Late Saturday Night Contest Sees Braves Over Gens
In a ball game that didn’t get started until 8:30 due to wet field conditions, the Braves outlasted the Generals in a tightly contested Saturday night showdown.
Both teams started their offensive nights with runs in the first frame. In the top of the first, Cole Swiger singled to center to start the night for Staunton. After a walk to the next hitter, Staunton elected to play small ball early on and sacrifice the runners to second and third with one out. After a Braves strike out, Will Simoneit hit an infield single to the hole at shortstop to bring in the first run of the game.
The Generals would answer right back. Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) singled to start the night. Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St) drew a walk to create a carbon copy of the top half of the inning. Chase Cheek (Duke) then went to lay down a sacrifice bunt, but placed it so perfectly that he was able to beat the throw for a bunt single. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) was able to bring in the first General run by taking a pitch off his back for an RBI hit-by-pitch. The bases were still loaded with nobody out when the next hitter rolled into a double play. It did, however, give the Generals the lead at 2-1.
Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) was the starter for the Generals on Saturday night. After giving up a run in the first, he was able to settle in a bit. With 4 hits and 2 walks, he did have to pitch himself out of some jams, but was able to do so masterfully with 6 strikeouts. It was after his 5 innings were up that trouble set in for the Generals. With the new pitcher in the game, the Braves struck for runs in each of the next 3 innings.
In the 6th, the Braves were able to work their first two on by a walk and HBP. They decided to go with the small ball route again and laid down a sacrifice bunt. Justin Beyer (Wagner) was the new pitcher in the game and tried to force a throw into third base, but ended up throwing the ball into left field, allowing a run to score and runners to second and third. After Beyer walked the next hitter, his night was done. The left-handed Bryan Wilcox (FGCU) came into the ball game to try and get out of the jam. He did just that by getting a shallow fly ball to left for out number one and a 4-6-3 double play for outs 2 and 3 to not allow another run to score. The score was now tied at 2-2.
Unfortunately, the 7th didn’t go as smoothly for Wilcox. After a leadoff single, the runner came all the way around to score on a double into the left field gap. Wilcox managed to strike out the next hitter, but that would be the end of his night. He would give way to Matt Nickles (Randolph-Macon). Nickles wouldn’t be able to strand Wilcox’s last runner as he surrendered a two-out RBI single to Brycen Thomas. The score after 7 complete was 4-2.
In the 8th, there was more of the same. A leadoff single started things out for the Braves. Nickles then got what looked like a 6-4-3 double play ball to delete the runner from first. Umpires came together and ruled that the throw pulled the first baseman from the bag. Cole Swiger would make the Gens pay for the mistake by ripping a double into the left center gap for an RBI. After a groundout to second base to move Swiger to third, he came in to score on a wild pitch. That put the Braves on top by 4 and they were never threatened in the late innings.
The Generals were only able to muster 6 hits total in the game. This marks the 8th time in 14 games that the Gens were held to 4 runs or less.
Key Performers for Staunton:
- Cole Swiger: 4-5, RBI 2B, 2 R
- Eric Conner: 1-4, RBI 2B, R
- Braves Bullpen: 4.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K.
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston): ND, 5 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-4, R
- Kyle Wrighte (William & Mary): 2-4, 2B
The Generals will have to sleep fast as they take on the Purcellville Cannons at home on Sunday night at 7 PM at Kate Collins Field.
General Bats Continue to Struggle In Loss to Turks
Waynesboro allowed 4 unanswered runs en route to their 4th loss in their last 5 games on Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Park when they took on the Turks. Saturday made it 6 out of their first 9 games with 4 runs or fewer.
The Generals started out with a big inning right away in the top of the first inning. Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss) started things out with a single up the middle. 2 batters later, Chase Cheek (Duke) hit a chopper to the second baseman, who proceeded to throw the ball into left field trying to force a play at second. This moved both Montenegro and Cheek into scoring position. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) delivered a 2 RBI triple into the right field gap and then came around to score on a groundout to second to make the score 3-0.
The Turks would answer in the bottom of the second. After singles by Whelton and Castillo, Brycen Braswell hit a two RBI single, but was put out trying for second base. Tyler Thompson (Austin Peay), the starting pitcher for the Generals, was able to maneuver his way around further trouble in the second. However, Harrisonburg went right back to work in the bottom of the third. After a one out single, Thompson became a bit wild, delivering a few wild pitches. The last of his wild pitches was on a dropped third strike that allowed the tying run to score. That would be the end of his night after just 2.2 innings.
Bryan Wilcox (Florida Gulf Coast) came on in relief of Thompson to finish the 3rd. He threw a relatively clean 4th with only a two-out single given up. Wilcox began the 5th with 3 out of the first four batters being put on via the free pass or hit-by-pitch. Even though he had loaded the bases, he managed to strike out David Craan for the second out. The next hitter was Paul Castillo. In a 2-2 count, Wilcox induced a short pop fly in foul territory that was destined to get him out of the inning. A bit of miscommunication set in and the ball dropped for a foul ball. His next two pitches were balls to walk in the eventual winning run. Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken) then came in for Wilcox and was masterful in his 3.1 innings.
