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.
Generals Fall to River Bandits
The Generals had their six game win streak snapped on the road in Woodstock. The River Bandits out-hit the Gens 13-9 and out scored them 8-3.
The River Bandits jumped out to an early lead and never looked back on Sunday night. In the bottom of the first, Aidan Nagle, the team’s leading hitter, started things off with a single. He moved to second on a walk to Lael Lockhart, and two batters later, Nick Holesa drove in Nagle with a single up the middle.
Woodstock scored two more in the bottom of the third before the Generals could answer back. This time, the River Bandits used a couple of two-out extra base hits to bring in their runs. Lael Lockhart doubled to left center. Caleb Ward followed that up with a two-run home run to centerfield. Woodstock now had their lead at 3-0.
The Generals finally got to Woodstock’s starter in the fifth inning for their first run. It was one of the newest Generals that was almost solely responsible for getting the run on the board. Gunner Peterson (Illinois State) singled to lead off the inning. He later stole second, moved to third on a grounder to the right side, and scored on an errant throw by the catcher that was trying to pick off Peterson on a throw behind him at third base. The score was 3-1 going to the bottom of the fifth.
Woodstock saw the Gens trying to make a comeback and responded with two more runs. Aidan Nagle doubled to get things started. Two batters later, he stole third and Caleb Ward would drive him in from there. The battery for the Generals started to struggle a bit. Ward moved to third on two wild pitches and would end up scoring on a passed ball. The River Bandits had a 5-1 lead now.
The Generals again tried a comeback in the seventh. Brad Burckel (U of Houston) tripled to get the inning started. He scored on the very next play on an error by the Woodstock third baseman. The Gens couldn’t get any more runs in from there, so the score was 5-2 headed to the bottom of the seventh.
In the bottom of the seventh, the River Bandits finally broke things open with three more runs. Four straight singles by Escala, Nagle, Lockhart, and Ward put a run on the board and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the inning. A ground ball to the first baseman with the infield drawn in looked as if it would stop the bleeding for the Generals. However, the Waynesboro first baseman decided to try and step on first before throwing home and that allowed another run to score. Finally, Warnner Rincones hit yet another single to drive in the final run of the inning. The score after seven complete was 8-2 in favor of the River Bandits.
The Generals would make one last attempt for a big comeback in the top of the ninth. The past week would lead people to believe that Waynesboro is never out of a game, no matter how late, no matter what the score. They would load the bases with nobody out in the ninth to stir up those thoughts yet again. Two batters were hit by a pitch and in the middle of those two, a Wes Clarke (South Carolina) single happened. However, when Woodstock made a pitching change, they went to their all-star reliever, Seth Comer. Comer induced a pop fly to left that allowed a run to score but then got a double play ball to get the River Bandits out of any further trouble. The final score was 8-3.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
Caleb Ward: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Nick Holesa: 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI
Lael Lockhart: 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R
Ryan Mitschele: W (1-0), 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
Seth Comer: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, GIDP to end the game
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 3-4
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-4
Gunner Peterson (Illinois State): 2-4, R, SB
Brad Burckel (U of Houston): 1-2, 3B, R
Daniel Casto (Memphis): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (15-8) are back in action on Monday night in a makeup contest with the Harrisonburg Turks. First pitch at Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field 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.
Generals Take Down River Bandits in 2nd Straight Walk-Off Win
Once the pitch count got too high for Jacob Bradley to continue for Woodstock, the Generals struck for 2 in the bottom of the 9th to win the ball game 3-2 on the walk-off single by Blake Johnson (UAB).
Jacob Bradley had the number of the Generals all game long as he threw 8 solid innings. He got double play balls when he needed them and also racked up 7 strikeouts. Once he came out of the game for the ninth, the Generals finally pushed across the winning runs.
Woodstock took the lead in the top of the third. Justin Beyer (Wagner) was working through the game quickly when he gave up a 2-out single. He walked the next hitter as well, but got a ground ball that looked like it was going to get him out of the inning. However, an error by the shortstop allowed one run to score. The error was followed up by a single to left to score the second run. After 3, the score was 2-0 in favor of Woodstock.
