Gens Suffer First Loss
Covington churned out nine runs on 12 hits to hand Waynesboro their first loss of the season Tuesday night in front of a nice crowd at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field.
Covington jumped out to a very early lead by scoring one in the top of the first inning. Christian Torres would sting a single to center field, move to second on a wild pitch, and score on a Matthew Cocciadiferro single to center. It was the first of four RBI on the night for Cocciadiferro.
Waynesboro would respond quickly in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at one. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) would lead off with a single that just got over the leaping second baseman. After the first out was recorded on a pop fly, Kobe would steal second base to get into scoring position. After a strikeout by Covington’s starter Bo Brutti, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would deliver, like he has so many other times already this season, with a single up the middle to drive in Lopez.
The game remained close even after Covington scored a run in both the 3rd and 4th innings. In the 3rd, back-to-back singles and a runner moving up on a throw would have runners at second and third with one out. Christian Torres would drive in a run with a ground out to the second baseman. In the 4th, Tom Caufield would come up with a 2-out RBI single to get the score to 3-1.
Unfortunately for the Gens, the 5th inning was really the deciding factor. After a single and a walk to lead the inning off, a Matthew Cocciadiferro double into the left field corner drove in both runs. Cocciadiferro proceeded to steal third base and would be brought home on a single by Tyler Sanfilipo. Sanfilipo would be brought around to score on a double by Joe Fortin for the 4th run of the inning. Finally, Tom Caufield would come up with another 2-out RBI single to get the score to 8-1.
For good measure, Covington would add one more in the sixth inning to make it four straight frames with a run. Christian Torres would double, move to third on a wild pitch, and score on another RBI by Cocciadiferro. That brought the score to 9-1 after six complete innings.
Finally in the bottom of the 7th, the Generals were able to crack the code of Bo Brutti a bit. Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U) would lead off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Santiago Garcia (Alabama St.) would walk to get runners at first and second. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) then drilled a single to center field to drive in Quiceno for the first run of the inning. A few batters later, Seth Cannady (Florida International) would triple in two more runs to get the score to its final tally of 9-4.
Key Performers for Covington:
Matthew Cocciadiferro: 2-4, 2B, 4 RBI, SB
Christian Torres: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R
Tom Caufield: 2-4, 2 RBI
Michael Rotenberry: 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-4, 2B, RBI
Seth Cannady (Florida International): 1-2, 3B, 2 RBI
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 1-2, RBI, 2 BB
Dylan Nix (Young Harris): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
The Generals have Wednesday night off but will be back in action on Thursday night when they travel to Rebel Park to take on the Rebels. It will be the first time that head coach Zac Cole has been back to the field where he won the 2018 VBL Championship. First pitch is set for 7:30.
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.
Alabama State Sends Starting Catcher
Waynesboro, Virginia
Alabama State University, a representative of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), will send a power-hitting catcher to Waynesboro this summer. Currently, the Hornets sit a game over the .500 mark, but sit pretty in conference play. They own an 18-5 record when taking on teams in conference. The catcher that will look to compete behind the plate for the Gens this summer is Santiago Garcia.
Santiago Garcia – Catcher
The 5’10 205 pound sophomore from Enterprise, Alabama should provide plenty of offense for the Generals this summer. He’s the son of Elizabeth and Santiago Garcia. Wherever compact catcher has been, he’s always hit. He finished his high school career with a .399 batting average, including his senior campaign where he hit .484. In 2017, Santiago was named Baseball Factory Under Armour Preseason All-American. He would split time a bit once he came to Alabama State. In his freshman year, he hit .281 in 31 games played for the Hornets. He’s shown the ability to also play a little bit of first base in his collegiate career, so if his bat is hot, look for head coach Zac Cole to pencil him in at the corner. Last summer, Santiago was named MINK Player of the Year in the fellow collegiate summer baseball league where he led the Sedalia Bombers to the championship. After his stellar summer, he’s picked up where he left off. Santiago has played in 49 games for the Hornets and is 3rd on the team with a .318 average. Over his 67 hits he has spread out 15 doubles and 9 homers with 57 runs driven in. With those kind of numbers and his summer collegiate championship pedigree, look for Santiago to be key in the Gens making a run at the title this year. Please welcome to Waynesboro, Santiago Garcia!