The Generals struggled to figure out Turks starter Kyle Arjona who moved to 2-0 on the year by pitching deep into the ball game. Only 3 Generals tallied hits and the lineup tallied 11 strikeouts throughout the night.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
- Kyle Arjona: W (2-0), 8 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
- Cameron Irvine: 2-4
- Paul Castillo: 1-3, R, RBI, BB
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Gabe Montenegro (Southern Miss): 2-4, R
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 2-4, 2B, R
- Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
The Generals will be back in action tomorrow night when they go on the road to take on the North Division leading Front Royal Cardinals (9-2) at Bing Crosby Stadium.
Unearned Runs Prove Costly in 8-4 Generals Loss
The General defense made 3 errors Wednesday night in New Market at Rebel Park. All 3 led to multiple runs scoring during the same innings, with only 1 of the 8 New Market runs being earned.
The Generals offense came alive in the 4th inning to break a tie at zero after 3 complete innings. Dalton Wingo (UCF) started the top half of the inning with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch soon after. Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St) followed him up with a double to drive in the first run of the ballgame for either side. The next 2 General hitters reached to load the bases with nobody out. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) drew a full count walk to bring in Teramoto to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Generals. New Market was able to roll a much-needed double play ball to shortstop, but the Generals tacked on another. Finally, the 4th and final run of the ballgame for Waynesboro scored on a wild pitch. The New Market pitching staff did a nice job of shutting down the offense for the rest of the game.
The bottom of the 4th wasn’t kind at all to the Generals. Graham Ashcraft (Mississippi St) was cruising along nicely through 3 innings when he began to feel some discomfort. He left the game after going just 3.1 innings and was responsible for two runners on. Adan Fernandez and Justin King came up with back to back RBI singles and were aided by a throwing error by the General left fielder. Nick Parr (Oakland) was able to get a double play ball to escape any more danger and hang on to the lead after 4 complete.
The Rebels would chip away again in the 6th inning when Oraj Anu reached by an error with one out, moved up on a wild pitch, and eventually scored an unearned run on a single by Adan Fernandez. All of this being said, the Generals still finished 6 innings with a 4-3 lead.
Things then became to unravel in the 7th. After a one out single chased Parr from the game, the flood gates opened. A fielder’s choice error seemed to have Waynesboro on the ropes, but Jacob Weirich (Southern Miss) managed to strike out another Rebel hitter to give the Generals 2 outs. This was followed by a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a trio of RBI singles totaling 5 runs in the 7th frame alone. The score after 7 complete was 8-4.
Other than a 2-out double by new arrival Chase Cheek (Duke) in the top of the 8th, the Gens went away quietly in the final frames of the game.
Key Performers for New Market:
- Adan Fernandez: 3-4, 4 RBI
- Justin King: 2-4, 2 RBI
- Kobe Lopez: 2-4, 2 RBI, SB
- Nicholas Cottone: W (1-0), 4 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Alex Brait (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-3, BB, R
- Chase Cheek (Duke): 2-4, 2B
- Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St): 1-3, RBI 2B, R
The Generals will try to avoid going on a 3-game skid when they travel up to Purcellville tomorrow night to take on the Cannons. The last time these teams met was last Thursday, June 7th, in Waynesboro when the Gens took home the win. Game time slated for 7 pm at Fireman’s Field.
Orzel & Ellmyer Continue Wofford Pipeline
Waynesboro, Virginia
Andrew Orzel and Matt Ellmyer are the next Wofford Terriers in line to make the trek to Waynesboro, Virginia this summer. Orzel and Ellmyer will be representing Wofford College on the Generals’ 2018 squad, as they continue the quality men Coach Todd Interdonato and staff send from Spartanburg, South Carolina to the Generals each summer.
Andrew Orzel – Infielder
A native of Newark, Delaware, the 6’3 200-pound sophomore was a key contributor for the Terriers in his freshman season as he played in 40 games with 27 starts. Orzel, a versatile defender, made 11 starts each in left field and as the designated hitter, along with four starts at shortstop and one at third base. He completed the 2017 campaign with a .265 batting average with 26 hits, 22 RBI’s and 14 runs scored. Orzel spent his 2017 summer as a member of the Elmira Pioneers in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. In Elmira, Orzel batted .303 in 24 games with 27 hits, 9 doubles and 17 RBI’s.
Matt Ellmyer – Right-Handed Pitcher
A native of Jupiter, Florida, the 5’11 190-pound sophomore was another key contributor for the Terriers in his freshman season. Ellmyer made 21 appearances on the mound with four starts while posting a 4.36 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 53.2 innings. Along with leading all Wofford freshman pitchers in innings and strikeouts, Ellmyer was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team. Ellmyer spent his 2017 summer as a member of the Oneonta Outlaws in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. In Oneonta, Ellmyer logged 23.2 innings while striking out 20 and walking only 5.
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