The Generals would chip away in the bottom of the 5th with 2 straight 2 out doubles. The first was by Alex Webb (Chipola) and the other was by Andrew Orzel (Wofford) for the first RBI of the game for Waynesboro. 2-1 was the score until the bottom of the 9th. Woodstock brought in Rainer Ausmus to try and finish the game. He started the inning by hitting Dalton Wingo (UCF). When Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St) put down a sacrifice bunt, Wingo got aggressive and got all the way to third, narrowly beating the tag of the third baseman who had to hustle back to third after fielding the bunt. Joe Bellini (Cincinnati) was intentionally walked, and Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston) walked soon after to load the bases. It came down to Blake Johnson to drive in the tying and possibly winning runs. In a 2-2 count, Johnson shot a grounder through the right side to bring 2 runs in and walk it off in the bottom of the 9th for their 3rd straight win.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
- Jacob Bradley: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 7 K
- Riley Brandvold: 1-3, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Patrick O’Shea (St. Mary’s): W (3-0), 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
- Justin Beyer (Wagner): ND, 5+ IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
- Andrew Orzel (Wofford): 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
- Blake Johnson (Alabama Birmingham): 1-4, 2 RBI Walk-Off Single
The Generals (21-15) will hit the road on Wednesday to take on a team that owns the season series 3 games to 1. They’ll be playing in John Moxie Stadium when they take on the Staunton Braves. The Gens will be searching for their 4th straight win.
Generals Put Up 20 Runs In Win Over Woodstock
Monday night in Woodstock was the second time this summer that the Gens have put up 20 hits in a game. Both have come within a week of each other. To go along with those 20 hits, they also put up 20 runs.
The Generals started the second half of the year with a bang. They put up 5 runs in the top of the first inning. The first batter of the game was Tyler Bielmaowicz (Houston) and he drew a walk. After recording an out, Bryce Teodosio (Clemson) walked to put runners at first and second. Alex Webb (Chipola) would single to load the bases. Andrew Orzel (Wofford) would be hit by his league leading 14th pitch to bring in the first run. Jackson Webb (UCF) would single through the left side to bring in another run with only one out in the inning. His teammate at UCF, Dalton Wingo, would follow him up with an RBI bases loaded walk. Joe Bellini (Cincinnati) would ground into an RBI fielder’s choice, but when Woodstock tried turning two, the throw was wide of the first baseman to allow another run to score. That would make the score 5-0.
Woodstock showed some fight early by getting on the scoreboard early. It started with a lead-off single by Anthony Cuozzi. He would move to second on a wild pitch, to third on a groundout to the right side, and would score on a 2 out single by Alex Goebel. The score after 1 complete would be 5-1. After the first, the game started to get ugly little by little.
In the second inning, Tyler Bielamowicz led off the inning with his first home run of the summer to make the score 6-1. We move on to the third where the Generals would score again. Dalton Wingo would start things off with a double. Joe Bellini would follow him up with a single. With runners on first and third, Tyler Bielamowicz would bring in another run by way of groundout. A close play at the plate would go in favor of Waynesboro. In the 4th innning, the Generals would score once again. This inning started with another double. This time it was Bryce Teodosio. Teodosio would steal third for Andrew Orzel who would single to bring him in.
It was in the 5th that the Generals started to score more than just one in an inning. They put up 4 runs in the 5th and 4 more in the 6th. The 5th started out with a lead off walk by Bruno Teramoto (New Mexico St), a hit-by pitch for Tyler Bielamowicz, a strikeout, and a single by Teodosio to load the bases. After another strike out to make it two outs in the inning, Andrew Orzel drew a bases loaded walk for an RBI. Jackson Webb would try his hand at the bases loaded situation and would also work a walk. Tyler Trovinger (Oakland) would be subbed into the game and would promptly follow suit with another bases loaded walk. Joe Bellini would make it 4 straight with a walk to bring in the 4th and final run of the 5th inning.
