Gens Fall to Staunton On the Road
A trio of 3 run innings by the Braves put enough distance from the Generals to take down Waynesboro in comfortable fashion. While Waynesboro scored in 5 of the 9 offensive innings, it wasn’t enough to keep up with Staunton.
The first of the 3 run innings from the Braves came in the bottom of the first inning. The first hitter of the game doubled to left center to start things off. He was moved to third after a sacrifice attempt was botched by the General catcher. After a stolen base, runners were on second and third when a sacrifice fly was hit to center. The throw from center got away and allowed the runner from second to move up. The next Staunton batter doubled to right center to drive in another run and make it 2-0. The final run scored came 2 batters later on a 2 out single to right.
The Gens would respond with a run in the top of the second. Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch. 2 batters later he stole second to put himself in scoring position. After Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St.) was hit by a pitch, Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) drove a double right over the center fielder’s head for the first run of the ball game for the Gens. Unfortunately, they would strand Bruno at third. After 2 complete innings, the score would stand at 3-1.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, the Braves would unleash their second 3 run inning. It started with a 1 out walk. The next hitter would single and move runners to the corners with 1 out. When starting pitcher Evan Gillespie (Faulkner) would pick the runner off of first base, a run-down would ensue. When the runner from third took off for the plate, the General shortstop fired home and the ball scooted away from the catcher. So a run had scored and the runner that was picked at first went all the way to third. Trey Jacobs would follow all that up with a first pitch, 2-run homer for the Braves. The score was now 6-1 in favor of Staunton.
The Gens would bounce back in the top of the 5th to score another run. The Generals loaded the bases with nobody out in the inning. Tyler Bielamowicz would start things with a walk, followed by singles by Jackson Webb (UCF) and Alex Webb (Chipola) to load them up for the 4 through 6 hitters with nobody out. It looked to be the big inning the Generals would need. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would hit a bleeder into center that would drop, but Alex Webb would be putout at second base for the first out. It would go as an RBI fielder’s choice for Orzel. The Braves starter Buckshot Flynn would then work a strikeout and a ground ball to get out of the inning with minimal damage. The score was 6-2 after 4 and a half innings.
The Braves would then put up their third and final 3 run inning to basically put the game out of reach. They got things started with a single and a walk to put runners at first and second. After a sacrifice bunt to move runners into scoring position, the hitter would come through with an RBI single to put runners at the corners. When the runner from first took off to second for a stolen base attempt, the throw from the catcher was a low one and the ball hit the lip of the infield and came up and caught Jackson Webb in the face. As the ball bounded away, the runner from home scored. After a wild pitch, an RBI groundout would be enough for their third run of the inning. The score after 5 complete would be 9-2.
The Generals would score 1 in each of the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings to tighten things up. In the 6th, Keegan Morrow (UAB) doubled to start things off. After a single by the newest addition to the team Dayton Beasley (Middle Georgia) to move Morrow to third, Tyler Bielamowicz came up with an RBI sacrifice fly. In the 7th, Alex Webb would start things off with another single. He would be followed by Andrew Orzel’s league leading 17th hit-by-pitch to put runners at first and second with nobody out. Keegan Morrow would drive in Webb for the only run of the 7th. In the 8th, another 2 out RBI single by Andrew Orzel would tighten the score to 9-5. However, in the bottom of the 8th the Braves would add a run on a 1 out single to move the score to 10-5. That ended up being the final.
Key Performers for Staunton:
- Trey Jacobs: 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
- Brandon Hernandez: 2-4, 2B, SB, RBI, R
- Bryson Parks: 3-4, 2 SB, RBI, 2 R
- Eric Conner: 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
- Buckshot Flynn: W, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston): 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R
- Alex Webb (Chipola): 3-5, R
- Keegan Morrow: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
Waynesboro (21-16) will take a much needed day off Thursday and will be back at home to take on the Charlottesville TomSox in a big South division matchup Friday night at Kate Collins Field.
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.
