Two Buccaneers Returning to Waynesboro
Two ETSU pitchers will be making the trip to Waynesboro for the 2022 season. RHP Zach Kirby and LHP Daulton Montagna will join the Generals.
Two pitchers will be returning to Waynesboro from ETSU for the 2022 season. Daulton Montagna and Zach Kirby will make the trip from Johnson City, TN to the Shenandoah Valley.
Montagna returns to the Valley League after pitching for the Generals in 2021. Last season Montagna appeared in 13 games and tallied two saves. The southpaw has appeared in 10 games for the Buccaneers this spring and has allowed a batting average against of .222.
Kirby comes to Waynesboro for his third summer in 2022. During the 2021 campaign, Kirby led the Generals in strikeouts during the regular season with 35 in eight appearances. During his senior season at ETSU this spring, Kirby tallied a 2-2 record in 11 appearances including nine starts. The Upland, California native will join the Generals during the second half of the 2022 season.
First pitch for the 2022 season will be on June 3 at 7 p.m. as the Staunton Braves visit in a South Division matchup.
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.
Turks Win 5th Straight Over Generals
After the Gens jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, it was all Harrisonburg for the final 8 innings of the ball game.
The Generals came out swinging in the top of the first. Kobe Lopez (Florida International) led the game off with a double down the right field line. After Seth Cannady (Florida International) was hit by a pitch, Wes Clarke (South Carolina) hit a double that looked extremely similar to Lopez’s double. That scored Kobe and put runners at second and third with just one out. The Generals wouldn’t be able to scratch another run across in the inning. Little did they know, they would struggle to get a chance as good as that one for the rest of the game.
The Turks evened the score in the 4th after starter Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) lost the feel for the strike zone for just a moment. A single and a walk put runners at first and second. A couple of wild pitches moved runners around the base paths and helped one score. Kirby did a nice job at limiting the Turks to just one run, and the score remained tied after four innings.
The Turks would threaten again in the fifth when they got runners to second and third with nobody out in the inning. A couple of strikeouts and a runner cut down at the plate on a ball that got away from the catcher allowed Kirby to get out of the inning unscathed. The righty from ETSU went five strong innings to give his team a good chance to win the game.
The Turks ultimately pulled ahead in the bottom of the seventh inning with two runs. A double got things started for the Turks offense. A single brought the runner around third with a play at the plate available. The throw from the centerfielder was a bit wild and got away from the catcher which allowed the runner to get all the way to third base without a throw. The next batter did his job with a sacrifice fly to right to move the score to 3-1 in favor of the Turks.
The starter for the Turks, Jacob Ferris went 7.2 innings of solid work. He struck out nine Gens while only allowing the first inning run. His performance, along with his first start earlier in the week, was enough for Ferris to grab VBL Player of the Week honors.
Key Performers for Harrisonburg:
Jacob Ferris: W (3-0), 7.2 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
Brandon Stephens: SV (1), 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
McCann Mellett: 2-3, RBI
Josh Madole: 2-4, R
Nick Zona: 2-3, RBI
Immanuel Wilder: 1-3, 2B, R
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Connor Norby (East Carolina): 2-3
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 1-3, 2B, RBI
Santiago Garcia (Alabama State): 2-4, 2B
The Generals (9-7) will be back on the road Sunday night vs the Front Royal Cardinals at Bing Crosby Stadium. First pitch is set for 7 pm.
Generals Suffer Sweep to New Market
In order to make up a game that had been rained out, the Generals welcomed New Market to Integrity Home Mortgage Park at Kate Collins Field for a double-header consisting of two seven inning games. Unfortunately, the Generals were on the losing side of both ball games.
Game 1:
Game one started at 4 pm and saw Bailey Wimberley (Memphis) take the hill for the Generals. His counterpart was Wilhelm Allen for the Rebels. The scoring started early for New Market as the Rebels did all of their hitting with two outs in the inning. Josh Cox hit a single and promptly stole second base on the next pitch. On the stolen base attempt, he moved to third base on an errant throw down from the catcher. He then scored on a single from Samuel Frontino. Frontino would also steal second base. This was the second of five steals that the Rebels pulled in throughout the first game. Brandon Rembert would drive in Frontino with a base hit to left field to finish the scoring for the first frame. The score was 2-0.