In the 6th, the inning was started by Tyler Bielamowicz with more of the same… A walk. Dylan Cloonan (Miami) would then double to put runners at second and third. Teodosio would load the bases with a hit-by-pitch. Alex Webb would contribute a sacrifice fly for the first run in the inning. Orzel would re-load the bases with another walk. Jackson Webb would draw his second bases loaded walk in the last 2 innings. Joe Bellini would hit a 2-out 2 RBI single to right field to bring in the final run of the 6th inning. After 6 complete, the score would read 16-1 in favor of Waynesboro.
The top of the 7th was the only inning the Generals didn’t score in. No worries though, they scored 2 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th. Alex Webb started the 8th with a single. He was followed by a flyout, a walk to Jackson Webb, and a single by Tyler Trovinger to load the bases. Joe Bellini would drive in another run with a single to centerfield. Bruno Teramoto would get in on the fun and drive in a run with a single to left field. That would be the end of that threat. In the 9th, Coach Jeanes would turn to an almost complete pitcher’s lineup. Right Handed Pitcher Fred Villarreal (Houston) would start things out with an infield single. Villarreall would be brought in by a Nick Parr (Oakland), a Right Handed Pitcher. Parr ripped a double over the head of the right fielder to bring in Villarreal. Parr reportedly went to Oakland as a two-way player but the coaching staff elected to keep him as a pitcher only. Hunter Shuff (USC Aiken), another Right Handed Pitcher, would also get in the fun with a single through the right side. Finally, Joe Bellini would drive in Parr for his 6th RBI of the night to bring the score to 20-1. That would be the final score in Woodstock.
Key Performers for Woodstock:
- Brock Johnson: 2-4
- Alex Goebel: 1-2, RBI
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
- Joe Bellini (Cincinnati): 4-6, 6 RBI, BB
- Bryce Teodosio (Clemson): 3-4, 2B, HBP, BB, 4 R
- Tyler Bielamowicz (Houston): 1-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, HBP, 4 R
- Jackson Webb (UCF): 1-2, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 2 R
- Andrew Orzel (Wofford): 1-2, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 3 R
- Nick Parr (Oakland): 1-1, 2B, RBI, R
- Graham Ashcraft (Mississippi St): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
- Jacob Weirich (Southern Miss): W (1-1), 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
- Pat O’Shea (St. Mary’s): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
The Generals (15-13) will return home on Tuesday night at 7 pm for a divisional match-up with the Harrisonburg Turks at Kate Collins Field.
Waynesboro Tops Woodstock in Extras
After 12 innings Sunday evening, the Waynesboro Generals (23-10) finally defeated the Woodstock River Bandits (10-24) on the road 11-9.
Kyle Jackson gave the Generals the lead in the twelfth on a two-run home run to carry the team to victory.
Waynesboro and Woodstock both got off to hot starts in the game, putting up runs early and often. The Generals got two in the first on RBI singles by Tracy Hadley and Eli Putnam. Woodstock responded with two of their own in the bottom of the inning before Waynesboro would put up five runs in the top of the second. Charles Zaloumis delivered an RBI single before Zach Sterry cleared the bases with a grand slam, his twelfth home run of the year, to make the score 7-2.
The River Bandits did not go away, though, as their offense continued to score runs and keep them in the game. They scored one run in the second inning and two in the third and fourth innings to tie the game up at 7.
In the sixth, Tanner Poole scored on a passed ball, and Zaloumis drove another run in with an RBI single in the seventh to give the Generals a 9-7 lead. Woodstock answered with two runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game. Neither team would score in the ninth, sending the game to extra innings.
Adam Tarver started on the mound and pitched three and two-thirds innings while allowing seven runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked four batters. Merritt Huber came on in relief and pitched three and one-third scoreless innings, giving up just two hits and striking out five. Darren Kelly pitched three innings of relief and allowed two runs on six hits. He finished with four strikeouts and two walks. Conner Loeprich earned the win after his two innings of relief while allowing two hits with one strikeout.
UP NEXT: The Generals will take on the Harrisonburg Turks at home Monday, July 18. Dupont Community Credit Union will be sponsoring the game, and admission will be free.
Generals Out-Slug Woodstock 13-7
The offense for the Waynesboro Generals (16-9) came up big at Woodstock against the River Bandits (8-18) in picking up a road win 13-7.
