double play the Gens were looking for, an errant throw on the back end sent the ball into the right field corner and allowed another run and gave the Braves another out to work with. Another error by the Gens allowed the sixth and final run to score. The score after five complete innings read 6-2 in favor of the homestanding Braves.
One of the biggest strengths of this General team is that they take the opposing team’s best punch, and always seem to have an answer back. They continued that with Joey Kinker continuing his great night in the very next half inning. He doubled to instantly put a runner in scoring position. Jackson Tate (Alabama) worked a walk to put runners at first and second. After a wild pitch, both runners moved into scoring position with nobody out. Jack Murphy came up with a sacrifice fly to center to bring a run in, but that would end the General rally. The score after six complete was 6-3.
That score would remain until the top of the ninth. In that inning, things seemed to just be on the Braves side. After a walk, the next hitter would hit a ground ball to the shortstop. The ball came up on him, glanced off his chest right into the glove of the second baseman who turned the double play to clear the bases with two outs in the inning and the Generals still needing three runs. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) reached on an error by the Braves’ third baseman to keep things alive. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) then singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of the hot hitting Joey Kinker. Two pitches into the at-bat, Joey drilled one high and deep to right centerfield that disappeared into the pines beyond the right field fence. TIE BALLGAME courtesy of Joey Kinker’s first homer of the summer.
The Braves tried to respond in the bottom of the ninth to pick up a walk-off win. After a walk, Andrew Czech came to the plate again. He ripped a ball that seemed to be destined for center field that would have put runners at first and second. But shortstop Kobe Lopez had other ideas. He dove to his left, making a sensational, full-extension dive and catch for out number one. He then had the presence of mind to get to his feet and deliver a strike across the diamond to double up the runner at first. The momentum had now shifted completely into the Generals favor.
They didn’t waste the momentum in the 10th. Jackson Greene (Florida State) ripped a double down the left field line. Jack Murphy dropped down a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to move Greene to third. The Gens tried to play more small ball with Brad Burckel (U of Houston) at the plate. His bunt was a hard one right back to the pitcher who was able to flip on to the catcher to nab Greene for out number two. However, on the very first pitch in the next at-bat, Burckel stole second base and headed for third on an errant throw by the catcher. The centerfielder saw Burckel going to third and was going to try to throw him out. There was only one problem… He forgot to field the ball, and it rolled past him deeper into centerfield. Burckel then rounded third and headed for home, making it easily on the second error on the Braves on the same play. The Generals lead going into the bottom of the 10th by a score of 7-6.
Waynesboro turned to Nick Zegna (George Mason) to shut the door in the bottom of the 10th. The tall righty came to the mound filled to the brim with confidence. He went three up, three down, and struck out two in the process for his first save of the summer. The Gens had completed their second comeback victory in as many nights.
Key Performers for Staunton:
Duncan Pastore: 2-4, 2 SB, R
Colin Brophy: 2-4, 2 RBI
Ronald Brown: 1-5, 2B, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 2-3, RBI, R
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 2-5, SB, R
Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Daniel Casto (Memphis): W (1-1), 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Nick Zegna (George Mason): SV (1), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The Cardiac Gens (12-7) will be back in action on Thursday night at home vs the Winchester Royals. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field is set for 7 pm.
Gens Score Five In Ninth to Tie and Win In Extras
After the Generals and River Bandits combined for 30 runs in their last contest, they were at it again as they combined for 29 runs in a thrilling comeback for the Gens.
The game started on an outrageous offensive pace. The River Bandits scored two in the top of the first to take an early lead. After a one-out double, Andrew Puglielli hammered a home run over the left field fence for his first long ball of the summer. The River Bandits lead 2-0 going into the bottom of the first.
The Generals would storm right back to take the lead with three runs in the bottom half of the first. Seth Cannady (Florida International) started things with an infield single. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) added to his team lead in RBI with a double into the right center field gap that brought Cannady all the way around to score. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) sent a high fly ball out towards right that ended up dropping. It put runners at second and third because Wes could only advance one base after having to hold up. Clarke would score a few seconds later when the River Bandits starter balked him in and Lopez to third. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) delivered the last run of the first inning with an infield single. The score after one inning was 3-2.
The River Bandits responded in the top of the second inning. A lead-off walk got things started. After an error put runners at first and second, a sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. A deep sacrifice fly to right field brought a run in and moved the runner at second to third. Tomas Sanchez, who had a stellar day at the plate, singled to bring in the second run to give the River Bandits the lead 4-3.
