STRASBURG – Strasburg scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning Thursday night and never trailed in a 6-2 victory over Winchester in the first round of the North Division playoffs.
The loss ended the season for the Royals while the victory pushed the Express into a best-of-3 series beginning Friday night in Purcellville against the Cannons.
A single by Connor Chisholm (Mississippi) and a double by Miles Curley (College of Central Florida) put Express runners at second and third with one out in the first. Both runners scored on a single by Brooks Henderson (Lackawanna) for a 2-0 Strasburg lead.
The teams traded runs in the third inning before a solo homer in the bottom of the fifth inning by Strasburg’s Anthony LaSala (Pittsburgh) put the Express up 4-1.
Alex Perrin’s bases loaded groundout added a run for the Royals in the sixth inning to trim the margin to 4-2, but the Express added two insurance runs in the seventh inning for the final margin. LaSala hit his second homer of the game, another solo shot, in the seventh.
LaSala finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, including the two solo home runs. Teammate Anthony Bianchina (Charlotte) was 2-for-4 and scored twice.
Chase Ingram (UAB) gave the Express five strong innings to earn the win. Ingram allowed just one run on three base hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Winchester was limited to just five hits in the game. The Royals finished the season with a 20-21 overall record.