The win was the Generals’ second straight on the road as the team wrapped up their extended road trip.
Woodstock took a quick 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after two doubles by the River Bandits put three on the board. The Generals’ bats would respond quickly, though, as they tied the game by the top of the fourth. In the second, Andrew Bullock doubled home a run and then scored after an error by the second baseman. Bullock came home again in the fourth on a sacrifice by Brent Sakurai to even the game at 3.
The River Bandits did not go away, however, as they put four runs up in the bottom of the fourth to take a 7-3 lead.
The Waynesboro offense took control for the rest of the night scoring in every remaining inning to put up an impressive thirteen runs. Combining the hits with the impressive shutdown performance from the bullpen led to the Generals’ sixteenth win of the year.
In the sixth, Zach Sterry delivered his eighth home run of the season and fourth in as many games to score two runs. Trey Stine would score after another error by the Bandits to make the score 7-6. Waynesboro took the lead in the sixth when Sakurai scored off a Tanner Poole RBI double and Sterry drove Poole in with an RBI single.
More errors cost Woodstock in the seventh when both Bullock and Bryant Bowen scored unearned runs to make the score 10-7. Eli Putnam checked in with an RBI single in the eighth to add another run. The Generals finally tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth when both Putnam and Kirk Sidwell had RBI singles to set the final score of 13-7.
Adam Tarver started for the Generals tossing five innings and allowed all seven of the Woodstock runs on seven hits. He finished with five strikeouts and two walks. Tyler Elwer and Tanner Kirby combined to throw the final four innings of the game while holding the River Bandits scoreless. Elwer through three innings and allowed just two hits with two strikeouts. Kirby pitched the ninth and had one strikeout.
UP NEXT: Waynesboro returns home to face the division-leading Harrisonburg Turks at Kate Collins Field beginning at 7:00 pm.
Generals Win Home Opener Against Woodstock
Starting pitcher Alex Ernestine had a strong start going six scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
The Generals picked up their first win of the season Saturday night in their home opener versus the Woodstock River Bandits in a game shortened due to inclement weather.
After managing only one run in the previous game, the Generals’ offense exploded for nine runs on twelve hits where a number of different players contributed.
The first four innings of the game moved quickly as both starters, Alex Ernestine for Waynesboro and Zach Perkins for Woodstock, were able to work through the lineup with relative ease. The game remained locked at zero until the fifth inning where the Generals scored five runs on five hits. Cory Alexander II started the inning with an infield single, and after Tanner Poole walked, scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by Zach Sterry. Subsequent singles by Eli Putnam, Kyle Salladay, and Sam Palensky scored four more runs in the inning as the Generals chased the starter Perkins out of the game.
The River Bandits answered back with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh off an RBI single from Jacob Tisevich and an RBI groundout from Mattison Pike with the bases loaded. Waynesboro found more offense in the bottom of the inning however, as the Generals put up four more runs in the bottom of the inning. After loading the bases with two singles and a walk, Woodstock pitcher Brady Jones balked allowing one run to score. A throwing error to home by pitcher Gavin Hellman with the bases loaded, another RBI single by Sterry, and a sacrifice fly by Trey Stine gave the Generals three more runs before the game was called due to lightning and impending weather.
Despite only coming into the game with a team batting average of .148, Coach Matt Williams was optimistic saying he, “enjoyed the offense from day 1.” Coach Williams seemed to have a good reason for optimism as 8 players hit safely and 5 players had RBIs.
Ernestine was dominant for the Generals, going six innings for no runs on three hits with five strikeouts. The starter said he felt good in the bullpen with good command before the game which showed in his strong outing. Christian Cok (0-1) came on in relief in the seventh inning and allowed the two River Bandit runs.
“We enjoyed getting back to Kate Collins and playing in front of the home crowd,” Williams said, “this was a great way to get off on the right foot at home.”
Coach Williams’ Players of the Game: Alex Ernestine (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 SO) and Kyle Salladay (2-4 2 1B, 1 R, 1 RBI).
UP NEXT: The Generals will take on the Charlottesville Tom Sox at home Sunday night at 7:00pm.