The Rebels would also score in the second inning. There was a ton of traffic on the base paths so it was a small victory for the Generals to only allow one run on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. Benito Varela would be the runner to come in and score. The score after two complete innings was 3-0 in favor of the Rebels.
The bottom of the third was the first time the Generals offense got going. They were able to pick up one run, but with the inning they had formulating, the one run felt like a bit of a let down. Bryson Worrell (East Carolina) connected on his first home run of the season with just one away in the inning. Wes Clarke (South Carolina) would follow up the homer with a double into the left center field gap. A couple pitches later, he would move to third base on a wild pitch with still just one out. The Generals weren’t able to bring in the run after a strikeout and a ground out.
The top of the fourth was another good inning for the New Market Rebels. They would tack on two more runs to extend the lead to 5-1. After being hit by a pitch, Ramon Machado would steal another base before being moved to third on a ground out. A single by Kyle Decker would drive in Machado for the first run of the inning. Decker would steal second base to put yet another runner into scoring position for the Rebs. When he tried to steal third, Josh Cox hit a slow chopper to the shortstop. Decker never broke stride and continued on towards home plate. As the play was developing, Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast), the Generals shortstop, would throw across the diamond to try and retire Cox. His throw was late and Decker made it all the way home safely without a throw.
The Generals would also respond with two runs in the bottom half of the same inning. Joe Kinker (Florida Gulf Coast) would work his way on with a walk to lead off the inning. When Connor Norby (East Carolina) would lay down a bunt, the catcher who came out to field the ball air mailed the throw deep into the right field corner. Kinker would come all the way around to score and Norby would get to third. Christian Proffitt would single to bring in Norby, but the rest of the inning proved unfruitful.
The game rested at a score of 5-3 until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Generals would make a big push to try and win the game in walk off fashion. The newly inserted New Market pitcher would struggle with command. He hit Seth Cannady (Florida International), walked Bryson Worrell and Wes Clarke, and was then lifted from the game. The Rebels would turn to Jeremiah McCollum to try to put out the fire. After an RBI fielder’s choice by Elijah Quiceno (Gannon U), McCollum would pick up two punch outs to end the game. He picked up his second save of the season.
Game 2:
Game two of the double header got under way at about 7:25 pm and saw the matchup of Zach Kirby (East Tennessee State) for the Gens and Gregory Strickland for the Rebels.
The Rebels got off to a very similar start in game two by scoring a run in the opening frame. Kyle Decker hit in the leadoff spot for the Rebels and hit a double into the left centerfield gap. Josh Cox followed with a single to right that advanced Decker to third. Giovanny Lorenzo hit a roundball to shortstop to drive in the first run.
The Rebs would score again in the top of the second to extend the lead to 2-0. Brandon Rembert was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. He would steal second and move to third on an errant throw by the catcher. He was brought in on the very next pitch on an error by the first baseman of the Gens. The Rebs would have all they needed to win the game.
The Generals would score in the bottom of the second, but that would finish up the scoring for the rest of the game. Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s) would start things off with a double into the left center field gap and would move to third on the next pitch on a fly ball to right. Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast) drove in Murphy on a high fly ball to centerfield for a sacrifice fly.
From the third inning on, the pitching staffs for both teams were dynamic. The teams combined for only 4 hits in the entire game and the score finished at 2-1.
Key Performers for New Market:
Kyle Decker: 2-6, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Josh Cox: 3-7, R, RBI
Jeremiah McCollum: SV (2), IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Christian Horner: W (1-1), 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Austin Elliott: SV (1), 2 IP, 1 H, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K
Key Performers for Waynesboro:
Christian Proffitt (Florida Gulf Coast): 2-4, 2 RBI
Joe Acosta (East Tennessee State): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Wes Clarke (South Carolina): 2-4, 2B
Bryson Worrell (East Carolina): 1-5, HR
Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s): 1-3, 2B
Matt Mercer (East Tennessee State): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
The Generals drop to 6-5 while the Rebels move to 6-7 on the summer. The Generals will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Purcellville to take on the Cannons at Fireman’s Field.