In the top of the third, things got a bit ugly for the Generals. The River Bandits batted sent 12 batters to the plate and scored seven runs to break things open. Four of the first five batters resulted in walks from the General pitching staff who, normally, is pretty stingy at handing out free passes. The fourth walk brought in the first run with one out in the inning. Then the Gens got a sacrifice fly for the second out of the inning with only two runs in. It looked like they may have been able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, the River Bandits cranked out five straight hits with two outs in the inning to get those runs in. The single by Escala brought in two runs, a Sanchez single brought in Escala after he stole second, Puglielli drove in Sanchez after he stole second, Lockhart doubled to right center to put runners at second and third, and Caleb Ward singled to bring in the seventh and final run of the inning. The score read 11-3 after two and a half innings.
The Generals had a choice to make. They could have either packed it in and lived to see another day, or they could start their comeback with a couple of runs in each inning to try and claw their way back in. That choice was made very clear with Kobe Lopez starting off the bottom of the third. He ripped a double down the left field line to get things going. The next batter grounded out to third, but heads up base running from Lopez put him at third with one out. The next batter hit a sharp ground ball at the third baseman who booted the ball to allow Lopez to come in and score as well as the runner to get to second. Jackson Tate (Alabama) singled by another sharp ground ball that just got past the third baseman again. This put runners at the corners. Santi Garcia (Alabama State) continued the target practice on the third baseman with another sharp ground ball that the diving third baseman was only able to get a glove on. This brought in another run for the Generals. Joey Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) singled to center to drive in another run and put runners at the corners. And after a walk to load the bases, the Generals were unable to bring any more runs in. The score after three complete innings was 11-6.
A fourth inning Bryson Worrell home run to deep right center field continued the journey back for the Gens. They had just done a nice job in the top of the fourth at putting up their first zero, and Worrell pulled them just a bit closer with his second homer of the season. The score was now 11-7.
The River Bandits didn’t allow this comeback attempt without putting up a fight of their own. They scored three runs in the next two offensive frames. The score in the fifth came on a wild pitch to move the runners into position, and a passed ball to allow the runner to score. The two runs in the top of the sixth both came with two out in the inning. A single started things with one out. Another single down the right field line put the River Bandits in good shape, but when the runner tried stretching the single into a double, Bryson Worrell delivered a laser beam from right to put out the runner. The Generals had two outs with a runner on third. A two out walk to the lead-off hitter Willie Escala would prove to be costly. A double off the bat of Tomas Sanchez brought in both runners. The score now read 14-7 in favor of the River Bandits.
The Generals were faced with that same question of whether to pack it in, or make a come back late in the ball game. And again, the Generals had a quick answer to that question. Wes Clarke doubled to lead off the inning. Kobe Lopez walked to put runners at first and second. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners, but not for long. Worrell would steal second base to put both runners in scoring position. After Jackson Tate got hit by a pitch to load the bases, Connor Norby (East Carolina) singled to center field to bring in two more runs. The score after six complete read 14-9.
The score would stay that way until the bottom of the ninth. The Generals needed five runs to stay alive in the game. A triple over the right fielder’s head got things started from Connor Norby. Joey Kinker walked to put runners at the corners. A single through the left side by Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) got the scoring started. The River Bandits then got two straight outs with runners at the corners. The Generals still trailed by four runs in the ninth. Kobe Lopez got the chain back up and moving with a single to right center field to bring in Kinker. Back to back walks would bring in a run and put the tying run at second base. Jackson Tate singled to center to bring in both Lopez and Worrell to tie the game at 14. The Generals had successfully come all the way back to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth with 5 runs in what could have been their final frame.
Instead, the game would go two extra innings. A lead off walk of Wes Clarke and a wild pitch soon after put a man on second base with nobody out. Kobe Lopez would drop down a bunt that turned into an infield single. Runners at the corners with nobody out. They elected to intentionally walk the next batter to give themselves a force at any base. A shallow pop fly wasn’t able to bring a run in and would give the River Bandits their first out of the inning with a double play ball capable at getting them out of the inning. The River Bandits elected to play their middle infielders back to try to turn the double play. The only problem with that was that the batter at the plate was Jackson Tate who has great speed. In order for Woodstock to turn a double play, Jackson would have to smoke a ground ball. The River Bandits got the ground ball they were looking for from Tate, but it was softly hit and took the shortstop away from second base. Tate used his great speed to beat out the throw at first by a wide margin and the Generals walked the game off in the bottom of the 11th.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Tomas Sanchez: 4-7, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB, 2 R
Andrew Puglielli: 3-7, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R
Caleb Ward: 3-5, 2B, RBI, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-6, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R
Kobe Lopez (Florida International): 4-6, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI, R
Jackson Tate (Alabama): 3-6, SB, R, 2 RBI including walk-off FC RBI
McLain Harris (Young Harris College): W (1-1), 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K
The Generals (11-7) will be back on the road on Wednesday night when they take on the Staunton Braves for the first time at John Moxie Stadium at Gypsy Hill Park. First pitch set for 7:30 pm.
