By: Jackson Hephner
Staunton outlasts Waynesboro in extra innings, 10-7
The Staunton Braves defeated the Waynesboro Generals 10-7 in eleven innings to pick up its first win of the season on Friday.
Staunton opened up the scoring early with two runs in the first inning after loading the bases with no outs. The Braves added one more run in the third and two more in the fifth, taking a 5-0 into the bottom of the inning.
The Generals got back in the game after scoring two runs each in the bottom of the fifth, sixth and seventh. Staunton responded by scoring one run in the top of the seventh and eighth to take a narrow 7-6 lead, but an RBI single from shortstop Max Smyley tied the game and forced extras.
In the tenth inning, Staunton left fielder Owen Prince took the lead back with a two-RBI single before an RBI single by Cooper Clapp brought in one more run to extend the Braves’ lead to 10-7. Staunton’s defense then put together a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the tenth to secure the win.
Tom Sox dominate Lumberjacks 8-1
The Charlottesville Tom Sox defeated the Covington Lumberjacks 8-1 on Friday.
Charlottesville took the lead with a two-RBI homer from third baseman Henry Ford and never gave it up. Shortstop Matthew Martinolich scored Covington’s lone run of the game in the third inning, but the Tom Sox responded with six unanswered runs, led by left fielder Sergio Rivera who led Charlottesville in RBIs with three.
Turks topple Tom Sox 4-2
The Harrisonburg Turks defeated the Charlottesville Tom Sox 4-2 on Saturday after breaking a 2-2 tie with a two-RBI single in the ninth inning.
The Turks put two runs on the board early with a two-RBI home run from shortstop Jose Perez, but the Tom Sox tied the game with two straight RBI singles in the second inning. After the second, both teams only allowed 5 total runs across the next six innings. Harrisonburg’s defensive effort was led by pitcher Dominic Castellano, who entered the game in the fifth inning and pitched three hitless innings while earning five strikeouts. Charlottesville pitcher Liam Best had two hitless innings of his own after entering in the sixth inning.
The tie was broken in the ninth when Perez hit a two-RBI single to give the Turks a 4-2 lead. The Tom Sox earned their first hit after four hitless innings but didn’t score, giving Harrisonburg the win.
Covington falls to Winchester 8-6
The Covington Lumberjacks fell to the Winchester Royals 8-6 on Saturday after taking a 5-0 lead in the third inning.
The Lumberjacks took the lead with a five-run inning in the third, but only scored one more run the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Winchester responded with one run in the third, one more in the fourth, and six in the fifth to take an 8-5 lead. Left fielder Joshua Hogue led the Royals in RBIs with two, while pitcher Ethan Griffith led Winchester’s defensive effort with three hitless innings after entering in the sixth. Both teams went scoreless in the last three innings.
Generals dominate Royals 15-1 in seven innings
The Waynesboro Generals picked up its first home win of the season in decisive fashion, defeating the Winchester Royals 15-1 in just seven innings.
Waynesboro started the scoring in the second with three runs before quickly expanding their lead with eight runs in the third inning. The Generals added on two runs each in the fifth and sixth innings while Winchester only scored one run in the fifth. Waynesboro’s offensive attack was led by Jason Brown, who scored three runs despite not recording a single hit all game.
Strasburg edges out Covington 8-5 in 10 innings
The Strasburg Express secured an 8-5 win against the Covington Lumberjacks after scoring three runs in the tenth inning on Sunday.
The Express took the lead with a two-RBI homer from left fielder Dakota Miller in the first inning, but the Lumberjacks tied the game with a two-RBI single from left fielder Logan Braunschweig in the fourth. Strasburg took back the lead with a pair of RBI singles in the top of the sixth before Covington scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-4 lead. The Express forced a fielder’s choice in the eighth to tie the game and eventually force extra innings.
In the tenth inning, Strasburg scored three runs to take an 8-5 lead. The Lumberjacks didn’t record a hit in the bottom of the inning, giving the Express the win. Braunschweig led the Lumberjacks in RBIs with three, while Miller led the Express in RBIs with two.
Charlottesville defeats Culpeper 11-1 in seven innings
The Charlottesville Tom Sox picked up a decisive 11-1 seven inning win over the Culpeper Cavaliers on Sunday.
The Tom Sox scored four runs in the second and fourth innings and three in the fifth inning. Shortstop Kyle Edwards led the offensive attack with four hits and three runs, the most of any Tom Sox in both categories. The Cavaliers scored their only run in the second with an RBI single from left fielder Jaden Sheffield
Charlottesville’s bullpen only allowed two hits all game. Starting pitcher Braden Halladay gave up both in his three innings pitched before relievers Landen Burch and Mark Perkins three two hitless innings each to close out the game.
River Bandits beat Generals 9-4 behind Hunter Smith grand slam
The Woodstock River Bandits won a back-and-forth affair against the Waynesboro Generals after scoring five runs in the sixth inning.
Woodstock and Waynesboro both got on the board in the first inning with one run each. The River Bandits added one more run in the fourth before both teams scored one in the fifth, putting the score at 3-2 entering the sixth.
It took just three at-bats for the River Bandits to load the bases in the sixth. After an RBI single from shortstop Preston Joye put another run on the board, designated hitter Hunter Smith hit a grand slam to add four more runs to Woodstock’s lead, putting the score at 8-3.
The Generals scored twice in the eighth to narrow the gap, but the River Bandits added one more run in the bottom of the inning, then allowed only one hit in the ninth to secure the win.