Four Bucs Set Sail for Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
After not having a single Buccaneer on the roster last summer, East Tennessee State University will make up for it this year with four players making their way to Waynesboro. ETSU is currently the 6th seed in the Southern Conference and will look to make a run in the tournament. The Bucs finished with an overall record of 32-19 and an 11-12 mark in conference play. Of the four players that ETSU will send, there will be one position player and three pitchers. Matt Mercer is a left-handed pitcher, Zach Kirby and Joseph Acosta are right-handed pitchers, and Ethan Cady is a first baseman and corner outfielder.
Matt Mercer – Left-Handed Pitcher
Matt Mercer is a 6’0 178 pound sophomore from Chattanooga, Tennessee. He’s a graduate of Chattanooga Christian School. Matt appeared in five games for ETSU as a true freshman and, even with limited playing time, showed flashes of brilliance. He had five strikeouts in his first career start vs Northern Kentucky in just three innings. This season, Matt has appeared in 19 ball games to place second on the Bucs pitching staff. Over those 19 appearances, he’s made one start. He’s 1-2 with a 5.08 ERA over 28.1 innings pitched. In just over 28 innings, Matt has only allowed 25 hits and has struck out 34 to lead all bullpen arms for ETSU. He’s also one of six total pitchers on the staff that have recorded at least one save. He’s recorded two to tie himself for the 2nd most on the team. Matt looks to continue what has been a solid sophomore campaign in Waynesboro this summer. Welcome, Matt Mercer!
Zach Kirby – Right-Handed Pitcher
Zach Kirby is the son of Lauren and John Kirby. The 6’0 212 pound righty is a native of Upland, California and a graduate of Damien High School in La Verne, California. After compiling a 6-1 record at Damien in his senior season, Kirby has provided an immediate impact. He’s appeared in 17 games for the Bucs and has made a start. Kirby has thrown 28 innings in his 17 games on the bump, and has only given up 13 earned runs en route to a 4.18 ERA and a 1-1 record. He, like Mercer, has recorded a save this season. All these numbers tell the story that Kirby is one of the top guys out of the pen for ETSU and we look forward to him possibly shutting the door a few times in Waynesboro this summer. Welcome, Zach Kirby!
Joseph Acosta – Right-Handed Pitcher
Joseph is the son of Alicia and Joseph Acosta. The 6’1 165 pound freshman hails from Vineland, New Jersey and Vineland High School. He was a four-year letter winner at Vineland and led them to a conference championship in his junior season. Now in Johnson City, Tennessee, Acosta has appeared in nine games for the Bucs this season. He’s 1-0 and, you guessed it, he has also recorded a save just like his two teammates above. Joseph is averaging just below a strikeout per inning this season where he’s struck out 10 in 10.2 innings. The ERA may be a little higher than Joseph wants it, but it’s another reason for excitement for the Generals as he’ll show up determined to get better this summer. Welcome to Waynesboro, Joseph Acosta!
Ethan Cady – Outfielder
Ethan Cady is the son of Tammy and Colin Cady. Listed at 5’11 195 pounds, the junior is a true left-hander from Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. This is Ethan’s first year with the Bucs after transferring from Lipscomb to Columbia State Community College, then ending up in Johnson City. With Columbia State, Cady showed that he had some pop. He hit 15 homers and racked up 52 RBI while hitting for a solid .295 average. This year for the Bucs, Ethan has appeared in 47 out of 51 games and has hit .242 with 11 doubles, three triples, five homers, and 24 RBI. Look for Cady to cause problems on the base paths in the Valley this summer. He’s a perfect 13 for 13 in stolen bases to lead the team. A solid left-handed bat in the lineup for the Gens this summer that could end up seeing his name written into middle of the order. Welcome to Waynesboro, Ethan Cady!
